Microsoft Ads to launch LinkedIn campaign type

Kinase spotted a new campaign type option in the wild. Something new is indeed lumbering towards Microsoft Ads to be born

The development of Microsoft Ads has two apparent goals - match Google’s product development as quickly as possible, and introduce differentiators to try to get ahead (or at least not lose relevance).

One such factor which has worked is access to Netflix inventory. Now, when we logged in to one of our Microsoft Ads accounts, we saw a new option appear - for a LinkedIn campaign type. To be clear - this is different to the availability of LinkedIn audiences, which have long been available to use in Microsoft Ads. This is a whole new campaign type.

We asked Microsoft about this campaign type, and they said this was a glitch but confirmed that LinkedIn options will be launching in the future.

LinkedIn Smart Campaigns?

What will they look like? There are multiple campaign types and goals possible within LinkedIn campaign manager - from sponsored messages to display, from boosts to event ads to connected TV. What would make most sense for LinkedIn within Microsoft Ads is some kind of bundled up ‘smart campaign’ drawing on multiple kinds of LinkedIn inventory to hit your stated goal or target.

This development makes sense. Since acquiring LinkedIn in 2016, Microsoft has boosted its user base and its advertising and subscription revenue. From $2.2BN a year in 2017 to an estimated $17.4BN in 2023/4, opening up Microsoft Ads to LinkedIn should have a mutually beneficial effect on both platforms, from Microsoft’s point of view.

The question will be - are my potential customers on LinkedIn? And if they are, why not just advertise directly in LinkedIn? This is where the potential of a Microsoft Ads powered smart campaign could step in, to simplify all the options and give you one target and one set of results. 

Advertisers need to start thinking now about what they would like to see from this sync up, and what features would draw them over the line to trial this campaign type because it would then align with their strategy. From this vantage, the launch can be assessed for viability rather than being a blip of excitement, quickly dispelled by whatever advertising tech announcement follows it.