Microsoft is big on ads. That’s right, desktop software-developing, XBox-creating, computer keyboard-making Microsoft is talking multi-billion-dollar media heavyweight big. How big? CEO Steve Ballmer says ads could be 25 percent of the $51 billion company’s business in a few years as all media and marketing go digital.

Of course, that makes sense since Microsoft recently spent $6 billion for online advertising outfit aQuantive. Another Microsoft executive forecast the online ads market to be growing between 15 and 20 percent a year worldwide, dwarfing global ads market growth.

BusinessWeek says customers who heard Ballmer’s presentation in Paris said they are “interested in the new advertising avenues presented by Microsoft but still undecided about how much they are willing to spend on new media such as mobile advertising.”

Speaking of new advertising frontiers, Ballmer called chatter about Microsoft investing in Facebook “idle speculation. ”

(NYT)
(Reuters)
(BusinessWeek)

Keep an eye on:

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Photo: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (Reuters file)