Microsoft in ad deal with Facebook

Microsoft has locked in a deal with Facebook as the exclusive provider of banner advertising and sponsored links on the popular social networking Web site.

"We believe that the combination of Microsoft and Facebook strengths will be incredibly attractive to advertisers as they forge more meaningful connections with one of the largest, most engaged audiences on the Internet," Steve Berkowitz, a Microsoft senior VP said.

Facebook, the the extremely popular social networking site, is popular with the lucrative college-age demographic. It has more than 9 million registered users and ranks as the seventh-most trafficked site in the United States. Microsoft's press release stated that advanced technology exclusive to Microsoft would provide a better connection between Facebok advertisers and users via "graphical ad placements, automated text-based advertisements targeted to content and, aggregate user behavior on an anonymous basis."

“We’re excited to be innovating with Microsoft to build a world-class advertising solution that allows Facebook to deliver the best advertising experience in social media,” said Owen Van Natta, chief operating officer of Facebook. “We chose Microsoft because it, like Facebook, is a technology company at its core and is committed to taking a fresh approach to targeting advertising to social media. We’re committed to providing a great user and advertiser experience together.”

This alliance comes on the heels of a similar agreement between social networking site MySpace.com and search engine Google Inc.