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Category: MSN

  • MSN looks to add value for advertisers with special effects package

    MUMBAI: Portal MSN India is celebrating six years of existence in the country. On this occasion it along with ad sales partner NDTV Media is offering a value add for clients by unveiling new advertising packages it has specially created for the portal.

    The new online advertising packages feature special effects. The aim is to help brands ensure that their message reaches out a larger audience online. The company says that higher quality and enhanced graphics have been complimented with innovative newer online advertising tools. This allows advertisers a host of newer ways to promote their products.

    Speaking on the same MSN and Windows Live India country head Jaspreet Bindra says that this package gives ad agencies the tools they need to help make the ad a more interactive experience for the user. It also allows for different creatives to be done for one product.

    Bindra says that MSN’s package results in rich media of a better quality compared with what competing portals can offer. MSN has done innovations with clients. For instance it came out with an over the Page video ad innovation for Tata Racing. Basically the company wanted to take advantage of the interest in Formula One. MSN is also doing an ad innovation for eBay. Here if one clicks the ad it expands.

    Talking about the relationship with MSN, NDTV Media CEO Raj Nayak says, “Nine months ago we approached MSN and told them that they needed to look at how they sell ads from a different angle. We decided to adopt a method that combines the way television and print are sold. We do not sell based on click throughs or page impressions.

    “We sell on the basis of the period of time that an advertiser wants visibility for and daypart chosen. From 60 clients on MSN before we came onboard there are now 265 clients. We have managed to triple MSN’s revenues in six months time.”

    MSN also came out with the unique concept of desktop TV. This is a section where video ads run daily. They have also done a deal with Indiantelevision.com for the desktop TV feature. In terms of dealing with clients selling in daypart means that once that time that one has bought the ad for elapses then the ad goes off the site. For instance a client can buy an ad for a month each day between 9am – 12 pm which MSN says is prime time. After 12 pm each time the video ad or banner goes off the site each day. The day is divided into six parts and the price for ads depends on the traffic MSN gets at that point of time on an average.

    Bindra adds that MSN has configured the software so that video ads can run even on computers that do not have high bandwith. That is one of the factors that separates it from other portals. Also some video ads run after the user clicks on it while others start automatically once a certain page is opened. That is the choice of a client. MSN does not allow more than three ads on a page.

    Nayak claims that the client drop of rate is only four to five per cent which means that clients find value in this way of advertising. “We have managed to get clients to change their way of thinking about how they advertise on the web. What we are doing marks a paradigm shift in terms of how the internet is being sold to clients.”

    Another innovative way for clients to reach MSN users is through the Live Messenger. Here a Bot backend programme is created so that for instance one can chat with Munnabhai. There was a similar initiative done for Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Kank). Bindra says that the messenger icon can be made to look like a star. The same concept can be applied to clients like Coca Cola. Plans are in the pipeline to enable the user who clicks on a banner to interact with Live Messenger from the client.

    Of course for films like Kank, Rang De Basanti MSN has aimed to give users a complete experience. So one could get among other things downloadable screen savers, stills from the movie, a plot synopsis based on the story-line, details of the cast and crew etc.

  • MSN partners with Reveille and Be Jane for MSN Originals

    MUMBAI: MSN has announced a new initiative called MSN Originals, as part of its expanding content investments to fuel continued growth of MSN.

    MSN Originals is focused on partnering with the best and brightest creative minds in the media industry to bring the new generation of storytelling online.

     

    As part of the MSN Originals initiative, MSN also announced an original content partnerships with Hollywood production studio and distribution company Reveille, that has produced hits including NBC‘s The Office and The Biggest Loser, FX‘s 30 Days, MTV‘s Date My Mom, and with Be Jane Inc., a multimedia content producer and web community for women‘s home improvement.

     

    MSN Originals content will combine video, interactive community features and rich editorial to create unique experiences that will be deeply integrated throughout the MSN network.

    “MSN is a leader in creating massive audiences online and in helping marketers effectively reach those audiences. By partnering with the media industry to add original, interactive, exclusive content to our portfolio, we will drive even deeper engagement with our audience and open up significant new opportunities for advertisers,” said Microsoft Corp general manager of MSN.com John Nicol.

     

    Innovative partnerships to co-produce made-for-broadband content

     

    Under the terms of the Reveille agreement, MSN has struck an exclusive multiproject deal with Reveille to create and produce original online programming. MSN is creating a production fund to be used by Reveille to produce pilots and original branded entertainment programming designed specifically for the Internet. Reveille will use its skills honed in producing for televised media to craft great ideas; recruit the best writing, producing and performing talent; and deliver programming in entirely new ways online. The content will go beyond what is possible in traditional television today by incorporating video, enlisting audience participation, and offering both linear and nonlinear formats.

     

    Shows that are successful initially online can potentially be extended to other formats, including television and mobile.

     

    “The digital future has arrived, and in collaboration with MSN we will be creating new forms of content without boundaries. We believe in a multiplatform world where the best elements of an idea can be tailored to the attributes of the specific media, enabling the audience to have more enriched experiences and for advertisers to contextualise themselves in a more profound way,” said Reveille CEO Ben Silverman.

     

    MSN is also partnering with Be Jane to create an original online series of video and interactive editorial do-it-yourself home improvement content targeted at women. The series, featuring Heidi Baker and Eden Jarrin (aka The Janes), will empower viewers with do-it-yourself know-how, including projects, tips, tricks, trials, tribulations and real “Jane” stories from women across the country. More than just basic how-to, Be Jane brings fun, relatability and inspiration to empower people through topics such as “spicing up the bedroom” and “creating a backyard retreat.” The content will be deeply integrated into MSN Lifestyle, MSN Spaces and MSN Video.

     

    “Up until recently, there have been few resources for women to turn to for home improvement. We‘ve learned that by providing relatable information, creative inspiration and a community of ‘Janes,‘ we can empower them to take on tasks in their home they never thought possible. That‘s why Be Jane on MSN is a great pairing. By expanding our reach, we can instruct and connect with more viewers, giving women a home for home improvement,” said Be Jane CEO Eden Jarrin.

     

    Expanded opportunities for marketers, advertisers

     

    By partnering with the media industry to produce original content, MSN is creating rich new opportunities for advertisers to integrate into and around the content itself. In addition to traditional display and streaming video advertising opportunities, advertisers can take advantage of in-content product integration, as well as be deeply involved in the early stages of content creation and production. Reveille was one of the first production companies to fully fund a reality TV series, NBC‘s The Restaurant, by integrating advertisers into the TV content.

     

    “We‘re excited to team up with the media industry to drive new innovation in online advertising and branded content integration. Together we will push the boundaries of what interactive means for consumers and marketers by bringing together the best of Hollywood, Madison Avenue and Redmond,” said Microsoft senior director of the MSN Branded Entertainment and Experiences Team Gayle Troberman.