Verizon Wireless to offer mobile ads

Verizon Wireless will soon begin to allow advertising to accompany content from its official content partners, a company spokesperson said today. Verizon Wireless will become the second major U.S. carrier to carry mobile advertising, a closely watched sector that has yet to be embraced for a variety of reasons.
The carrier said it will allow banner advertisements on a variety of its on-deck content after its research showed that consumers found short, standalone video ads intrusive.
The carrier will proceed slowly and has not yet announced any advertising deals, according to Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson.
Verizon Wireless joins Sprint Nextel Corp., which began allowing advertisements with on-deck content in October.
Among U.S. carriers, caution has been the watchword for mobile marketing messages in part because the carriers don’t want to alienate subscribers who may find such content intrusive. Verizon Wireless will decide where such mobile advertisements will appear and limit their content, according to the company.