Microsoft Acquires YaData for Customer Segmentation

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Microsoft has agreed to acquire YaData, an Israeli firm specializing in customer segmentation technology. YaData will be incorporated into Microsoft's Israel research and development center in Herzliya, and its technology will be incorporated through Microsoft's Advertiser and Publisher Solutions group.

The acquisition will allow Microsoft to improve the behavioral targeting tools within its online advertising platform, allowing marketers to provide more focused and relevant advertising. The inclusion of the YaData technology is intended to allow audience segmentation and targeting without using personally identifiable information, according to the company.

"This will help Microsoft provide better ROI for advertisers, higher yield for publishers and more relevant advertising for consumers through advanced targeting and optimization," a Microsoft spokesperson told ClickZ in an e-mail.

YaData was founded in July 2006 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but Microsoft expects the acquisition to be finalized pending regulatory approvals.