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Breaking – Microsoft to Acquire aQauntive for $6 billion

posted on May 18, 2007


Microsoft has finally found its online advertising partner, with news that it will acquire aQuantive. After missing out on DoubleClick to Google, watching Yahoo pick up Right Media and WPP buying 24/7 Real Media, Microsoft decided to go “all in” with a $6 billion cash deal, paying $66.50 a share!

“The advertising industry is evolving and growing at an incredible pace, moving increasingly toward online and IP-served platforms, which dramatically increases the importance of software for this industry,” said a statement from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Today’s announcement represents the next step in the evolution of our ad network.”

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Seattle, aQuantive is the parent company of Avenue A | Razorfish, Atlas and Drivepm.

It’s share price has already jumped 78% on the news!


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  • http://www.daviddalka.com/createvalue/2007/05/18/initial-thoughts-on-microsoft-aquiring-aquantive/ David Dalka

    Wow!

    [link removed, see profile link]

  • http://www.brianchappell.com Brian Chappell

    Wow. They spent twice as much as Google did on double click and I have never even heard of aQauntive. I sure hope its worth it for them if they are dropping 6 BILLION dollars.

  • http://www.xuru.com Jeremy Luebke

    Wow Avenue A Razor fish. Don’t they have some huge SEO clients?

  • http://www.thinkseer.com Wil Reynolds

    Yes, they have HUGE SEO clients! Gotta spin that off, like Google may do with Performics.

  • http://www.marketingpilgrim.com Andy Beal

    Yeah, it’s getting crazy. Google, Yahoo and MSFT are now all in the SEO biz. The scary thing is if they all look at each other and decide, “let’s just keep the SEO units”. When just one of them owned an SEO firm, the others could point fingers, now they all have a reason not to spin-off the SEO units – cos everyone else has one. ;-)

  • http://www.thinkseer.com Wil Reynolds

    No spin off!!
    http://searchengineland.com/070518-082836.php (at the bottom).

    “Asked about whether agency Avenue A | Razorfish would be spun off, CFO Liddell said no. McAndrews will apparently report to Johnson.”

    This is getting good.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenpattison Warren Pattison

    Does this signify the death of the large-business-client for the independent Online Agency or Consultant? With the one stop shops these acquisitions are creating and unsettled talk of MicroHoo, I can’t see Agencies competing against G,Y,M for Fortune 1000 Companies when Agencies would be left competing directly with the traffic source.

    When you consider how engines currently provide FREE tools and advice to optimize ad-revenue to any size advertiser, the inevitability of PPA model adaptation through engine’s content networks (current and recently acquired), and the possibility of two traffic sources in Google and MicroHoo creating an advertising oligopoly, what’s left?

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  • mdainc

    AvenueA will have to be spun off. Clients are already freaking out.

    My guess is that MicroSoft moves their online advertising account to AveA to pump up it’s value then they spin it and get back a big chunk of what they overpaid.

    MRM is Microsofts interactive ad agency today and their resources are flooding every agency in San Francisco with resumes. I think they see the writing on the wall

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