Advertising Group Focuses Beyond Search

The Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group at Microsoft is focused on helping advertisers and publishers make the most of Web pages that individually get few viewers, but collectively account for about 80% of total Web traffic. Microsoft claims that its tools will help advertisers and publishers measure the impact of advertising campaigns across many types of online properties and show that search advertising—the main engine of online advertising growth for the last five years—is overvalued. While this claim deserves skepticism, looking beyond search may be Microsoft’s only choice.

The APS Group

Microsoft’s APS Group consists primarily of people and products Microsoft gained in its US$6 billion acquisition of aQuantive in 2007 and is led by former aQuantive CEO Brian McAndrews. It now oversees nearly all of Microsoft’s advertising-related businesses, including advertising sales on Microsoft properties (a responsibility recently moved from departing vice president Steve Berkowitz’s former Online Business Group).