android SellARing, the most intrusive ad network ever

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

[Pure Evil] SellARing "Replaces The Ring-Ring With A 10 Second Ad," Vies For Title Of Most Intrusive Ad Network Ever

Remember Airpush, the ad network that was widely considered one of the most intrusive, irritating methods of advertising in existence (so much so that Lookout released a special app to fight it off)? Well, it looks like the folks at SellARing (pronounced "sell a ring") have come up with something even more insidious.

SellARing's ad network essentially allows associated apps to replace the familiar "ring ring" sound you hear after dialing a number with a selection of 10-second audio ads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtuE4iftWfM

The service lists NBC, Walmart, Vodafone, FOX, and others as among already-enlisted audio advertisers, and boasts a booked campaign calendar for May 2012, noting that they "have demand for more Android apps," while promising five-minute integration with a proprietary SDK.

As irritating, intrusive, and outrageous as this concept sounds, I can't help but wonder just how many developers will actually integrate it. If Airpush (or T-Mobile's ad-pushing antic) serves as any indication of users' feelings toward intrusive advertising, it seems that a network like SellARing, despite their sensational promises of wealth for developers (and their impressive arsenal of stock photography), would be poisonous to any apps associated with it.

That being said, it will be interesting to see where this concept leads. To read more about SellARing or to hear some of the planned audio ads, just take a look at their home page linked below.

Link: SellARing website

Source: Android Police

... what is this ****? Idiotic ideas like this are bound to drive users away from the platform which allows for crapvertising like SellARing.

[FiB3R]

If it absolutely does not get in the way of my phone calls, even for .5 seconds, then I think I'd be ok with this. I ****ing hate banner ads.

Obviously it's opt-in, and removable (it damn well better be), so I don't see what the fuss is about, really. "ring ring" is kinda boring.

[ichi]

I don't think this will go too far since t's an idiotic idea.

When you place ads in certain application you depend on your application being interesting so the user runs it often and gets the advertisement. Here you have a single place for advertisement out of your app, which might sound good for advertisers but since every app implementing sellaring must share the same ring time, ultimately developers will get even less ad revenue even if your users spent all day in your application.

And then, although this is anecdotal, I spend more time using apps than making phone calls. Since I can use chats, mail or VoIP instead, I might make about one phone call every two weeks, at most.