EBay claims that this campaign marks the first time Apple has allowed an advertiser to deep link to a specific location in-app. The iAd campaign is also helping the company drive downloads for its iPhone app.

“The strategy in launching eBay’s first iAd for Brand was two-fold,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile, San Jose, CA.

“First, to leverage daily deals as a means to drive downloads and second to encourage engagement with our current users,” he said.

EBay lets users buy and sell on its platforms around the world.

Brand driven
When users tap on the iAd, they will have the option to download the app or scroll through the featured daily deals, which are powered by a live data feed.

The live data feed was developed by Point Reach.

According to eBay, in order to remain in compliance with Apple’s policies, the companies partnered to curate the daily deals API every day, ensuring the campaign remained mutually beneficial.

“This was eBay’s first iAd for Brand program, though we have run various other rich media campaigns,” Mr. Yankovich said. “To date the bulk of mobile advertising efforts have been focused on direct response app download-driving tactics.

“The iAd for Brand campaign differed by pulling in a live feed of daily deals that was updated multiple times a day, always keeping the unit fresh,” he said.

“Additionally, users who were interested in one of the deals who already had the app installed were sent directly to the app – a first for iAd.”

Deal of the day
A mobile ad campaign such as this is a great way to get consumers engaged.

Daily deals are a hot commodity right now and consumers are always looking for a great offer.

Additionally, by encouraging users to download the eBay mobile app, the company is continuing its relationship with the customer even after they tap on the mobile ad.

“In addition to the audience insights provided by iAd, eBay monitored overall engagement with the ad unit to get a better understanding of the audience most likely to download and ultimately make a purchase on their mobile device,” Mr. Yankovich said.

“Mobile platforms present new opportunities for eBay to innovate and deliver a seamless selling and shopping experience,” he said.

“Through mobile, eBay is transforming the way people shop by providing more choice, dropping the barriers between the online and offline world, and changing the way people experience products and make shopping decisions when they are on the go.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York