Dennis Yu

Apple iAds-- what it means for local businesses

Apple iAd Steve Jobs demo

Did you see the above video?  In it, Steve Jobs is showing off the new Apple iAds, a direct competitor to Google AdSense and other ads that “just suck” on mobile devices.  For the desktop, “search is where it’s at,” asserts Jobs– but mobile devices are about apps, not search.  Given that the average iPhone or iPod touch user spends 30 minutes a day on their device, if you show ads every 3 minutes, that’s 10 ads per user per day.  With 100 million users, you have 1 billion ad impressions per day.

Jobs claims that iAds are superior to traditional text ads because they are more engaging and interactive– possessing the emotional content of TV but with perhaps even more interactivity than the web and TV (which has no interactivity). iAds also are built into the iPhone operating system, so that when shown, they do not yank the user out of where they were, but are built right in.  He asserts that iAds will have a higher CTR because of this.

Then Steve Jobs went on to demonstrate a couple of showcase ads that Apple made– one with Toy Story 3 and then a Nike ad.  Both featured a video, a game, an app download, a photo gallery, and other ad widgets.  Very impressive and clearly not something that a small business could ever dream of affording to create– any more than they could produce the next Pirates of the Caribbean film.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES?

As a local business, your advertising dollars have to drive more business– measured in phone calls, coupon redemptions, information requests, and more people walking into your store, office, restaurant, or establishment.  These iAds are basically supercharged TV commercials that don’t encourage conversion.  You’re not trying to promote a theatrical release, the new 2010 Air Jordan shoe, or other entertainment product.   If you’re a dentist, personal injury attorney, roofer, veterinarian, or other types of local business– odds are that your business is not quite as exciting.

For BlitzMetrics, we think that driving you more measurable business is quite exciting.  However, the iAd will not be relevant to small businesses until there are pre-made templates that allow businesses to create videos with no more than a few clicks. If you think getting small businesses to create 90-character text ads for Google AdWords is hard, try getting them to customize an interactive experience.

Enter Google to the rescue from out of the blue– Search Stories gives us a glimpse of how simple templates might actually work.  Watch my 30-second example here. Now imagine if businesses could fill out a single registration form, upload a few images, choose a music type, and BAM— they have an interactive video experience that can be posted to their Facebook, Google AdWords, and Google TV Ads (yes, you can buy network TV time from AdWords), Facebook, and perhaps even the iPhone (if they ever allowed flash, as opposed to HMTL5).

In terms of the advertising battle between Google and Apple– I pick Google to continue to win in the small business space, while Apple grows with big brands that have big budgets.  The key to unlocking the local markets is simplicity– and while Apple is renowned for creating simplicity in user interface design, they do not have a demonstrated track record in advertising yet.  Players such as AdReady and TurnHere are making inroads in templated display ads and video, but have a long ways to go.

The point of being on a mobile device is taking advantage of a consumer that is on the move and likely to be spending money.  The phone knows where you are, so why not have a template that incorporates location into a local lead gen template?  Clearly, Apple is going after the big advertisers that don’t care about location, except for a token mapping application.  But for the millions of local small businesses out there– it’s a wide-open field.

If anyone has experience with iAds or wants to add to this discussion, I welcome comments.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations. You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel. You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.
I'm a member of Blitzmetrics Academy and a friend of Dennis to boot. Not only is Dennis highly intelligent and full of great and creative ideas, he's also incredibly generous with both his knowledge and his time. Success couldn't come to a better guy. Thank you for all that you do for the world, Dennis! 🙏

Michael Pacheco

Marketer

Thanks 🙏 for being shining light in this industry. Love what your building for works overseas too network for jobs so innovative. Dennis helped me navigate having bad experiences with marketing agencies and doing dollar a day marketing which has helped my personal brand tremendously. Highly recommend.

Eric Skeldon

Founder at Kingdom Broker

Working with Dennis has been a delightful experience. After meeting him in 2015 I got to collaborate with him on countless occasions. His understanding for state-of-the-art marketing, his implementation, and his leadership put him into the top 0.01% of marketers and mentors.

Jan Koch

Ihr kompetenter Partner für innovative KI-Strategien.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dennis for my podcast in 2021 and since then we have maintained a friendship that grows with each interaction. I have seen Dennis' devotion to his friends and clients firsthand, and our conversations often result in us talking about how we can provide more value to the people around us. He is someone whom I can ask questions on a technical level, and look to on a personal level. If you have any hesitancy about hiring him, get over yourself and do it!

Isaac Mashman

Help scaling personal brands.

Geez, where do I start recommending Dennis? First, he is an absolutely brilliant marketer who understands where marketing is today and where it's going tomorrow. He also has an incredible passion for the International Worker community. The lessons he has taught me from his almost 20 years of experience hiring International Workers have been immense. Most importantly though. Dennis Yu is someone who wants the absolute best for you and is willing to tell you the truth. Dennis sat with me at a point in my business where I was floundering but did not want to admit it. He asked some very straight forward questions to get me to admit my issues, highlighted the issues, and then helped me create a roadmap to success.

Atiba de Souza

International Keynote Speaker | Video Content Superman | Superconnector |

Dennis, which I had the pleasure of working with is one of the most giving, honest and tell you as it is person I ever know. The knowledge this man has is remarkable and he just gives it out freely. He is not pretentious and always entertain anyone big or small in the industry always willing to help. If you ever get a golden opportunity to work with him or mentored by him say YES!. You will notr regret Dennis, which I had the pleasure of working with is one of the most giving, honest and tell you as it is person I ever know. The knowledge this man has is remarkable and he just gives it out freely. He is not pretentious and always entertain anyone big or small in the industry always willing to help. If you ever get a golden opportunity to work with him or mentored by him say YES!. You will not regret

Nixon Lee

The PR Whisperer

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