Microsoft acquires aQuantive

BANGALORE, INDIA: Microsoft Corp. has announced that it has completed the acquisition of aQuantive, a digital marketing company.

The acquisition would help Microsoft deliver on its previously outlined goal to provide the advertising industry with a world-class advertising platform across devices and media that would create the best experiences for users, advertisers and publishers.

"Today we take a significant step forward in our ability to capture share of the $40 billion online ad opportunity and the larger $600 billion ad market, which is rapidly shifting to the world of online and IP-served platforms, including TV and gaming,” Johnson said. “The addition of aQuantive’s technologies and people to the Microsoft portfolio is a core, strategic investment and step forward in our plans to become one of the top two online advertising platforms in the industry."

Microsoft also created the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group. This new business group would be responsible for building Microsoft’s monetization engine to serve the Advertiser and Publisher community. Brian McAndrews, CEO of aQuantive, will head the APS group and report directly to Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft’s Platforms and Services Division (PSD).

aQuantive’s employees continue to be located in their downtown Seattle offices.