This topic is obviously trending and nothing new but the more I hear about it, the more it irks me. There has been a huge uproar over Apple’s blog post last week regarding rejecting apps with location-based advertising:
“If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”
Why does this suck? Because it doesn’t allow developers or advertisers to deliver relevant ads to users depending on where they are. There is a caveat however. If your app is a location-based app, it’s ok to serve geo-targeted ads. If your app is a game, rejected. Apple claims that this is to protect the user experience but really, how would serving location-based ads in a game comprise the user experience?
The real reason, as most see it, is to leverage their recent purchase of the Quattro ad network which will most likely be integrated into the iPhone development SDK.
Peter Levin co-founded Glow Interactive in 1999 with friend and partner Ted Kacandes. The company has experienced positive growth during its 11 years of business and is privately-funded; weathering two technology industry storms. Peter currently oversees the overall business direction of the company, while working hand-in-hand with clients and staff to ensure the founding principles of interactive quality first established by Glow are adhered to.
Peter is a true early adopter, with more than 15 years experience in the emerging technology sector. His vision and intimate understanding of highly-technical applications balanced with marketing and creative savvy has helped shape the current interactive community.
Prior to founding Glow, Peter worked as a Senior Producer and Senior Rich Media Developer at Luminant Worldwide (formally Brand Dialogue of Young & Rubicam) developing online marketing and creative campaigns. Peter holds a number of interactive awards, notably a Cannes International Advertising award for his team`s work with 7UP. Collectively, the Glow team has won over 15 industry awards including multiple Horizon Interactive Awards, Promax/BDA, Webby’s, OMMA and AdTech honors.