Is the iPad a game changer for Mobile Marketing?

Apple brought us the iPad in April 2010 and iPad2 just under a year later and these fine examples of technology at its best has brought touch-screen computing to around 15 million consumers to date. Many of these will be new consumers – converted by this revolutionary, veritable work of art. It is used at work and at play but is it a game changer for Mobile Marketing?

In just a few small years, mobile marketing has loved a meteoric rise, growing at such a rate that even the sharpest marketing department is having distress keeping up with it and its rapidly developing technology. Evolving so quickly in fact that it is now frustrated by what it refers to as lack of “screen real estate”. This can be the difference between making a mobile show ad effective or ineffective and this is certainly one area where the tablet PC has the advantage over even the largest of mobile phones because it has a markedly larger show screen.

Apple is also in a position to give mobile advertising a huge boost with its iAd but whilst it is hailed as something which allows developers to incorporate advertising into their applications, opening options for developers and marketers alike in regards to designing and selling their applications, it does come with a huge price tag and that may deter all those without a huge cheque book in hand.

So whilst it would seem common sense that the iPad is a game changer, what’s holding it back? Pricing remains a major obstacle both for consumers and advertisers. iPad’s are expensive when compared to the average mobile phone, and whilst demand remains extremely high for the devices, it remains to be seen whether mainstream assimilation will occur. For advertisers, Apple’s start up prices for iAd are extremely expensive when compared to traditional mobile marketing.

Whether iPad will be a game changer for mobile marketing in the future is still a mystery and unless it is able to enter the general market and be in reach of more consumers and advertisers, then I would remain on the fence on this one, Certainly it is a remarkable device with all the makings of a game changer. Over to you Apple!

This article was written by Alex Speirs of TXT2GET, an SMS mobile marketing company. For more free reports on mobile technology such as the iPad and fresh news pieces on the mobile marketing industry, visit the TXT2GET blog.

Tags: mobile phones, iPad, mobile technology, electronic tablet, iPhone, advertisements, Technology, marketing