The Seattle-Search.com Blog

Medio Systems, the Seattle-based company that provides search technology to wireless operators, has launched a Google-like pay per click advertising product with several top carriers, including the youth-focused Amp’d Mobile wireless service.

The new Medio Mobile Now Ad Network will offer advertisers the ability to purchase text ads that run in conjunction with mobile search results, much in the same way that paid search ads run on search results pages on Google and Yahoo. Like such ads, Medio’s mobile search ads are sold using a Web-based auction, and advertisers pay for ads only when users click on them. In addition, Medio says that its proprietary technology incorporates data from users’ mobile Web surfing habits, making its ads more relevant that straight paid search ads.

According to Omar Tawakol, chief advertising officer for Medio Systems, the new network will initially be focused on direct response mobile advertisers. “Mobile search is a unique advertising platform where advertisers can reach consumers who are actively looking for their services and ready to transact at that moment,” he said. “By providing consumers a click-saving experience that returns actionable answers matched with highly relevant ad messages, the Medio MobileNow Ad Network can drive a much higher ROI for advertisers.”

In addition to the new ad product, Medio has announced a deal with pay-per-call advertising vendor Ingenio to feature its ad listings within Medio search results. As a result of this partnership, local advertisers, which may not have robust mobile Web capabilities, will be able to instruct users to call them directly by clicking on a mobile search ad.