Where, a location-based mobile ad network, launched its first political product this week called Donate Now. It allows people to make donations to political campaigns from a mobile ad unit. According to S&P Capital IQ Analysts, political ad spending across all media could reach more than $4 billion in 2012, exceeding the prior record of $2.8 billion spent in the 2007-2008 elections. Geo-targeted ads would allow political action committees (PACs) to deliver locally relevant messaging to a predetermined area on a user’s smartphone.

Where was founded in 2004 and acquired by Ebay last year. The company primarily works with brands and marketers to deliver ads triggered by a user’s location. On target with projections from our webinar last week,  mobile ads will continue to evolve with increased smartphone penetration.

The implication for local businesses is also evident. SMBs using Where’s technology can advertise their products and services to nearby consumers through their mobile phones. We’ll take a deeper dive into this at ILM East where CEO Walt Doyle will discuss closing the loop on content, ads and conversions within the mobile and local space.