Apple Maps Ads, OpenAI's Retreat, GBP Benchmarks, Socially Addictive

Local Ads Coming to Apple Maps

Apple will be launching local ads in Maps in the next few months, according to a report from Bloomberg. Apple Business Connect (soon Apple Business) listings must be claimed to participate. This is something that has been coming as part of Apple's broader ads expansion. Like Google Ads, local marketers will bid on search queries. Apple investors are hungry for growth and ads is a category ripe for expansion. As a result, Apple is putting ads in more places: App Store, News, Podcasts, Apple TV and now Maps. According to third party estimates, Apple's ad revenue is projected to reach almost $9 billion this year. But given Apple's large and affluent audience, and likely demand, local ads could become a fast-growing source of revenue. Apple's services business, which includes ads, exceeds $100 billion and contributes more than 25% of total company revenue. Ads could push that percentage even higher. Yet by putting ads in more places, Apple is becoming more like Google and Meta, companies it has criticized for turning users "into the product." Apple is trying to thread the needle and maintain privacy while delivering performance to marketers. The company's site says that Apple Maps ads will use only contextual signals (search terms, approximate location, map area) but no location history, no behavioral targeting, no age/gender targeting and no data will leave your device. Local ads will be available in the US and Canada at rollout.