Apple is not completely anti-advertising. In fact, it is technically an advertising business thanks to the ads it shows on the App Store. And while advertising on Apple’s digital storefront has been relegated to two specific areas so far, it will continue to expand.
From a technical standpoint, Apple has created a new ad unit in the App Store to serve ads to visitors before they even search for an app. And now Apple is doing it again, but with an even bigger expansion. Apple today announced the addition of two new ad slots to the App Store: one in the Today section and a dedicated slot on individual app pages.
The Apple ad on the Today homepage will be placed in the second slot, according to the company. So it won’t be the first thing visitors see when they open the App Store, but it will be pretty high up in the hierarchy. That’s all that will change in the Today section, according to Apple, as it will retain its primary focus on curation and discovery.
Most importantly, the ad itself will be clearly labeled as an advertisement.
In addition, Apple also adds ad slots to the landing pages of individual apps. This means that developers will be able to advertise their other apps right on the dedicated pages of their other apps. This will be available at the very bottom of the app’s landing page.
Ads present on individual application pages will be relevant to the application that the visitor is viewing. So, while developers will advertise their own apps, those places will also be available to other developers. But this cannot be targeted advertising work. Therefore, Twitter cannot advertise its application, for example, in third-party applications. In any case, not on purpose. But it looks like app landing pages will advertise competing apps.
Apple says testing of these new ad placements will begin soon, but hasn’t given an exact date. No word yet on when the mass launch will take place.
Who’s Ready for More App Store Ads?