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Microsoft aQuantive Buy to Boost Ad Metrics
A month after Google bought DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, Microsoft's plans to acquire Internet ad agency aQuantive for $6 billion will provide its Ad Center clients with insight on which ads and keywords are most profitable.
While the purchase of aQuantive gives Microsoft access to additional advertising customers and web publishers, it still has nowhere near the 300,000 to 500,000 advertisers of Yahoo! and Google, fuelling speculation about a possible Microsoft / Yahoo! merger.
According to Advertising Age's recently published 2007 agency report, aQuantive ranks as the 9th largest marketing services agency in the world. aQuantive's three main brands are Atlas, which provides tools for advertisers and publishers, DRIVEpm, which provides services matching advertiser campaigns with publisher inventory, and the AvenueA/Razorfish interactive ad agency.
The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of Microsoft's fiscal year 2008. aQuantive, which has approximately 2,600 employees, will continue to operate from its Seattle headquarters as part of Microsoft's Online Services Business. The firms are online at www.microsoft.com and www.aquantive.com .
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