Microsoft launches digital advertising solutions

Mumbai, Feb 21: Microsoft India today launched Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions (MDAS) platform in India to trigger online advertisement boom in the country which was currently on a below par level when compared to the vast potential.

As against 9000 advertisers on the television channels and over two lakh on the print media, Internet today attracted hardly 400 advertisers within the country and the revenue ranged between USD 120 to 130 million which was hardly one per cent of the total advertisement spend, MADS India head Rajnish told newspersons here today.

He said that the aim is to take it to at least three per cent within the next couple of years.

India was the second country after the US, where MADS had been launched, he said adding that MADS would help grow the overall advertisement market in India by bringing in traditional advertisers to the new platform. This new platform would enable NDTV Media to expand the number of advertisers several fold. The target was to have more than 750 advertisers by the end of 2008, Mr Niraj Dutt, COO of NDTV Media which had collaborated with Microsoft, said.

Microsoft also unveiled its mobile advertising initiatives.

Commenting on the occasion Country Manager for Online services of Microsoft, Jaspreet Bindra said that with more than 200 million mobile phones in the country, advertising solutions on mobile would help in growth of the advertisement base.

UNI