On the eve of Advertising Week in New York, I wanted to share my excitement about Microsoft Advertising's presence at this important event.  Our presence will truly be indicative of the depth and breadth of our offerings in the online advertising space.  If ever there was a milestone moment that paints a picture of just how important Search plus Display is to Microsoft Advertising - and by extension our customers and partners -- Advertising Week 2009 is it.  Moreover, in keeping with and building off of the momentum we generated at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in June, we will be doing as much listening to our customers as talking with them next week.

Our presence this year, through nearly a dozen keynote and panel appearances by MS Advertising executives, as well as news coverage we expect to generate, will send a powerful message that being an effective advertiser in today's digital age will require mastery of multiple channels, and that we have the tools, technology and media assets that marketers need to reduce complexity and increase campaign effectiveness.  We will take every opportunity to reinforce and build upon our longstanding position that the strategic marriage of search and display is a very powerful, very effective combination for many if not most advertisers. 

Our speaker line-up, coupled with some exciting news around Bing, Mobile advertising, our brand and a new 3-screen campaign, plus our opening night party and numerous other opportunities for deep engagement with customers, leads me to believe we will have a very busy, very productive week in New York.

Don't forget to check out all the coverage on our social media site for Advertising Week 2009.

Thanks, and let the fun begin!