OK, now I got your attention. No lie, Microsoft did beat Google in online advertising, well the purchase of online advertising companies that is. Microsoft is buying aQuantive for $6 billion one of the last large independent companies in a consolidating Web advertising market. That is quite a bit more than Google agreeing to buy DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.

Is this yet another sign of Microsoft growing even more desperate? Maybe. But they certainly have the cash to spend. And spend they did on this deal, paying an 85 percent premium in an all cash deal! Yahoo followed by snatching up the 80 percent of Right Media it did not already own in a deal valued at $680 million.

Microsoft said the deal would allow it to strengthen ties with advertisers, ad agencies and Web site publishers. Well if I was a stockholder, I would be hoping so, as Microsoft is a long way from catching Google in this space. Buying their way in can help, but will not close the deal.

Microsoft was moaning about anti-trust concerns as they had reportedly outbid, but still lost to, Google in the DoubleClick deal. Now they will swallow aQuantive instead making its largest purchase ever. Hey, Bill and Steve, did you know that ReelSmart may be for sale? Let your people contact my people and we can talk!

Thanks to http://thefunniest.info/top.html for the Microsoft Ad pic.

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