Maybe the title should be "Do you want to see mobile ads?" It was reported in TechCrunch yesterday that mobile ads will top 4 billion dollars by 2015. While this pales in comparison to online and traditional media advertising, it is a gigantic leap from where we are today.

Since this subject is near and dear to me because of a new mobile application I am working on, I will repeat my opening question, "Do you want to see ads on your phone?" I will answer by saying it depends. It depends on what I am doing on my mobile device. For example, do I want an ad to appear before I can dial out or look for something on my phone such as contacts; NO. But, if I am using an application or searching the web for an item, targeted ads may be welcomed. Based on surveys and initial feedback to these questions the overwhelming answer is people don't want mobile ads. If you take the answers at face value, then that's it, there is your answer. But, if you dig deeper you will see that most people perceive that mobile ads will be intrusive to their life and not beneficial. So instead of just saying, do you want mobile phone ads, let's frame the question another way.

Imagine you are at the grocery store and an ad appeared on your phone prompting you to save money while shopping, would that change your mind about mobile ads? Not convinced, well maybe it is a question of how much money you would save, so getting an ad while shopping for a vehicle from a competing dealership where you could save thousands on the same car might make mobile ads more acceptable. Think of all the times you are traveling or shopping in which you wish you would have known about a promotion somewhere, competitive pricing at a store you didn't think of, or even just the fact that alternatives existed. Perhaps this would make mobile ads more acceptable.

With revenues for mobile ads growing at an accelerated rate, the real question might not be if we want them or not (since they are already here and not going anywhere), it is more likely how can mobile phone ads meet our expectations and give consumers an advantage.