@ MWC: Fox Mobile’s iPhone Strategy ‘In Review’; Wants More Clarity On App Store Rules
Fox Mobile is reviewing its iPhone application strategy, Fox Mobile CEO (formerly Jamba) Mauro Montanaro told us at MWC. The company joins a growing number of publishers that are increasingly unsure that the cost of developing an iPhone application can always be recouped.
Montanaro says, “If we could do web to mobile sales push on the iPhone, that could work.”
It already DOES work, from both a computer and an iPhone. Post a link to the app store (example in my "website address" field, although it's not my app). Clicking the link takes the user directly to the App Store entry for that program.
On a regular computer this will launch iTunes and bring up the app's entry in the app store, and on an iPhone the App Store app will launch and bring up the program's Info window. In both cases the user can click the "buy" button from the window that appears.
You'd think the CEO of a company that's released several applications for iPhone would realize that.
I've got to agree with Bob.
It's one thing to complain about access to the "featured placement" sections of the ITMS/App Store (something that I think is entirely within Apple's rights to govern exclusively, but that's another matter), but to say that you can't "advertise on an iPhone" (doesn't FOX sell this inventory via the mobile web!?!) or that short codes can't link directly to an app is just plain wrong…
Wow. That's an embarrassing quote from their CEO.
i dont agree.
b/c you cannot target web ads on iphone users, you would have massive losses with non iphone users viewing/click that ads that you cannot pay for. well maybe you can detect them and send them somewhere else.
but then you got the next problem: jamba is not able to sell subs on appstore and therefore they cannot pay for their ads. thats a problem with no workaround expect for ignoring the iphone so far. thats where montanaro is right.
@ ralle. You absolutely can target web ads to iPhone users through browser detection scripts and properly designed style sheets. The big problem that a number of these media CEOs are having is an inability to recognize how a new platform might call for a new way of doing business. To the extent that they are unable to get to this, they will continue to play follow the leader. Apple's mobile devices (not just phones) represent an entirely new platform, and should be approached as such. It's unfortunate that they are pushing the blame for their inability to understand the opportunity onto Apple.
hey readsmart. i dont know if your name is just a joke but pls try to read more than my first sentence next time