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Microsoft online advertising to become slicker
Microsoft's online advertising operation is due to become a slicker, more cohesive operation, according to the MSN and Windows Live chief, Steve Berkowitz.Speaking to ZDNet, Mr Berkowitz said that, moving forward, the focus would be very much on the customer.
"You'll start to see Microsoft work together much more naturally than it has in the past," he said. "Instead of focusing on the products, it will focus on the customer of the product. That will break down lines across things, because that's the way the world is going."
Microsoft's advertising options include the pay per click AdCenter application and the company's latest innovation is Office Live, which allows small firms to easily build a website and create online ads for it.
Berkowitz also spoke of the need to strike a balance between technically impressive products and connecting with the average consumers, stressing the importance of the audience.
Regarding user-generated video, he said it could be interesting for advertisers: "To me, it's interesting for the audience and I believe if you aggregate audience, you'll find different ways to get the advertisers."
Google's purchase of YouTube was more to do with capturing a large audience than it was to do with cutting-edge technology, he said.
Microsoft News posted on 22 November 2006
