While advertisers struggle to reach consumers who have abandoned traditional radio in favor of their iPod, Apple says it has no plans to allow commercials on its device or iTunes.
“We have gone out of our way to not take advantage of advertising opportunities,” said Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPod product marketing. “We don’t think it’s part of the experience we want to give.”
Except for a handful of podcasts, industry experts believe there’s little opportunity to place ads on devices such as the iPod.
“People are using an iPod because they want to choose the music they listen to,” said Craig Davis, chief creative officer of WPP ad agency JWT Worldwide. “To interrupt and intrude on that with advertising would be pretty unwelcome.”