Boost Mobile might be walking rather than running into mobile advertising, but it's moving nonetheless.

The company, a division of Sprint Nextel, this week announced it is launching a new mobile advertising platform for mobile phones. Acura and Fox Searchlight Pictures are among the first advertisers on the new platform. Amobee is Boost's official ad-selling and ad-serving partner.

Boost Mobile executives say they think they're approaching the market at the right time; mobile advertising still is developing as a category. But they also expect the market to grow and represent great opportunities for media properties, operators and ad buyers, so long as the ads are relevant to customers.

Ads are likely to resonate well with Boost's audience, which is predominantly under 30; the audience is accustomed to seeing banner ads on Web pages and tend to be fairly receptive to relevant ads, notes Lowell Winer, director of emerging products and business development at Boost Mobile.

Boost plans to expand advertising content to include messaging and key applications in the near future. Initially, Boost customers won't receive subsidized content, and incorporating location-based services (LBS) into the mix is a ways off. "We'll walk before we run," he says.

Meanwhile, Boost has identified some brands with which it would like to align itself. One of the current ads is for Fox Searchlight Pictures April 11 release of "Street Kings;" another ad touts a new Acura entry-level car.

Boost customers are not charged for viewing the ads, and they can opt out by calling Boost customer service. The ads initially appear on BoostLIVE and Web Home.