REDMOND, Wash., April 10, 2000 — MSN Sales, in conjunction with Microsoft Consulting Services, has launched MSN TM Media Center ( http://www.mediacenter.msn.com/ ) to improve customer service for national advertisers of the MSN network of Internet services and to help small businesses advertise online.
“Microsoft technology is a core piece of the MSN vision of the Everyday Web,”
said Jim Kinsella, general manager for MSN Sales at Microsoft Corp.
“MSN Media Center is yet another example of how technology makes MSN Sales a leader in online advertising and helps us to deliver top-flight service to our current customers, potential customers and small businesses alike.”
“One of the challenges customers face is how to synthesize the more than 150 available ad products throughout MSN,”
said Paul Major, lead product planner for MSN Sales at Microsoft.
“By combining Microsoft® technology and MSN Sales expertise, MSN Media Center quickly and efficiently tailors MSN sites and ad product information into the areas most relevant to our customers’ advertising goals and objectives.”
MSN Media Center makes it very easy for media decision-makers to query @plan demographic profiling to get a list of the MSN properties that most closely match their targeting objectives. These query results link directly to critical buying information such as Media Metrics Inc.’s reach data, site descriptions, ad products and ad specifications.
MSN Media Center includes the following sections:
-
MSN sites. The MSN Profiler tool performs site rankings with aggregate data provided by @plan for age, gender, household income, education and occupation. Advertisers can simply choose a profile and click Show Results to receive a stack-ranked list of MSN properties best suited for their demographic goals. Advertisers can then click on the MSN property of interest to see a site overview as well as available ad products on the more than 20 MSN properties on which advertising is sold.
-
MSN Ad Products. With the more than 150 ad placements on MSN, this section makes it easy to search for ad product examples and requirements, and lists of which ad products appear on each MSN site. Whether customers are researching advertorials, enriched banner ads, newsletters or mid-page ads, the Ad Product section makes it easy for them to find ad vehicles appropriate for their particular ad campaign.
-
MSN Learning Center. Savvy Web marketers can use this section to learn more about topics such as online ad effectiveness or hear an industry influential speak at an installment of the MSN Breakfast Series. MSN Learning Center also offers straightforward advice and tips for maximizing Internet advertising investments and a glossary of Internet terms for marketers new to the Web.
-
MSN Customer Service Center. This password-protected area of MSN Media Center gives advertisers access to their campaign reports, plus sneak previews of ad products being released, sites being launched and new programs on MSN. This section delivers the information critical to campaign analysis and future offerings.
-
MSN Ad Store. MSN Media Center will help small businesses buy MSN ads online. In partnership with the Microsoft bCentral TM small-business portal, the Ad Store offers advertising on the Computing Central TM computer user’s information service, Hotmail® Web-based e-mail service, MoneyCentral TM online personal finance service and Search areas of MSN. Priced to meet small-business budgets, the Ad Store makes advertising online quick and easy while offering online reports to track advertisers’ campaign progress.
MSN Media Center is built on the Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server operating system and Microsoft SQL Server TM 7.0, the most robust database of the Windows family. Windows 2000 and Windows 2000-based applications are the emerging platforms for developing powerful Internet-enabled solutions.
About MSN
MSN Sales delivers customized advertising solutions for the Everyday Web. MSN is the network of Internet services from Microsoft Corp. that helps people better organize the Web around what’s important to them. The network of MSN services, located on the Web at MSN.com TM ( http://msn.com/ ), helps people easily stay in touch with friends and colleagues, make smart and secure purchasing decisions, and get more done. MSN offers award-winning e-mail functionality; personal communications services; wireless services information; customizable access to news; popular sites for health, personal finance, traveling, investing, automotive services, shopping and more; an online community; a Web search engine and directories; and top-rated Internet access.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, MSN, bCentral, Computing Central, Hotmail, MoneyCentral, Windows and MSN.com are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
