Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN): Premium Display Ads (2026)

Google Display Network (GDN): 2 million websites. 50% consist of accidental clicks on flashlight apps. Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN): Curated, owned & operated properties.

• MSN: Homepage takeover.
• Outlook: Mail inbox ads.
• Edge: New Tab Page feed.
• Netflix: Ad Tier.

In this "Mega-Authority" guide, we cover:

1. Format: Native Image Ads.
2. Intent Signals: Using Search data to power Display.
3. Exclusions: Protecting your brand.
4. Connected TV: The new frontier.

Part 1: Intent-Powered Display

This is MSAN's superpower. "Show this image ad to people who searched for 'Lawnmower' on Bing yesterday." It is Retargeting on Steroids.

• You capture the intent from Search.
• You fulfill it on Display (Visuals).

Part 2: Netflix & CTV

Microsoft is the exclusive partner for Netflix's ad tier. You can run video ads on MSAN that appear during Netflix shows.

• CPM: Higher ($25+).
• Brand Safety: Extreme. You are next to "Stranger Things," not a random blog.

Part 3: Controlling Placements

By default, Search Campaigns expand into Audience Network. THIS IS BAD. It messes up your Search CTR. Strategy:

1. Set "Search Campaign" audience bid adjustment to -100% (disable it).
2. Create a separate "Audience Campaign" to target MSAN.
3. Keep budgets separate.

Part 4: Publisher Reports

1. Go to Reports -> Publisher (Website).
2. Check for "msn.com", "outlook.live.com".
3. If you see low-quality generic sites, Exclude them at the account level.

Part 5: Summary & Checklist

Your Action Plan:

1. Launch a dedicated "Audience Campaign."
2. Target "Similar to Convertors" (Lookalike).
3. Target "Product Audiences" (Dynamic Retargeting).
4. Exclude MSAN from your Search Campaigns.

Quality over Quantity.

Dynamic Remarketing — The Highest-ROAS MSAN Use Case

If you have a Microsoft Merchant Center feed connected to your Audience campaign, Dynamic Remarketing in MSAN is one of the most efficient retargeting formats available across any display network.

How it works:

1. A user views a product on your website
2. They open Outlook, MSN, or Edge's New Tab page
3. They see a native ad showing the exact product they viewed — not a generic banner, but a personalized product card pulled from your feed

Performance benchmark: 5–10× ROAS on Dynamic Remarketing in MSAN is commonly reported by e-commerce advertisers — significantly higher than equivalent Google Display Network remarketing, primarily because the native Outlook and MSN placements have higher attention quality than GDN placements.

Setup requirements: Merchant Center feed connected in Microsoft Ads, UET tag firing on product pages (with product_id parameter), Audience Campaign with "Dynamic Remarketing" objective enabled.

The Edge New Tab Page — Native in the Corporate Feed

Every corporate Windows user who opens a new browser tab in Edge sees a curated news feed (MSN content). This is a native ad placement that reaches corporate professionals in a news-reading mindset — not a commercial intent mindset, but a content consumption mindset.

The implication for creative strategy: Native feed placements require news-style headlines, not ad-style headlines.

• Ad-style (wrong): "Buy the Best CRM Software for Your Team"
• News-style (right): "Why Enterprise CTOs Are Replacing Salesforce in 2026"

The news-style framing matches the editorial context of the placement. Users don't perceive it as an ad immediately — they perceive it as a relevant article. Click-through rates on news-style creative in Edge New Tab placements are typically 3–5× higher than standard display creative in the same placement.

Image specs for native: 1200×628 (landscape), 1200×1200 (square), 300×250 (rectangle). Avoid text-heavy images — they shrink on mobile and become illegible.