Multiple Ads in a scrollable view

[Steve R]

I am new to the adMob world.  If this is not the right forum, please advise.

I have a two part question.

First Part

I have created an app that is going to use ads.  My app is going to target local businesses where a live.

For my app, my first step was to integrate the adMob sdk.  I have successfully done this.  My app is currently serving the adMob test ads.  I wanted this working before moving on to the next step.

The next step was to get multiple ads to display in my app.  I have attached a sample screenshot that shows the functionality I am trying to accomplish.

As you can see in the screenshot, I will have a region on my page that contains the ads served by adMob.  The region will be scrollable so that multiple ads can be displayed.

Question:

1. Can adMob Android SDK serve multiple ads so they can be displayed in this scrollable view?
   
2. Does adMob Android SDK expose data items (in text format) like company name and type of business?  In my example, Company 1 and Caterer.

Second Part

I want to go out to local businesses in my area and offer them the ability to advertise in my app.

I would like to run a house ad campaign to accomplish this.

Question:

1. Is a house ad campaign the correct approach?  Or is there a different approach?  Remember, I am trying to target local businesses :-)
2. With a house ad campaign, are there any fees or hidden costs I need to be aware of?  I looked the house ad campaign but I did not see any fees/costs.
3. With a house ad campaign, how much should you charge to run the ads?

Any tips or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Steve

[Andrew Brogdon (Mobile Ads SDK Team)]

You've raised a lot of questions here, so I'm going to break up my answers in an attempt to keep things organized.  :)

First Part:

1. Can adMob Android SDK serve multiple ads so they can be displayed in this scrollable view?

Yes, but bear in mind that AdMob's policy is that if you load an ad from the server, it's considered to be displayed to the user.  If you're loading ads that are off the screen, and the user never sees them, it can generate what we call "false impressions."  For this reason, we normally recommend placing outs outside scrolling regions.  See the AdMob Best Practices for more info.

2. Does adMob Android SDK expose data items (in text format) like company name and type of business?  In my example, Company 1 and Caterer.

No, we don't.  We handle the presentation of the ad, rather than the publisher.

Second Part:

What you describe in these three questions is a use case that's suited to Doubleclick for Publishers, rather than AdMob.  DFP is another Google Advertising platform that allows you to sell your own ads and manage how and when they're delivered.  You can still use the Mobile Ads SDK (the same one you're currently using for AdMob), and you'll just have a DFP account with DFP ad units rather than an AdMob one.

I'd recommend reading this page for more info about getting starting: http://www.google.com/doubleclick/publishers/small-business/

-Andrew