Well, if you didn’t catch the news yet today, in a 6 billion dollar deal, Microsoft purchased aQuantive, best known as the parent company of Avenue A/Razorfish (which accounts for two-thirds of aQuantive’s revenue).

Here’s a quote from the AdWeek article:

The transaction, which must clear regulatory approval, will wed Microsoft’s technology firepower with aQuantive’s ad serving and network businesses. It also means Microsoft will own the largest interactive ad agency in the U.S., Avenue A/Razorfish, putting it in the position of both buying and selling online ads.

This seems like an odd marriage; Microsoft realizes, and addressed that, in the AdWeek writeup:

“We definitely recognize there will be a perception of a conflict,” said Joe Doran, general manager of Microsoft’s digital advertising solutions unit, in an interview with Adweek.com. “We want to make sure we draw that distinction for the rest of the ad community. We will be operating Avenue A/Razorfish as a stand-alone business as much as possible.”

You have to admit, Microsoft is putting their money where their mouth is. It will be interesting to see how this one moves forward.

Tags: Advertising, Microsoft, Online Marketing, Search

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