Microsoft is taking digital marketing to the next level with the launch of its global MSN Advantage Marketing programme which will be available to MSN customers worldwide.
The $110 million initiative is designed to take online advertising to a new level by delivering comprehensive products, technology, and services that provide better results for brand and direct-response marketers. The initiative includes funding for further development of rich media and new ad types, continued research into ad effectiveness and online behaviour, and services tailored to the needs of digital marketers.
"MSN Advantage Marketing represents our most significant effort to make online marketing a `must-buy` for companies in search of comprehensive and measurable direct response or branding campaigns," says Ashika Ramgovind, country manager at MSN South Africa. "As a company we have a rich heritage in technology that will allow us to innovate on behalf of our customers to help them meet their business objectives."
MSN has expanded its technology and service offerings to deliver even better impact and insight to campaign performance. To be rolled out during the course of the next year, Next Generation Ad Products (NGAP) will expand the creative space to deliver better branding opportunities and enable marketers to meet their direct response goals by enhancing interactivity within the ad space. Recent studies show MSN Ad solutions that are currently in use internationally, have been found to lift key branding measures by over 10 masterpercent, double the performance of non-interactive creative, and increase the performance of standard banners by three to six times. For the next generation, the sky may be the limit in advertising effectiveness.
The MSN Agency Alliance Programme will offer the world`s leading brand and online advertising agencies the opportunity to take advantage of special benefits when their clients run schedules on MSN. The programme aims to equip top agencies with the training to deploy MSN marketing solutions to their clients. MSN will brief members quarterly on upcoming content integration and sponsorship opportunities; host day long, on-site sessions highlighting successful online advertising strategies; and offer advanced access to proprietary industry research.
MSN has the world`s largest and most valuable online audience, and it seems set to become the preferred place for savvy marketers to build world-class brands and drive sales. According to the latest research by Internet measurement services agency, Nielsen/NetRating, which analyses the home surfing behaviour of the online community, this is true of the local Microsoft Network too. The survey results show that MSN.co.za is leading the race in the South African Internet marathon, with a comfortable 11% lead over competitor sites.
MSN South Africa has tripled its revenue in the one year since its launch and has grown its user base to in excess of one million home and business users to the site on a monthly basis. 90% of all MSN users have shopped online in the last six months, and MSN users spend on average 138 minutes per month on the portal. These figures are significant when seen in the context of the depressed advertising market over the past year, following the dot-com crash and the overall economic slowdown. Probably one of the key reasons why MSN has achieved such success in SA is due to its distinctive local appeal while leveraging off a strong global brand. It includes a wealth of relevant local content, but maintains an international flavour by offering users access to a `world` of information.
According to a recent report by Jupiter Media Metrix, the popularity of the online advertising medium is burgeoning, with companies of all sizes taking an increased interest in this market due to its bullish prospects. "MSN South Africa is embracing this shift in the marketing and advertising arena and will endeavour to become the preferred online medium for local advertisers. As part of this initiative, we will be adopting a Direct Sales model from the beginning of October 2001, and a dedicated Sales team will be focusing on growing the digital advertising market locally," concludes Ramgovind.
MSN South Africa`s direct sales team: From 1 October 2001, anyone who would like to find out more about advertising on MSN can contact either Mike van Eck or Michael Garzouzie:
Michael Garzouzie
MSN Strategic Revenue Manager
MSN South Africa GSM: 083 453 5540
Phone: 011 257 0543
Fax: 011 257 0544
Email: i-micgar@microsoft.com
Messenger: mikegarz@hotmail.com
Mike van Eck
MSN Strategic Revenue Manager
MSN South Africa GSM: 082 492 0404
Phone: 011 257 0351
Fax: 011 257 0352
Email: i-mikeve@microsoft.com
Messenger: v_mike@hotmail.com
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