Independent mobile advertising giant InMobi has announced plans to acquire Sprout, a startup specializing in HTML5-based rich media mobile ad units. The news comes on the heels of another large mobile marketing provider, Augme, announcing the acquisitions of JagTag and HipCricket — rounding out a busy couple weeks in terms of mobile mergers and acquisitions.
In case you haven’t noticed the trend lately, mobile advertising is all about rich media these days, especially while employing the latest in HTML5 coding. Distributing mobile ads in HTML5 translates to nearly ubiquitous access no matter what device a person may use — including all iOS devices. Sprout is a startup that recognized this trend early and formed with the intention of helping “agencies and brands reduce the complexity of rich media mobile ad creation and distribution.”
Sprout already boasts an impressive list of big-name clients such as Chevrolet, Disney, Paramount Pictures, HTC, Sega and Nokia, and will continue to operate as an independent company under the terms of the acquisition. The company said it has plans to expand its product offering in the coming months by adding workflow enhancements, analytics and “innovative new ad units.”