Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr does not necessarily mean that existing Xandr customers like you (and me) will experience any immediate changes to our services or products.
However, in the long term, Microsoft’s ownership of Xandr could lead to changes in the way Xandr operates and the services it offers.
Xandr, which was formerly known as AppNexus, is an advertising technology company that provides solutions for digital advertising, including programmatic advertising, data management, and advanced analytics.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr in early 2022 is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to expand its advertising capabilities and compete with other major players in the digital advertising space (i.e., Google and Facebook).
As part of the acquisition, Xandr will become part of Microsoft Advertising, which provides advertising solutions across Microsoft’s various platforms, including Bing, LinkedIn, and Xbox.
This integration could lead to new and more comprehensive advertising solutions for customers, as well as increased access to Microsoft’s large customer base.
That said, it’s important to note that any changes resulting from the acquisition will likely be gradual and phased in over time.
Here’s a note I received from them this morning:
- “As you know Microsoft acquired Xandr last year because of Xandr’s advertising technology and expertise, making it clear that Microsoft is committed to investing in full stack digital advertising solutions. As a result, we will be transitioning Microsoft inventory to in-house sales teams and technology, leveraging Xandr’s supply-side platform Monetize SSP. This includes Display and In-stream Video inventory in 9 markets on MSN, Outlook, and Microsoft Casual Games and select Native placements globally on MSN that was previously accessed through the Yahoo SSP.
“We are thrilled to offer advertisers a simpler, more direct path to premium Microsoft supply across formats and markets, all in one platform. By buying through Invest DSP, you will have the most direct path to Microsoft inventory and unlock added benefits of an integrated platform such as 100% match rates, easier troubleshooting, and limited discrepancies.”
That does not sound terrible from a buyer’s perspective as it means a bigger base to find specific audiences for my individual clients.
Basically, we (i.e., existing Xandr users) can continue to work with Xandr as usual while staying informed of updates or changes that will affect our services or products.
Takeaway
Bottom line, the goal of the acquisition is to provide a more integrated and powerful suite of advertising solutions, but it will take time to fully realize all the benefits.
Ivan is a professional digital marketer and advertiser.
He helps small brands and service providers, marketing managers, and big famous brands run hyper-successful ad campaigns (across multiple formats) targeting lots of diverse audiences (ex.) to meet specific goals like brand awareness, more sales, leads, etc.
He’s got lots of thoughts on the state of marketing and is deeply committed to all areas of optimization—and has no problem showing you where the massive holes are in your own campaigns!
Contact Ivan if you’d like him to take a look at your campaigns.