Edible Apple

WSJ reports that Apple has lofty goals in mind with its upcoming iAd platform:

Setting a high bar for its debut in the advertising business, Apple Inc. aims to charge close to $1 million for ads on its mobile devices this year and perhaps even more to be among the first, ad executives say.

Apple is hitting the road to showcase its new mobile-device advertising capability, dubbed iAd, and has indicated it could charge as much as $10 million to be part of a handful of marketers at the launch, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Ad executives say they are used to paying between $100,000 and $200,000 for similar mobile deals.

But Apple’s foray into advertising is causing a few folks to raise their eybrows. Apple wants high quality and sexy ads from big name companies in time for launch, but all ads must first pass through an Apple approval process. Moreover, the ads themselves will be built by Apple for the few months to ensure that they hit the aesthetic note Apple is aiming for. Eventually, though, Apple will release a development kit so that third parties can develop ads on their own. But in the meantime, some ad agencies are a little hesitant to jump in head first.

Speaking to the Journal, Lars Bastholm of the ad firm Ogilvy & Mather expressed concern about Apple wielding complete creative control.

“As a creative director, I can completely understand that they created this new baby and they want to make sure it gets born looking gorgeous,” Bastholm explained, “But as a creative director, I don’t feel completely comfortable letting Apple do the creative.”

Where’s Don Draper when ya need him?