Under its online advertising  system Platform-A, Time Warner Inc.'s Internet services group AOL will serve custom Web advertisements to users of Apple's popular iPhone and direct them to Web pages tailored specifically for the devices, under a new program offered by its Third Screen Media arm, the Dulles, Virginia-based company announced Wednesday. Details of the initial participating advertisers were not released. 75 Million Ads Monthly To iPhone Possible The program was aimed at iPhone users, who despite holding a rather small share of the mobile market at around 2 percent nonetheless have been some the most active mobile Web users, and AOL said its Platform-A digital advertising business had the ability to deliver up to 75 million ads each month to the devices. Platform-A is AOL's advertising network created in September 2007 to combine ad sales for all the company's Web sites and network properties, that had previously consisted of separate sales groups from audience insight and behavioral targeting service Tacoda and AOL Network sales, before a December 2007 consolidation move. The newly-formed mobile division of Third Screen Media, a start-up AOL acquired last spring, will oversee the new iPhone ad initiative, which "detects and delivers optimized ads on iPhones browsing the Web," AOL said in a statement announcing the program Wednesday. Platform-A Leads Online Advertising Platform-A has been the leading online ad network, garnering a 90 percent reach to almost 190 million Internet users in the United States during June according to Web traffic analysis firm comScore. "Today’s launch is a perfect example of how Platform-A’s unmatched reach, solutions and technologies can benefit advertisers trying to reach consumers in the most compelling way," said Platform-A president Lynda Clarizio in the Wednesday announcement. "We can not only help advertisers effectively reach iPhone users on WAP pages and Web pages, but we can also deliver banners optimized for display on the iPhone," Clarizio added. The new iPhone-specific Web ad network will see Third Screen Media "redirect iPhone users to special versions of marketers’ sites that are optimized for the iPhone experience," the company said. By taking iPhone users to specific portions of an advertiser's site, functions unique to the popular device can be utilized in order to create more powerful and useful promotions, tailored to the iPhone's large bright display. "When an iPhone user is browsing sites within the Third Screen Media mobile network, the Advertising.com web network, or any of AOL’s leading media properties, Third Screen Media’s targeting technology will serve an ad specifically optimized for viewing on an iPhone," the former Internet Service Provider (ISP) giant said. Expanding On New Partitioning System In August AOL began offering ad inventory over multiple online advertising networks through Third Screen Media. The system made it possible for Web publishers to place ads on a myriad of mobile advertising networks while managing them under a single system it called "inventory partitioning." Using the new system, publishers in Platform-A's Third Screen Media division were able to specify how big a portion of their ad inventory should be placed on each available mobile ad network, for eventual display on mobile devices, now including the iPhone. AOL joins other mobile advertising networks such as AdMob and JumpTap in focusing on the iPhone Web browser and the device's large number of available third-party applications. Online ad company AdMob counted some 4,000 publishers among its clients. With the new Third Screen Media program, AOL sought to provide iPhone users an advertising experience matching the capabilities of their devices. "No other network can offer the reach, relevance and richness of Platform-A," Clarizio said earlier this year. AOL Platform-A's Third Screen Media Launches iPhone Web Ads "The concept is that advertisers can approach Platform-A and say 'I want to reach iPhone users," Third Screen Media director of business operations Kent Johnson said in a recent report in Media Post. "We're directing users to the right experience for them, based on  how they access the Web and what campaign they're being hit with," Johnson added. More than 800 million impressions are recorded monthly by Third Screen Media and its Advertising.com arm, AOL said. Platform-A's global business, which is based in nine countries throughout Europe, has more than 300 employees operating in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K., AOL said. Platform-A consists of most of AOL's top Web properties such as AOL.com, instant messaging service AIM, MapQuest, Advertising.com's third-party networks, content-targeting firm Quigo, online ad-serving firm Adtech, as well as Third Screen Media. Related Links:
| 
10:23 pm on Sep. 3, 2008 (utc 0)