Microsoft is shelling out about $6 billion in cash to purchase digital marketing/advertising vendor aQuantive. The aQuantive get marks the greatest acquisition in Microsoft;s corporate background. (So a lot for the concept that Microsoft isn;t into huge acquisitions. Guess a Google-DoubleClick offer,
Buy Office 2007, around the heels of a Google-YouTube deal,
Office 2010 Sale, modified that dynamic.)aQuantive — the former Avenue A/Razorfish — is based in Seattle (no remote management needed). Microsoft is planning to use its various tools and technologies — as well as its relationships with publishers across all media,
Office 2007 Activation, from IPTV,
Office Professional Plus 2010, to games — to supplement its existing set of digital-advertising wares.Does this mean Microsoft is dropping its campaign to see the Google-DoubleClick offer killed because of antitrust concerns? No. Microsoft;s official word on the matter is that a Microsoft-aQuantive deal is complementary because their products/services don;t overlap. Google and DoubleClick have strongly overlapping ad-serving businesses,
Office 2010, the Softies say.There;s no doubt: Microsoft wants to be an marketing company as a lot as a software company these days.