In the summer of 2010, Apple announced a new revenue generation tool called iAd. The new service was an advertisement network tailored to application developers, which partnered with strong brands in an effort to increase app profitability.
Many applications decide to insert advertisements as a way to monetize the work, so it is important that we understand the business of placing ads so that we can make informed interface decisions that help build revenue and create an immersive experience.
With regards to specific ad networks, there is a bit of variety and our options are open. This choice will be determined with the consideration of several questions, such as ease of implementation, typical revenue for our content type, fill rates, target user location, and more. The network itself will probably be chosen by our programming or marketing team, so we may not have much influence in its selection as interface designers. As such, we should be prepared to interact with anything that is thrown our way.
For the purpose of this recipe, we'll focus on iAd as it is typically the most popular and most strict with regards to interface requirement. Other ad networks tend to also be similar to iAd, so nearly all content related to the network is likely to be applicable with other networks as well.
Like any other Apple framework, the service helped simplify a process for developers while also requiring stringent standards in order to guarantee a consistent user experience. This will require that we understand the guidelines before we toss the ads into our app as well.
For this recipe, we'll discuss the various interface requirements for the iAd network, and why proper placement of such ads will increase revenue.
An iAd, AdMob, or other advertisement service account will be required for this exercise; however we could go about using our own self-created ad framework as well. Regardless as to what service we should decide to go with, we should have documentation on expected ad standards on hand when working through this recipe.
For more information on how to join AdMob, MobFox, or Apple's iAd networks, feel free to visit the following links:
While placing our ad, we're given the option of two different ad types. First is the standard banner view, which is available on all iOS devices. This ad type runs much like a traditional website banner ad, spanning across the width of the device screen while varying in height. For iAds, the standard banner is 50 pixels tall in portrait mode on iPhone or iPod touch and 32 pixels tall when in landscape. On iPad, the standard banner is always 66 pixels in height regardless of orientation.
The standard banner ad should always be placed on either the very bottom of the screen view, or anchored above a Tab Bar or Tool Bar, also on the bottom of the screen. Never should an iAd be placed on the top of the screen or floating in the middle of the screen. The proper placement of an iAd is shown as follows:
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These banners serve as an entry point to a larger ad, programmed to run full screen on top of our application when tapped.
The second advertisement type, called a full screen banner, is only available on the iPad. The ad type varies in height depending upon the presence of a Tab Bar or other interface item. This ad is intended to serve well as an intermittent piece between pages of a magazine or between levels of a game.
Such strong restrictions don't offer much flexibility in our interface, but offer the best opportunity to gain advertisement revenue in our app. The smaller banner ads are designed to be placed by high traffic interface items, which offer a high likelihood that the user will tap upon the ad if interest is peaked. Such banners also are designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, so that the user is never frustrated with an ad that overstays its welcome.
The HTML 5 content rich advertisement presented once the iAd has been tapped is another exceptional way to increase the revenue, as the user is able to view a full ad without leaving the application. This makes it much more likely that the user will tap on the ad, as they won't be kicked out of whatever they are viewing in order to learn more about the featured product.
Full screen banner advertisements allow for a more traditional, large-scale marketing approach. Here, we can offer a full-page ad presentation on the iPad in-between pages of a periodical or when in a game. Such ads are immersive, well received by users, and require no sales staff in order to sell.
Using one of these advertising methods, we'll quickly create a strong application with the potential to bring in a significant amount of revenue. Just integrate the iAd framework into our existing work, and we'll be well on our way.
For free applications, advertisement revenue can be a necessary means and important interface element. While we'd love to create amazing applications for free, income is a necessity if we're looking to make a career in app development.
Thankfully, Apple has created an exceptional ad framework along with simple and successful interface placement requirements. So as long as we sign up for the iAd program and abide by the rules, we'll be well on our way towards earning significant ad revenue from our application.
In this recipe, we talk exclusively about the iAd platform. But we're not stuck on only one platform when it comes to placing ads inside our app.
Frequently, application developers integrate two or more ad platforms into an application, as one platform by itself may have a low fill rate or not be available internationally.
It's relatively easy to work two ad networks into an application from a technical standpoint, but from a design point of view, we must remember to abide by any interface standards that are required by each network involved.
The problem with this is that standards may not be consistent throughout each network. This will require us to create a fairly flexible design that works well regardless of the network.
If we do think that we're going to integrate multiple networks, it's important that we know this and plan for it up front before we get far into designing the application interface. If we design the entire app with only one network in mind, we may find it difficult to incorporate another network's interface standards late into the project cycle.
- Experiences that are possible on the iPad, but not on the iPhone in Chapter 9