Microsoft and Bazaarvoice have entered an advertising partnership resulting in the introduction of a new social advertising solution called People Powered Stories. This was revealed in a presentation from Jenn Creegan, General Manager for Display Advertising Experiences at Microsoft Advertising in her Social Media Week presentation.
PPS will incorporate ratings and reviews about products within a rich brand ad, a Microsoft representative tells WebProNews.
“To make this happen, Microsoft Advertising partnered with Bazaarvoice to integrate the consumer ratings and reviews into the PPS ad format,” the rep says. “Advertisers will be able to tap into Microsoft’s highly social and engaged audiences across multiple screens and deliver relevant ads in a way that is targeted and more measurable than is available for social advertising on the web today.”
In a blog post, Creegan explains, “We believe it will give marketers the ability to create ads that tell powerful stories and create brand relevancy beyond just a “Like” by adding the authenticity and believability of real people’s real stories.”
“As an industry, we intuitively know the power of social and the potential it holds for advertisers to engage with consumers,” she says. “We also know that people want to hear what others have to say about various products and services. Despite the brand dollars that are flowing toward social media, advertisers have told me they continue to be frustrated at how difficult it is to measure ROI and confirm whether they are successfully engaging their target audiences.”
“Simply running display ads on social sites doesn’t make those ads social,” BazaarVoice co-founder Brant Barton says. “What make the social space different and powerful are the connections it creates between people. So unless the ad is also doing that – creating a connection between consumers around whatever the ad is promoting – is it really social advertising?”
The solution will be available next month.