Today is an important day in the history of MSN.
If you check out our new MSN preview site http://preview.msn.com, we think you’ll be in for pleasant surprise.
The portal is being transformed, evolving in tandem with the ever-changing needs of our customers – meaning good news for both consumers and our advertising partners.
Qi Lu, President of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, said in a mail to us all this morning that this announcement means:
“...the most radical redesign of MSN in over a decade. The new MSN homepage offers a fresh new look that brings the best of Bing, the latest news and entertainment and instant access to social networks and comprehensive local information all in one place.”
Best of Search from Bing
· Bing is deeply integrated throughout the homepage and content experiences and brings you the best of search and Bing’s advanced decision-making tools.
· Combines the best of search and media content to deliver the most relevant content for you.
Information and News You Care About
· We’ve reduced links on the page by half and removed the clutter to deliver a fresh new design with simplified navigation.
· In-line high-quality video, top news and hot entertainment from trustworthy sources including MSNBC & FOX Sports.
· The new MSN Local Edition provides you a home base online with the most comprehensive local news and information.
The Most Convenient Way to Communicate
· Windows Live What’s New (including Yelp, Flickr and Pandora), Facebook and Twitter integrated directly into the home page.
· View and update your status in-line, tweet, and see what your friends are up to without jumping to multiple sites.
So what does this all mean for advertisers?
· The simplified design means your message and brand can transfer in a more focused way.
· Concentrating on News, Entertainment, Finance, Sports, and Lifestyle plus Local delivers the information users care about most. They’ll come back and see your brand more often.
· Better, more contextually relevant ad placements will drive higher engagement.
· More seamless and impactful integration possibilities with Rich Media and Video, again resulting in higher engagement.
· Driving more awareness of Bing will strengthen your adCenter search campaigns and drive users down the funnel.
Simplicity + Context + Integration = Results
The new experience will flight across just 10% of US MSN.com traffic as we roll it out over the next few months, reaching other countries in 2010.
Today is just the beginning of this historical change, where a small portion of visitors will see the new site. However, the transformation of MSN is much bigger. You’ll see more changes and site launches in the upcoming month.
We like it. Do you?