Microsoft has unveiled the latest iteration of the Microsoft Advertising Exchange, which is now integrated with the AppNexus real-time bidding (RTB) platform. It previous platform, AdECN, is now officially retired.
Microsoft is positioning the exchange as offering better advertiser ROI via its premium assets - a category that for the moment is limited to Windows Live ads in the U.S., ClickZ says. However, in the next few weeks the inventory will widen to include the MSN Network inventory and later, Viacom and MSNBC. Part of Microsoft’s pitch is to sooth fears - valid ones in some cases - about brand safety and channel conflicts that can arise with more open (i.e competitor) exchanges, such as the DoubleClick Ad Exchange and Yahoo's Right Media.
One reason it is emphasizing its premium asset bona fides, ClickZ speculates, is because it is late to the ad exchange game.
AppNexus is staffed appropriately to help Microsoft make up lost ground, Seattle Times notes. The New York-based company, which received an infusion of capital from Microsoft last fall, is led by veterans of Doubleclick and Right Media and serves some 4 billion ads a day.
