When Apple CEO Steve Jobs rolled out the iPad’s new ad platform, iAd, last week, he did so by highlighting the current dismal state of mobile ad marketing.  But are mobile ads - as we know them today - really that bad?

Recent research by InsightExpress suggests not. The company conducted a study which used norms developed in online ad testing as a benchmark to draw conclusions around the performance of advertising on mobile devices. It found mobile campaign norms were 4.5 to 5 times higher than online norms against measures of unaided awareness, aided awareness, ad awareness, message association, brand favorability and purchase intent.

Even without the data points there are plenty of real-life illustrations of the advances mobile ads have been making. Earlier this year, as one example, Hearst Magazines Digital Media  signed on with Crisp Wireless to try its new fixed placement mobile ad product, called Adhesion.  Called that because it keeps the ad in place "above-the-fold" reappearing each time the user stops scrolling, Adhesion givesv iewers have the opportunity to either expand or close the ad from view, as well as save, or share the ad content through email or social networks.

There are also examples of mobile campaigns that have reaped huge rewards, writes Jason Spero, VP and general manager of AdMob North America in Media Week. "As platforms mature, ad capabilities advance and new ad formats emerge. We've seen big steps forward in memorable rich ad formats."

Recently, Ignited and Universal Pictures ran an engaging campaign for The Wolfman feature film, he noted. "The campaign drove off-the-charts brand impact relative to the control group (31% increase in intent to see the film, 69% increase in mobile ad awareness and 31% increase in release date association)."

Stay tuned for part 2: what can mobile advertisers do to improve - without the iAd?