With InMobi, a mobile-advertising network, raising a monstrous $200 million, it appears mobile ads could have a greater future than their traditional counterparts, the ones draped vertically across websites. InMobi received the funding from Japanese Internet company, Softbank, in one of the largest investments ever in the mobile Internet market. InMobi boasts 47 billion mobile ad impressions, predominately serving Asia, but also America and Europe. InMobi will compete directly with Google’s AdMob, Apple’s iAd, and other independent ad networks.
The mobile ad market has been heating up for some time, and could reach $24 billion by 2015, according to research firm Informa. While still much smaller than traditional online advertising, mobile ads offer businesses greater targeting — and the ads have the potential to get smarter and more aware. Using a smartphone’s GPS, mobile ads could become location-aware, like a coupon for jeans popping up on a phone when its owner walks by Macy’s.
Read more at Gigaom.
