Verizon To Put Ads On Your Phone

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From The New York Times: "Beginning early next year, Verizon Wireless will allow placement of banner advertisements on news, weather, sports and other Internet sites that users visit and display on their mobile phones, company executives said."

From The New York Times: “Beginning early next year, Verizon Wireless will allow placement of banner advertisements on news, weather, sports and other Internet sites that users visit and display on their mobile phones, company executives said.”

The Times goes on to give some examples of ads that have appeared on mobile phones in the past. “The ads have tended to involve simple banners or text messages, like those connected to the “American Idol” show, in which consumers are urged to send in a vote. Or they have offered digital coupons, like those that allow Dunkin’ Donut customers to show a coupon on their phone at the counter to get a 99 cent latte.”

Wow, a latte. So what is the future of cell phone advertising? “David Goodrich, director of digital for the West Coast region for OMD, an ad agency, said he did not believe mobile advertising could be particularly effective until marketers could regularly and easily buy space for video clips.

Advertisers “are crazed to get information” onto the phones, Mr. Goodrich said. But the effectiveness “will be really limited until you’ve enabled site[sic], sound and motion.”

Fantastic, we can not properly express the rage we will feel if our cell phone ever plays a video clip that shills Dunkin’ Donuts Lattes while we’re just trying to check the weather. Sigh. Are we alone on this? —MEGHANN MARCO

Verizon to Allow Ads on Its Mobile Phones [New York Times]