Has Apple bought its very own mobile advertiser? It would make sense

When Google announced its planned $750 million purchase of mobile advertiser AdMob, it caused something approaching jubilation in many quarters. It also caused a hell of a lot of skepticism and uncertainty  - the purchase is currently mired in legal objections. But Apple evidently thought it was a good idea, as sources are now reporting that the maker of the iPhone will be purchasing its own mobile advertiser: Quattro Wireless.

Who are Quattro?

Quattro is a mobile advertising pure-play company - it focuses entirely on the mobile medium as the way of pushing inventory. But Quattro also works heavily on customer interaction. For example, it was the agency that ran the much-reported SMS campaigns for the Obama presidential campaign. Quattro is pretty intense on “predictive mobile targeting technology”, which aims for intensely detailed targetting for advertisers.

But don’t think that Quattro just deals with SMS. Its platform will deliver pretty much any kind of ad, and can insert it into a good variety of mobile channels, including mobile applications, videos and mobile websites.

Perhaps most importantly for Apple, Quattro is an entire package - it comes complete with an already impressive client list. Global brands like Ford, Microsoft, Disney and Visa advertise with it, as well as digital brands like NetFlix.

What’s the deal?

So, absolutely none of what follows is actual, solid fact. Kara Swisher of All Things Digital made the original report, citing the ever reliable Mr. Several Sources. But neither Quattro nor Apple have made any comment on the matter.

What is being reported is that Apple will soon announce the purchase of Quattro for €275 million - and by “soon” we mean maybe later on today.

What we think?

I would not be surprised at all if this were true - it makes sense for Apple. First of all, €275 million is a damn good price for what it’s getting. Quattro is in an incredibly strong position at the very point at which mobile advertising is really beginning to explode outwards and upwards. It brings a great client list to the bigger company - and it can offer Apple several new ways to advertise on it’s own product. The majority of advertising done on the most popular smartphone in the world was well outside of Apples influence. Mobile advertising  is now very rapidly becoming a fixture in any advertising campaign, and as it grows even more valid Apple will be able to skim profits not only from the iPhone but from competitors devices as well.