Apple rebrands part of its ads business in major expansion

LovabledanielsApril 15, 202558 Views

Apple rebrands ‘Search Ads’ to ‘Apple Ads’
It says it’s because they’re now available beyond just search results
Apple might also be looking to extend its ads into other services

Apple has rebranded its ‘Search Ads’ to ‘Apple Ads’ to mark the broader advertising options beyond search results as it looks to generate more income – and help advertisers generate more income – from more sources.

Initially only offered within the App Store’s search results, Apple now displays ads within the Today tab and under ‘You Might Also Like’ sections of specific app pages.

Apart from offering more clarity that ‘Apple Ads’ are no longer just search-specific, the name also takes a step in the direction of consistency across other services, for example ‘Apple Music’ and ‘Apple TV+.’

‘Apple Ads’ is the new name for Apple’s advertising business

As well as changing the name for simplicity and consistency purposes, it’s possible that Apple might also be looking to expand its ads businesses, hence the removal of ‘Search.’

For example, Apple might be planning to introduce ads across more services, including Apple Maps, to grow its revenue further.

All of this is just speculation, though, because Apple’s justification (via 9To5Mac) to participating developers was that its advertising placements have simply expanded since launching in 2016:

“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.”

It’s not the first time we’ve reported on Apple looking to expand its ads business. Just over a year ago, it came to light that the Cupertino giant was possibly testing an AI-powered tool designed to optimize App Store ad campaigns.

It had also reportedly made hires in its TV-ad sales business – another indication that it could be expanding the business in a move similar to Netflix, which has a cheaper ad-supported subscription.