Tablet ownership continues to grow rapidly, and many publishers remain convinced that tablets hold the keys to their digital futures. But tablet-specific, in-app advertising - the kind that commands premium rates - continues to lag. B2B publishers in particular have yet to warm up to tablet advertising.

For many, the numbers just don't justify the investment at this point, said Martin Hensel, president of Texterity, which creates digital editions for 800 clients, the bulk of which are B2B and association publishers.

As magazine and newspaper apps proliferate - media consultancy McPheters & Co. tracks nearly 4,000 such iPad apps as part of its iMonitor service - there's plenty of opportunity to capture premium ad dollars through advertising that takes advantage of tablets' touch-screen functionality and larger screen sizes.

Relatively few publishers and advertisers, however, are investing heavily in rich media ads that provide compelling in-app experiences on a tablet. Others that experimented with the platform now seem to be pulling back, convinced perhaps that the return does not yet justify the resources required to produce the ads.

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