Apple’s tough stance on the adverts created for its iAd platform has left it with just a handful of live ads, despite 17 firms signing up to the service.
Ad agencies say development has been held up due to Apple’s involvement in the creative process, resulting in just two ads being live on the mobile advertising platform for the bulk of July, WSJ.com reports.
Although the tally has now hit five, agencies say it is taking eight to ten weeks to see an advert through from concept to completion – far longer than on competing mobile ad platforms – with Apple’s involvement adding at least two weeks to the process.
Apple’s platform launched in the US on July 1, designed to deliver in-app adverts on content downloaded from the firm’s App Store.
Developers receive up to 60% of the revenues generated, WSJ.com said.
Nissan, one of the five companies now running ads, said the service garnered a click-through rate five times higher than a similar online ad campaign, however launch-partner Chanel told the news site it has no plans to create an iAd in the near future.
Research firm eMarketer predicts the mobile advertising market will be worth $593 million this year. With Google set to launch its AdMob service this autumn, Apple won’t have the space to itself for much longer.