REDMOND, WA – More than 50 researchers from MSN and Microsoft Research are banding together in the Microsoft adCenter Incubation Lab in order to help Microsoft develop new ways to create more precise online advertisements.Drawing from backgrounds in artificial intelligence, auction theory, data mining, digital media, information retrieval, statistical analysis, and visual computing, the team will collaborate on ways to make one of the most profitable online revenue streams even stronger.

The group is currently focusing on behavioral targeting, contextual advertising, and paid search, and plans on look at new ways to incorporate barcode readers and social network mining, as well as how to successfully translate online advertising to video and large displays. One of the ultimate goals of the project is to satisfy the desire of ad viewers to be able to zoom in on products seen in video ads and request further information.