Well Microsoft has finally beaten Google to something. Earlier today. Microsoft (MSFT) has completed their acquisition of the digital marketing / ad firm that they had been pursuing for a number of weeks. Microsoft closed out a $6 billion buyout of aQuantive (AQNT). The move will provide Microsoft with the tools for selling search and display ads across its own sites through aQuantive's ad-serving technologies in conjunction with other technologies (such as ScreenTonic, a mobile advertising company) that have recently been acquired by Microsoft.
All this while federal investigators look further into Google's bid to acquire ad firm DoubleClick. Microsoft has gotten an early jump in trying to close the gap in the online advertising business, but it will taken some time before they can compete with Google in terms of search traffic and advertising revenue. Nonetheless this is a good move by Microsoft. Let's see how they leverage this acquisition over upcoming months. Hopefully they will incorporate this acquisition into their family of products better then some of their recent attempts with their search product offerings.
Related Resources:
Associated Press: Microsoft Closes $6B buyout of aQuantive
Reuters: Microsoft Completes Purchase of aQuantive
Labels: aQuantive, Microsoft
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