Microsoft Audience Network

The Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN) is the native and display side of Microsoft Advertising, distinct from search. It serves ads across owned-and-operated Microsoft properties — including MSN, Outlook.com, the Microsoft Edge new tab page, Microsoft Start, and Skype — as well as a curated set of premium publisher partners. The network reaches hundreds of millions of users across the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft cites 600M+ devices with Edge installed as the upper bound of its addressable base; MSAN MAU is not separately disclosed), with strong concentration in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, and an audience skew that mirrors the broader Microsoft ecosystem: older, more affluent, more desktop-oriented than the open web average. MSAN's distinctive technical pitch is that its targeting is enriched by Microsoft's first-party graph — Bing search intent, MSN content consumption, and crucially LinkedIn profile signals. This means a B2B advertiser can use the Audience Network to reach decision-makers at specific companies or in specific job functions on premium, brand-safe inventory like Outlook.com inbox placements — something the Google Display Network cannot directly replicate. Native ad formats use the publisher's design language (image, headline, description) and tend to deliver higher CTRs than traditional display banners. MSAN is materially smaller than the Google Display Network, but it is also less competitive, which translates into lower CPMs and CPCs and useful incremental reach on top of GDN. Most accounts run MSAN as a separate campaign type within Microsoft Advertising (rather than allowing it to spill in from search), so spend, creative, and performance can be managed independently. Campaigns commonly use a combination of audience targeting (remarketing, custom audiences, in-market, LinkedIn profile signals) and Microsoft AI-driven optimization rather than manual placement targeting.