Mobclix beefs up metrics, iPhone devs make money

Mobclix has been providing an impressive amount of usage information to iPhone developers for only about six months now, but have already made it into the 2008 TechCrunch 50, won SeedCamp 2008, and been recognized as a leading provider of metrics and analytics reporting. According to Mobclix, 75% of the applications in which the analytics are implemented have made the Top 100 Free App list. When TechCrunch reported on Mobclix shortly after they launched in September of 2008, it was noted that "more aggregate data would be welcome." Well, that wish has been granted.

Mobclix announced a major upgrade to their analytics and yield optimization advertising system for iPhone (and other mobile) app developers today.

For the end user, it may come across as a little scary. Beyond just standard usage statistics, developers can create unlimited metrics, gathering information on everything from favorite colors to what level you last conquered in their game. The data is all gathered anonymously, and your consent is required, so don't worry about Big Brother yet. The benefit to the average user of ad-supported iPhone applications is that highly targeted advertising may actually yield a connection between the user and a vendor in whom they'd actually be interested. Mobclix also provides an in-app comment system to directly connect users with developers, providing feedback which is exponentially more useful than App Store comments.

Beyond the fairly staggering possibilities of this kind of data aggregation, Mobclix is paving the way for more sophisticated advertising which makes use of the iPhone's unique features and interface. The interactive ads of the Mobclix future do more than just let you punch monkeys. Truly innovative advertising possibilities are becoming a reality on the iPhone and iPod touch.

A 15-line SDK, which looks to be as easy to implement as Sparkle, is all that's necessary to start using Mobclix' analytics. You can get your analytics for free, and premium features are available and tailored to your needs. The SDK also provides options for social marketing, interfacing with the likes of Facebook and Twitter in ways which -- unlike much of what is coined "viral" these days -- actually self-replicate and allow users to become citizen marketers with ease.

Developers can access a web-based Dashboard with graphs and charts which can be drilled down to specific details. By providing analytics in a categorized form based on usage habits and general profiles, Mobclix is allowing developers to provide highly targeted advertising with a significantly higher click-through rate. That's more money in developer's pockets, and ad revenue isn't subject to Apple's cut of the profits. If you're not filling your targeted ad slots, you can use cross-application promotion in tandem with a non-competitive developer to bolster each other's sales as well. Advancing the type of data which Pinch Media has graciously provided the community, the data provided by Mobclix is exactly the kind of information necessary to make intelligent and informed marketing decisions, and to track the results. Let's just use this power for good, and not advertising evil.

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