Apple today announced that it has officially rebranded Search Ads as ‘Apple Ads’, reflecting the expanding scope of Apple’s advertising business.
When Apple first launched ads in the App Store, they were only shown as promoted search results, hence the name ‘Search Ads’. But the company now offers advertising placements in many more places beyond just the Search tab, so the old name had become a bit anachronistic.
As it stands today, developers can pay to promote their app in the App Store’s Today tab, Search tab, and at the bottom of other developers’ app product pages, in the section titled ‘You Might Also Like’.
As such, the name Apple Ads is more accurate summary of what the business offers. It may also foreshadow future expansion.
Apple has been long rumored to be exploring adding advertising to other apps, like Apple Maps, with a view to boost revenue in its lucrative ad services division. The simpler and more generic Apple Ads brand would more appropriately encompass such an endeavor. But of course, that’s just speculation at this stage.
Here’s how Apple officially justified the name change, in a message to participating developers:
When Apple Search Ads launched in 2016, we offered a single ad placement at the top of search results. Today, advertisers can run ads in multiple placements across the App Store, so we’ve decided to change our name.
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