Microsoft has unveiled a first look at the new MSN New Zealand website, which combines premium content from the world’s leading media outlets with personal productivity tools.
Starting today, Microsoft is inviting people around the globe to try out the new web experience at preview.msn.com/en-nz with the experience officially launching in the coming months.
Additionally, the new MSN experience will soon extend to mobile apps across all major device platforms, including Windows, iOS and Android.
“We have re-written MSN from the ground up for a mobile-first, cloud first world,” said Adam Anger, General Manager for Asia Pacific, Microsoft Advertising.
“The new MSN brings together quality media sources with the data and services that help people get more done. And because it’s a single platform, once you personalise, you get the same experience everywhere – on every device that works for your life.”
James Butcher, Sales Director for Mi9, which manages advertising sales for MSN in New Zealand, said: “We are excited to represent the new MSN as part of our stable of Mi9 brands. It is a unique product offering in New Zealand and with opportunities for both advertising and deep bespoke integration, it is a great global complement to our Mi9 offering.”
Spanning multiple categories including sports, news, health and fitness, money, travel and entertainment, the new MSN provides a global perspective from thousands of publishers across the world. Information ranges from the latest stats on over 200 global sports leagues, reviews of more than 1.5 million bottles of wine, to over 300,000 recipes and more. MSN editors will be able to draw from more than 1000 global and local sources to hand-curate a unique experience for each market.
The new MSN makes information ‘actionable’ by incorporating personal productivity tools like hotel booking engines, shopping list generators, flight checkers, and savings calculators into the new experience. Additionally, the new MSN connects to popular services like Outlook.com, Facebook, Twitter, OneNote, OneDrive, Xbox Music and soon Skype, allowing users to see their latest updates, emails and chats.
A clean, fresh design makes it easy to find and enjoy content most important to each user, letting them organize categories and interests to personalize the layout of the homepage. And because the new MSN is designed to work across multiple devices, each user’s preferences will automatically change across the web and app versions.
Users can choose their favourite cities for weather, sports teams, and restaurants, staying connected to the content that matters most at work, at home or on the go.
New Opportunities for Brands
For brands, MSN offers audiences a personalized web experience, quality content from both global and local publishers, and engagement across the PC, phone and tablet. With an audience of nearly 425 million people coming to 57 markets around the world available across the three major device platforms, the new MSN is an ideal environment for seamless brand storytelling across screens.
“The transformation of MSN allows brands to be in the thick of a rich library of premium content that travels with readers throughout the day, regardless of device,” said Ben Poole, Head of Interaction for Asia Pacific, MEC.
“This positive brand association is a win for the industry and a win for users looking for quality content in an adaptable environment. We are incredibly excited to bring new campaigns to life on the reimagined MSN.”
Though the face of MSN has transformed, the process of buying ads is simple. Brands can still enjoy ease of purchasing through similar IAB standard units available on previous versions of MSN.
“With premium content and productivity tools, we’re thrilled to offer a new experience to both advertisers and consumers,” said Ken Chang, Regional Sales Director for Asia Pacific, Microsoft Advertising.
“The new MSN allows advertisers to be in more moments and to capture consumers at the right mindset throughout the day.”
Visit the New Zealand preview site for the new MSN at preview.msn.com/en-nz
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
About Mi9
Mi9 is one of New Zealand’s leading digital media companies, with the potential to reach up to 54% of the population each month. A member of the Nine Entertainment Co family, Mi9 is an expansion of the MSN business including a range of products and brands across; online publishing, data strategies, consumer insights, digital design and advertising technologies. Mi9 is also home to Skype, Outlook.com and the number two search engine Bing. With other diverse digital products like Microsoft Media Network and the Microsoft Advertising Exchange, we are always looking to create new digital experiences that entertain, inform and connect with New Zealanders.
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