Google Expands Mobile Ads to Apps

Google’s mobile advertisers may now see their ads pop up in mobile applications from Sega, Urbanspoon, FlyCast, and other app publishers.

The company this afternoon announced the beta launch of AdSense for Mobile Applications, following an initial trial with a handful of partners over the past few months. The system allows advertisers to run text- and image-based ads within Apple iPhone and Google Android mobile apps. All marketers and developers can now apply to participate in the beta program.

“Mobile apps are a great way to reach people at relevant moments,” said a Google spokesperson. “People who use apps tend to be more engaged.”

According to the spokesperson, app developers can choose where they’d like the ads to be displayed in their apps. By adding associated code to their applications, developers become part of Google’s content network. As with other formats, Google targets ads to mobile apps contextually, though in this case, developers are helping the firm determine which content or actions are most appropriate to trigger ad delivery.

“We’re experimenting with ways for people to directly target certain apps,” the spokesperson told ClickZ News. In the case of Shazam’s music app, for instance, ads are targeted based on the user’s song list.

Though Google expects to add applications to its network soon, current apps include i.tv’s TV and film guide app, Sega’s game apps, UrbanSpoon’s restaurant review app, Shazam’s music app, FlyCast’s news, music, and talk programming app, the Backgrounds wallpaper app, and a news, stocks, and entertainment app from Pocket Express.