Apple is aiming to expand its digital advertising network by offering ad deals to companies that include Snap and Pinterest, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is hoping to build an Apple ad network that would distribute ads across apps, providing a share of revenue to the apps that display the ads.
With these Apple ads, searching for something like "Drapes" in Pinterest could show up an ad from Apple for an interior design app, as an example.
Apple's App Store ads brought in nearly $1 billion in revenue last year, and its ad network ambitions would allow the company to grow its ad business significantly. Companies like Google and Facebook offer similar ad programs, which Apple would need to compete with.
Targeting ads could be more difficult for Apple because it does not use the extensive data collection techniques of Google and Facebook. Apple limits its App Store advertising data collection to age, location, gender, device, and music, app, book, and video downloads.
According to The Wall Street Journal, it is not known where Apple's planning for the ad network stands nor when it could launch. Apple previously had an ad program called iAd, which it shuttered in 2016.
Top Rated Comments
I don’t want ads Tim. That’s why I paid the premium over an Android.
That bold portion of your comment. That's Apple's infamous marketing misdirect. None of them (Google, Apple, MS, etc) sell your personal information to advertisers. But by saying they don't specifically, the implication is made that the others do.
Be that as it may, Apple has always made a point that they are different from Google, Facebook etc. due to their business model. For example, here is a quote from a recent Tim Cook interview ('https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-slams-facebook-privacy-human-right-it-n860816'):
<begin quote>
When asked what he would do if he were in Zuckerberg's position, Cook replied: "What would I do? I wouldn't be in this situation."
"The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We’ve elected not to do that."
<end quote>
If the WSJ report is correct that they are expanding their (currently very limited) targeted advertising business, that is obviously no longer true, and they should be called out for it.
It's my opinion that Apple plays this (we don't sell your data, we're not FB, etc...) up into overdrive to justify the "walled garden" to the consumer. If you're concerned about nefarious apps as a reason to not like android, why are you on the internet? It's just as "wild west".
"Your personal data belongs to you, not others.
Whether you’re taking a photo, asking Siri a question, or getting directions, you can do it knowing that Apple doesn’t gather your personal information to sell to advertisers or other organizations."
Guess that didn't last long.