Talk about irony. In the same week the Beatles' British invasion reaches iTunes, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announces plans to send iAd on a European tour.

Announced in April, iAd is Apple's answer to Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) AdMob mobile advertising network.

Next month, the Mac maker will begin publishing iAds on iOS 4 devices (i.e., the most recent iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad) in the U.K. and France. Germany will follow in January, Apple said in its press release. Why should Fools care? Simple: iAd, like iTunes, could deliver a healthy stream of high-margin moola if enough advertisers embrace the platform.

They appear to like what they see. Apple named L'Oreal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever (NYSE: UL), Citi, Evian, LG Display, AB InBev, Turkish Airlines, and Absolute Radio as some of its initial European iAd buyers.

Longer term, an international iAd platform that stretches from mobile devices to consumer electronics could be exactly the blunt instrument Apple TV needs to fight off Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO), and Google's interesting-but-complex interactive TV offering.

Think about the pitch: Sign with us, and we'll get your ad to consumers where they are -- on the couch, in the stadium, or strolling the streets of Paris. Google's going to be able to say that same thing at some point. Apple may as well say it first.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. What do you think will be the future for iAd? Please vote in the poll below and then leave a comment to explain your thinking.

Interested in more info on Apple? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.