Mobile advertising Pontiflex is releasing an update to its AppLeads Smart SDK today, which brings its online “signup” platform to iOS5 devices and Android tablets, including the Kindle Fire. Previously, the system worked on older versions of iOS and Android smartphones.
These signup ads are a different type of mobile advertising – one where the click-through is not the goal, but getting the customer to opt-in to hear more from the advertiser in question, is.
Signup ads let customers interact with the ad without leaving the app. For now, that means entering in a zip code and email address, although Pontiflex is working on a version of the product that would introduce a social element to ads. For example, consumers could “like” the advertiser on Facebook or even share the ad with their friends. (Don’t laugh – some people really do share ads. Heck, some even blog about ads they like.) The possibility for social sharing increases when the advertiser is pitching a great deal, coupon, discount or sale, of course, which they likely would do.
Pontiflex says it now has just under 1,000 applications running its ads on iOS and sees 4 million sign-ups per month. Some big-name advertisers are participating in the platform, including 1-800 Flowers, Southwest Airlines, Sak’s, Barney’s, Kimberly-Clark (Huggies) and others. As consumers interact with the ads, the algorithm, which takes into account 27 different types of signals, learns from that interaction, and guesses which ads the consumer would be most interested in seeing.
Pontiflex is backed by New Atlantic Ventures, Tribeca Venture Partners and RRE Ventures. It has raised $14 million in funding to date. For a demo of AppLeads in action, go here.
