Mobile marketing and advertising firm Velti has launched its mobile developer program and released its software developer kits (SDK) supporting a wide range of operating systems, including Android, and devices including Apple’s iPhone and iPad. The tools can be accessed on the new Velti Developer Portal.
Media brands have already taken advantage of the tools, which include a robust platform for the development of applications and advanced in-app analytics, along with channels for distribution and monetization. Sports Illustrated (SI), a client of Azuki Systems, recently used Velti’s iPhone SDK to create its ad-supported ‘freemium’ SI 2010 Swimsuit app. Three weeks after launch, SI had delivered 570,000 downloads, with a ten per cent conversion to paid users, according to SI.com managing editor, Paul Fichtenbaum. By the end of March 2010, SI had delivered more than 700,000 downloads.
“Our carrier-grade video delivery platform is being adopted by more and more tier one media aggregators, so we need a robust, stable, carrier-grade mobile marketing and advertising platform, which Velti provides us with,” says Dave Bornstein, director of product management at Azuki Systems. “The SDK, coupled with Velti’s mGage Ad Server and Ad Router, has enabled us to manage the process from app development through to monetization with one trusted partner.”
Velti’s new tools enable the distribution of rich media advertising in apps running on iPhone and iPad, as well as Android, Symbian, Windows and Blackberry device. A key characteristic of Velti’s SDK for iPhone is its local landing page functionality, giving the mobile app user landing pages including mobile internet sites, video, email, maps and SMS, without leaving the application. 
Velti’s APIs and SDKs provide mobile advertising tools to deliver and manage many types of ad, including banners, interstitials, expandable banners, full screen text banners, HTML canvas, and pre-roll, post-roll and shakable video. These multiple ad types can also integrate numerous calls-to-action including click to call, click to app store, click to email, click to landing page, click to buy, and click to map.
The developer tools are an integral part of the Velti mGage platform and marketplace, including functions for ad routing, serving and analytics to maximize ad campaign efficiency. Velti mGage provides a single integration and management interface that sits between mobile content publishers and multiple mobile ad networks, including AdMob, Quattro Wireless, Flurry, Millenial Media, Mobclix and Medialets. This simplifies network management, reduces costs, and increases advertising revenue by improving sell-through rates and volumes for all mobile web and in-app advertising campaigns, says Velti. The solutions also provides analysis of campaigns, including real-time metrics tracking and reporting.
