Tuesday March 9, 12:34 am Eastern Time
Microsoft focusing on ad efforts for portal site
REDMOND, Wash., March 8 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. is expanding its
advertising sales force as part of its plan to make its msn.com Web site one of the top
portals on the Internet, a company executive said Monday.
Marty Taucher, director of MSN marketing communications, told reporters that the
company's business model calls for the Web site to generate 60 to 70 percent of its
revenues through advertising.
In the past, Microsoft has relied heavily on partnership arrangements for much of its advertising sales, but over the past
several months the company has doubled the size of its advertising sales force to 50, Taucher said. By the end of next
year the force is expected to grow to 200 sales representatives, he said.
''We view it as a core competency we need to develop,'' Taucher said.
Taucher also said the company is in the midst of an $18.5 million advertising campaign to promote the repositioned
msn.com site, which groups together Microsoft's Internet content properties including games, news, finance, shopping
and search capability. The campaign, which opened Feb. 8, runs through June in print, radio, online and outdoor
venues, he said.
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