Microsoft's Rapt Acquisition Enhances Ad Offerings

Microsoft took another stride in its race against Google with the acquisition of Rapt, a company that helps Web publishers manage their advertising. Rapt produces software that creates a database of a publisher's ad inventory, whether they are self-sold or collected from ad serving networks. Publishers can also use it to track and forecast ad performance. Rapt will be added to Microsoft's Atlas Publisher Suite.

Last Word: Inventory management and impression forecasting are some of the most vexing challenges for web publishers today.  Through this acquisition, Microsoft will have an even more compelling offering to compete with Google/Doubleclick’s DART for Publishers solution.  By running the publishers inventory management systems, Microsoft would get a first-row seat in deciding who gets the ad call (which ad network) – potentially giving MSFT an advantage as it continues to grow its own online advertising solution.

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