Back in 1999, when Prince’s song was a reality and reality television took up only sixty percent of the market, online start-ups began to discover CPC ad networks. This was an exciting time for the Internet. Money seemed to literally grow on trees(virtual ones anyways.) Flycast, Valueclick, Lycos, Go. These were all hot buzzwords among the new generation of web marketers and advertisers. Just pay for a few clicks and you were well on your way. In short, it was an exciting time to be online.

Flash-forward a decade or so and things have changed. When you start buying nowadays there are a host of new concerns. Marketers have grown leery of the networks and exchanges that aggregate inventory across hundreds of properties. There are so many behavioral networks, video networks, and ad exchanges that are impossible to tell apart. They offer only one thing, cheap inventory. It’s like one giant dollar store. And we all know how high-quality the goods are you get from a dollar store. Even the purported strength of ad networks, direct response marketing, don’t hold up to intense scrutiny. In short, online ad networks offer less bang for your buck than other means of driving customers. What a difference a decade makes.

So. Online ad networks are not worth their weight in e-mail. What about mobile ad networks? They fare quite nicely, actually.

Why is this? Simple really. It’s all about the money. Mobile advertising networks bring much more value to the mobile Web marketplace than their PC-based counterparts bring to the PC Internet. Sure, it’s easier to reach a mass audience on the PC-based Internet than it is via a mobile platform. However, the people you do attract via mobile tend to be worth more. This is because mobile platforms tend to be more of a “closed system.” This means the people you do attract are or less, well, a captive audience. The reach of the carrier decks — mobile providers’ home sites, which are the sole mobile Web experience for many users without high-end handsets –are just too good of an opportunity to pass up for many advertisers. This is with good reason.

Mobile ad networks also offer a host of analytics and measurements that your typical mobile content site does not. The technology of serving ads across many mobile sites offers a great view of consumer usage by handset, operating system, and carrier. For one, AdMob’s research report is a great resource. Check it out. Most other ad networks offer similar services. Not only do they give you a great database as to who is using what and when, they also offer insight into consumer behavior. In short, they have filled a huge void. Advertisers can now measure the success of calls to action, link requests, mass e-mails and just about anything else. In the world of online marketing, measurement is key.

Having said that, mobile ad networks are not without their faults. As they proliferate, the need to be choosy becomes paramount. Look for networks that offer total transparency. Networks should be willing to share a site list so advertisers know where their ads might appear. They should also be willing to share some sense of their inventory shares so clients can understand how much they rely on certain types of sites as a source for ad space. The best ad networks will also advertisers to blacklist sites they don’t want to be featured on. The really best ad networks will report back and tell advertisers when their ads ran. Look for all of these features to maximize your joy(and profit.)

So mobile ad networks are go. This may change in the next ten years, but for now it’s 1999 all over again.

The creative revolution is among us. Every time “they” say creativity and journalism is dead, it comes roaring back bigger than before. For instance, AOL has recently changed their business model to reflect a large shift toward the creative market. However, one area that has lagged behind the others is the mobile market. The mobile market is in dire need of more than a creative revolution. It needs a creative ignition.

Mobile Industry Does a Great Job of Recycling

Typically the mobile industry looks through the creative outlets of the rest of the world, and cherry picks what it likes best. Usually this content is a dollar short and a day late. The mobile market takes the “path of least resistance” strategy.

This is because the initial objective amongst the mobile markets was to grow audiences to critical mass, get brands to buy mobile advertising inventory, and build mobile sites so ads have someplace to drive to. This has forced us we have rely on re-purposed creative content as the supply for ad units and site design assets. This was just the cheapest way to maximize outreach.

After all, the less money that goes into producing original content the more that can go into paid media and site production. This worked for a while, but the mobile market has grown too much in recent years to continue making this a viable option. The quality of original content simply has to step up.

Banners don’t bring home the bacon

It’s unlikely a consumer ever thought to themselves “Wow. I really can’t get that amazing banner ad out of my head.” The riches and prestigious trophies don’t go to text ads and clever expandable mouse-overs. Not to downgrade the importance of that kind of thing. They are typically worker bees in a successful campaign. They, however, cannot be the linchpin of said campaign.

Case in point, the winners at the yearly Effie awards hardly ever represent mobile content. This is because the content just isn’t there yet. It has not matched the level of quality present in the rest of the Internet. One day we’ll see a campaign led by a brilliant idea and execution on mobile that’s supported with other wise choices of channels and integrated messages. Hopefully this day will come soon.

The mobile platform has so many exciting new toys to play with. There’s accelerometers, GPS, mapping, user-initiated still and video images, click-to-call, and the ability to wake other applications along with old standards like interstitials, embedded video, animations, and audio. It’s enough to give you a headache, but assuredly they can all help your business thrive.

Budget is king

One of the main reasons creatives are slow to get involved in the mobile game is the limited budgets usually reserved for those campaigns. Mobile efforts simply need more funding so we can reverse this trend.

There is also a common misconception that the mobile platform is limited and thus would act as a “crux” of sorts for creative content. These people obviously have not seen a fully-enabled mobile campaign in the past few years. As us mobile-heads know, the sky truly is the limit here.

Marketing strategies, budget processes, measurement schemas, and account leadership must consider the mobile platform when planning out their campaign budgets. The demand is there for quality content. Now let’s fulfill it.

Build the momentum

Sure, there are already some really talented creatives working in mobile. That fact cannot be disputed. We are certainly on the right track. But why not speed that track up a little bit? The momentum has started. Baby steps have been taken. But it’s time for that baby to grow up.

Now that you decided that you have a need for a mobile app, what are your next steps? Obviously there are tens of thousands of iPhone apps, but what about BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile. Now that novelty of apps has lost its luster, you have to try now to get your app noticed.

The best way to start the development of a mobile app is to conceptualize its function. Evaluating goals and functionality can lead to a streamlined and user friendly design. Focus on your goals and leave out the extra stuff that will slowdown or distract the user. Careful planning and organization will yield a successful app regardless of the platform.

Mobile apps can be used to service or appeal to customers. Providing a resource or convenience is a great base to build an app. Companies like credit cards can offer balance checking or online payments. These kind of apps are great for current consumers. Having an app like yellowpages can appeal to everyone.

Now that you have settled on a scope, how do you share it? Some basics are to list it on your website, Facebook page, Twitter, via email blasts and direct mail. If you are trying to reach non customers, paid marketing might be the way to go. Targeting your money is important here. Using ad networks and paid search can help you target your consumer. Targeted ads might cost more but the conversions are worth it. Tracking conversions with pixels will provide you with valuable data. This data can be used to further refine your targeting so that you address the consumers you want. Gathering data is essential in understanding your customer base and potential downloaders.