Gawker: valleywag, aquantive

Microsoft aims to dump Avenue A/Razorfish on WPP

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT

After Google bought ad-serving firm DoubleClick in March 2007, Microsoft rushed onto the market in May 2007 and paid — most say overpaid — $5.9 billion for aQuantive and its three businesses: Atlas, DrivePM and digital agency Avenue A/Razorfish. Microsoft never wanted Avenue A, which investment bankers calculate to be worth about $800 million, buying it only because it came with the aQuantive package. Now AdWeek reports that Microsoft ha found a way to dump Avenue A/Razorfish on media-holding company WPP:

Six months after the companies started talking here's how a deal could unfold, according to people familiar with the discussions: Microsoft unloads the agency in exchange for a WPP package that includes 24/7's Open AdStream publisher ad-serving tool plus cash. WPP is interested in unloading Open AdStream, the ad-serving business it acquired in its $649 million purchase of 24/7 Real Media.

"Compared to the $6.1 billion Microsoft paid...

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:30:02 EDT

"Compared to the $6.1 billion Microsoft paid for aQuantive and the $3 billion Google paid for DoubleClick I feel we have done a pretty good job here." — AOL CEO Randy Falco, explaining that the fact that his predecessor, Jonathan Miller, spent $435 million to buy Advertising.com somehow makes up for the $850 million Falco just spent on Bebo. [Guardian]

Microsoft dealmaker Bruce Jaffe going startup

Owen Thomas — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:56:16 EST

While Microsoft has yet to come up with a search engine that wows consumers, it has successfully wooed Wall Street with its push into online advertising. Alas for Microsoft, it's losing a key dealmaker. Bruce Jaffe, a top corporate-development executive who helped engineer Microsoft's $6 billion acquisition of aQuantive and its $240 million investment in Facebook, is leaving the company. He's been interviewing around the Valley, but last we heard, he's decided to form his own startup. Anyone have more details on what he's up to?

Microsoft's new adman tight with Victoria's Secret

Owen Thomas — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:09:21 EDT

How does the tabloidtastic New York Post spice up a boring story like the ascent of new Microsoft advertising chief Brian McAndrews?

Why, with a ginormous shot of a Victoria's Secret model, of course. Victoria's Secret is cited as one of the advertisers McAndrews cultivated as CEO of online-advertising firm aQuantive. The Post reports that, after Microsoft closes its $6 billion buy of aQuantive, McAndrews is expected to head up the software giant's ad sales and technology operations. One of the questions McAndrews should ask himself, given his new job: With ads like that, who needs content?