Mobile advertising for 2007

3. Mobile advertising was heavily hyped in 2006, but not much came of it. Expect Yahoo to expand its mobile search options and Google to finally launch a Mobile AdWords beta (incidentally, Google is hiring for a Mobile UI Designer apparently for AdSense). With its Web ad dominance, Google is the company to watch, though it's going to face an uphill battle against AdMob, Advertizer, and a dozen other competitors who came to market first. Google may have to result to some Microsoftian measures to make up for its latecomer status. The carriers want in on the action too: Sprint already serves up ads on its deck and Verizon has plans to put ads on its mobile sites early this year. I see this as a good thing; its part of a larger trend toward the democratization of mobile web access and the crumbling of the walled garden. Carrier decks are eventually going to have to compete on their own merits, so its only fair that carriers are allowed to earn some ad revenue off that deck. Overall, it will be a big year for mobile advertising, though innovative (and potentially more lucrative) mobile advertising schemes like ad-supported mobile games aren't going to make it in the 2007. Maybe next year."