You hate advertising in any form, right? What if you were paid to advertise, though? Would that make a difference? There's a new Android app called 'Locket' that would like to place ads on your lock screen in exchange for dollars. Do I have your interest now? Read on!
How Locket Works
Locket's main objective is to help advertisers earn page views, Facebook likes, and other types of attention. To do this, Locket is aiming at placing ads on certain Android user lock screens. Users have the option of viewing the add by swiping in one direction and being led to a website for more information, or swiping in the other direction to simply unlock a phone.
Either way, users are paid one-cent per swipe, and this is capped at three-cents per hour. Now, three-cents might not seem like a ton of money, but if you are able to get through more than a handful of ads in a few hours, you may have some extra spending money at the end of a month. Not a bad way to earn some extra dough, right? While Locket is the first North American company to bring pay-per-swipe advertising to mobile, it's not the first company to do so.
A Popular Swipe Trend
Pay per swipe advertising has been very popular in Korea for some time now. There, companies that offer these types of advertising apps are doing very well. This idea appeals to investors too, since Locket just gained $500,000 in funding from Great Oaks VC. There's money to be made in the pay per swipe app game, it seems.
At the time of this writing, Locket has eight companies on board that are offering select Android users the chance to display ads. To fill in gaps, the company is offering some of its own advertisements. Locket is being picky about what companies are allowed to display ads too. Locket has already denied some tobacco brands and some lingerie ads. Additionally, the company won't accept any ads that aren't designed in an eye-appealing way.
Love This Idea? Download Now!
Locket isn't compatible with all Android phones, though company reps have told press that they are trying to make the app available across the board (with so many Android phones, it's hard to make this happen!). However, Locket is currently available through Google Play, so you can check to see whether or not you can download this app now. I'm not certain if the app is available outside of the Untied States, but it's worth a shot.
The big question here is: will consumers willingly allow advertisements on lock screens? I'm betting this this strategy will slowly become popular - and I'm also betting that companies like Apple will want in on the concept (Apple ads coming soon? Who knows!). It's also worth pointing out that Facebook wants to put ads on Android lock screens, but those ads won't generate any kind of revenue for consumers - maybe Facebook will go in a different direction now.