As the iOS faithful know, Cydia is the Jailbroken iOS app rival to the official Apple App Store and supplies unofficial iOS app for jailbroken iPhone handsets, iPod units and Apple iPad tablets, and it appears that big companies may be looking to Cydia for advertising.
According to an article over on 9to5 Mac by way of Modmyi, Car making giant Toyota is apparently running an advert on Cydia to promote the Toyota iPhone UI theme and is pat of the campaign to promote the Scion tC.
Apparently Toyota contacted Cydia with a view to purchasing ad slots in the Cydia storefront app…” Scion, a brand of vehicles manufactured by Toyota, recently developed a custom iPhone theme specifically for jailbroken devices, submitting it to us for hosting in Cydia (full disclosure: they are also running an ad campaign through ModMyi.com within Cydia pointing to said theme, and this article is unrelated to that). This is the first major corporation we have seen put direct positive attention into the jailbreak scene, developing specifically for it and addressing this large userbase. Could this be a turning of the tide for the previously “outlaw” jailbreak community?”
Obviously this move by Toyota to advertise on Cydia will undoubtedly annoy Apple as Toyota could have been a potential iAds advertiser, but it does go to show that even the big names in the motor business aren’t against advertising with something Apple doesn’t like.
Could Toyota be a sign that more large companies may be looking towards Cydia for advertising as there are millions of users hitting Cydia is search of jailbroken apps and thus potential customers for those businesses.
