[fpgeek]

The advertising isn't intrusive in the Android version of Maps.

It's also worth noting that, like search advertisements, Maps advertisements have the potential to be useful. If I'm looking for a restaurant near some location, restaurants that care enough to advertise in Maps for that location could easily be worth considering.

[ryanhuff]

True, because Google is trying to use Google Maps as a hook into Google+ Local. For maps, it all comes back to local search.