As part of the BBCs Technology of Business series, each week they ask an expert in their field for their thoughts. This week Andy Hart, General Manager of Microsoft's Advertising and Online division in the UK gave his expert views on digital and the future of advertising. Andy explains how in the old days advertising was very simple. Now though we have digital which isn't just another channel.

Part 3 in our series with Steve Clayton gives us his thoughts on Kinect for Windows . When Kinect for Xbox 360 was launched in November 2010, the reception was huge. Millions of units )8 million in the first 60 days( were sold, and it became the fastest selling consumer electronic product in history. But beyond games though, when you let 3rd party developers get their hands on technology like that,

There's no doubt you are aware of various global industry-led initiatives around online privacy and self-regulation for Online Behavioural Advertising )OBA(, which includes the implementation of the AdChoices icon. The AdChoices icon is used across ads that are behaviourally targeted, or that are collecting data for OBA purposes at a later time.

The IABs Rising Stars formats were selected for their potential to drive brand equity at scale. But marketers and planners want to know how they compare to the current go-to standard formats for branding at scale such as the MPU. Why? Because nowadays it is all about ROI not risk. The new formats are more expensive to buy, so the market needs evidence to justify that price premium and discover their true value in brand storytelling.

Today, Microsoft Advertising launches its new adCenter Training Hub, where users will be able to move at their own pace with training segments that will help them increase their Microsoft adCenter knowledge. Below we have listed a few of the great benefits of this new training tool to help you get started. If you are eager to begin training in the new adCenter Training Hub you can start straight away here ! Benefits for all users!

Following on from Global CEO of Y&R, David Sables blog on Innovation, Creativity, and the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards I also believe its incredibly important to continually find ways for creativity and innovation to intersect.

The era of Big Data is here. We know it. We see it. We fret over it. And for good reason. Constantly improving access to both micro- and macro-level data means drinking from the firehouse. What on earth do you do with all this information? Or, more importantly, how do you convert that information into insight that drives better decision making at all levels of management? I have some ideas echoed and advanced by the charismatic Chuck Hemann ,

Was last year the first REAL year of mobile? According to the 4 th annual IAB/PWC Mobile Ad spend Report it certainly was with the UK mobile advertising market now being worth an astonishing £203.2m. This is a year on year, like for like increase of 157%. So what has fueled this growth in the UK and what more can we expect?

Creativity our intellectual ideas, our ability to tell great stories and innovation, by which I mean new ways of using or adapting technology to reach consumers, are the fundamental, driving forces of the advertising industry. To build brands, we need both elements. We need creativity to delight, excite and engage, while innovation drives a brands culture forward and keeps it new and fresh. This enables us to create rich,

The era of Big Data is here. We know it. We see it. We fret over it. And for good reason. Constantly improving access to both micro- and macro-level data means drinking from the firehouse. What on earth do you do with all this information? Or, more importantly, how do you convert that information into insight that drives better decision making at all levels of management? I have some ideas echoed and advanced by the charismatic Chuck Hemann ,

Last year I participated in a Search Engine Strategies panel centered around whether Remessaging )a.k.a Retargeting and Remarketing( was right for you. I am honored to be back at Search Engine Strategies this year to discuss the benefits of Remessaging and how companies can do it right. To coincide with the panel Im doing a deep- dive on the derivative called Search Retargeting, or as we call it at Microsoft,

Today at Federated Medias Signal Conference in San Francisco, I sat down with John Battelle to discuss some important trends that the digital advertising industry is experiencing and how we see those changes impacting marketers and agencies. The conference theme was the dependent vs. the independent web, which is a euphemism for how people are dividing time between major portals like MSN and Yahoo - and web properties that are customized for individual interests.

Its impossible not to be excited about the opportunities open to the Mobile industry right now. Fresh from the Mobile World Congress )MWC( in Barcelona )OK it took me a while to take everything in and get back to reality!( I wanted to share my top takeaways with you. First let me just set the scene. anyone and everyone connected to the mobile industry was at the event,

With less than two weeks to submit your entry to the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards , one of our global judges - Mainardo de Nardis from OMD Worldwide - joins Y&Rs David Sable and Jacki Kelley from Universal McCann in giving us the low-down on his favourite digital campaign. Hailing from South Korea, the campaign to bring the British supermarket, Tesco , to the consumer while they wait to get home at the train station is, says de Nardis,

I am thrilled to announce the independent judging panel for the U.S. portion of the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards . The awards recognize and champion innovative thinking in the world of digital marketing by challenging contestants to develop a forward-looking marketing plan for a Brand or Non-profit of their choice. Joining me on the judging panel for the MSAs will be six industry luminaries. These include: Gail Tifford, Sr. Director of Media, North America,

We can't do anything these days without hearing something about "social media." We're tweeting, posting, sharing and liking all kinds of content. Advertisers are intrigued and want to understand how 'social' can elevate and impact their brand's conversations. Having been in ad sales for 20 years, it's clear social networks alone aren't enough to tell a compelling brand story online. So, what's our advice to advertisers?

Take a second to think about your favorite ad. Can you picture it? How did it make you feel? Why did it resonate with you? Wouldn't you like to ask one of the advertising industry's leaders what ad they consider most memorable? We had the opportunity to ask this question of David Sable, CEO of Y&R and one of the global judges for the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards . His favorite ad of all-time?

Storytelling is one of the most talked-about topics in advertising lately, but how to develop an effective tale that connects with the viewer isn't nearly as discussed. In a recent interview, we sat down with Jacki Kelley, CEO, Universal McCann as well as one of our global judges for the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards to define what makes a story worthwhile. Basically, it needs to be "R.A.R.E.," according to the digital team at Universal McCann.

If youve been reading the headlines or sifting through your social networks lately, theres no doubt youve seen or heard a few words revolving around Windows Phone: A design gem . The thing is gorgeous. and this little hashtag: #smokedbywindowsphone Smoked by what? We sat down with Ben Rudolph, Director of Windows Phone Evangelism, to elaborate on the mobile mania recently swarming the product and to get a glimpse of whats next on the horizon. Basically,

On the heels of last nights unveiling of exciting research the IAB has conducted with IPG Media Labs and Microsoft Advertising , I am thrilled to share more great news from todays IABs Annual Leadership Meeting: the IAB has selected Microsoft Advertisings Mobile Filmstrip ad unit as a winner in the 2012 Mobile Rising Stars competition .