HONG KONG: MSN has kicked off its US$10 million initiative
to launch its Advantage Marketing programme in Asia, which includes
schemes to build ties with both advertising agencies and marketers.
The MSN Agency Alliance Programme aimed to provide brand and online
advertising agencies with the training to use MSN marketing solutions
for clients.
MSN director of marketing and PR, Rose Leng, said Advantage Marketing
would leverage on the MSN and Microsoft brands, as well as Windows XP,
Microsoft's new operating system. "We are offering a total package which
goes beyond online to leverage other Microsoft properties, including XP,
to ride on the MSN name."
Despite the new initiatives, Leng insisted the portal was not in direct
competition with online agencies such as DoubleClick. "We are not in
competition at all with DoubleClick and the likes. The MSN offerings are
complementary to the systems that DoubleClick has. In some cases,
advertisers may choose to use both systems."
MSN has also launched Advantage, a regional, quarterly publication
produced by Motiv8 Publishing to support the campaign.
