Microsoft: Online ads "on a monster roll"
C|Net | at | by Mike
Weakness in the online advertising market has been greatly exaggerated, Microsoft said Wednesday, on the eve of a major overhaul of its MSN Internet service. "We're on a monster roll," said Yusuf Mehdi, the corporate vice president overseeing Microsoft's MSN division. "This is the best-kept secret in the industry, which is that the online ad industry is alive and well and actually kicking butt for a number of companies out there." For the 2002 fiscal year, which ended June 30, MSN's online ad revenue grew $40 million, he said. Between June 30 and Sept. 30, it jumped 40 percent.