It looks like one of the last, great mobile advertising sites is now in the hands of the mighty Google.
Admob, which helped transform the mobile advertising space (especially with the iPhone) is now a property of the mighty Google.
(Admob Press Release) This morning we announced that AdMob has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google. I’m obviously excited, and not only for our customers, partners, and employees. I’m excited because I believe this will be an important moment for everyone involved in producing, consuming, or monetizing engaging products on mobile. The truth is that the mobile industry has had no shortage of creative energy, amazing products, and talented entrepreneurs. But until now, it has always felt like those of us involved in this space played second fiddle to our online brethren. I believe that time is over. […]
Then came the iPhone. Suddenly, Apple solved so many problems that had plagued mobile for so long. They showed all of us the way forward and their efforts have led to a landslide of rapid improvements in our space. We were so excited by the promise the iPhone represented that we shifted a significant portion of our attention to that device in its very early days. We launched the first iPhone ad units focused on the web and quickly added the capability to run ads in applications. Now with the addition of excellent devices from Palm, Nokia, RIM, and plethora of Android powered smartphones, we have all the preconditions necessary for what will be a tidal wave of mobile browsing and app usage. But let there be no mistake. Our business, and the mobile industry in general, owes Apple a debt of gratitude.
Admob was one of the first real mobile advertising sites outside of the “Google Alliance.” Having been fairly disappointed with Adsense for Mobile (which seemed ugly half of the time), Admob was a breath of fresh air, especially if you had a mobile friendly site.
While I am a little sad to see yet another great blog service assimilated by the Google Borg (after all, they bought out FeedBurner and YouTube), this news may help increase the inventory of mobile ads for bloggers everywhere, which will be very helpful during this economic recession.
