Comcast is running a mobile ad campaign within the new Newser iPhone application to get companies to sign up for its Business Class Internet, voice and cable television services.

The company is running ads via AdMob's ad network, which serves ads within the Newser application.  The application was created by Interactive Mediums.

?Newser is a lot like other clients of ours who find a native application for a targeted handset is necessary when a quality user experience simply cannot be satisfied with a mobile Web site,? said Gib Bassett, director of marketing at Interactive Mediums, Chicago. ?The mobile Web is more ideal in most cases when a brand wishes to share information with as broad an audience as possible. 

?When it comes to rich functionality requirements, a smartphone application is today often the only path to success,? he said. ? In Newser?s case, the company has been a mobile visionary since day one and had deployed a version of its online news service to the mobile Web (on iPhone and BlackBerry), but their key differentiator wasn?t able to be replicated within the constraints of the mobile Web as it stands today. 

?That differentiator is the grid - vivid snapshots of the news of the day in photos, headlines and pop-up summaries,? he said. ?The iPhone was the perfect platform for this type of presentation, that also represented a user demographic similar to Newser?s readership.?

Let?s not forget about the rich-media advertising capabilities that the iPhone offers advertisers. In Comcast?s case, when a user clicks on the banner they are routed to a page where they can take action by clicking to call.

The landing page is mobile-optimized and gives an overview of Comcast?s Business Class services.
  
Additionally, the offer is front and center on the mobile site. Businesses that sign up can get Business Class Internet, voice and TV for $99 per month.

Newser is a two-year old advertising-supported news site that combines the wisdom of editors and the power of technology to offer a rich, smart and entertaining news experience. It has more than 1 million monthly readers. 

The site is already available in a mobile-optimized form for Web browsers on iPhone, BlackBerry and other similarly capable phones.

In addition to creating a mobile version of the Newser grid, the iPhone application will also include story-sharing capabilities.

Integration with the iPhone's contact manager allows Newser viewers to share Newser's stories with friends and colleagues, just as rapidly as they can from their desktop.

?Newser?s audience of sophisticated news seekers is a good fit for the prototypical iPhone user,? Mr. Bassett said. ?Newser is serving their clientele better with an iPhone application.?