Oilman beat me to the punch posting this one. Yesterday, Yusuf Medhi, MSN SVP, asked us to invite people to join the US MSN adCenter Pilot. I am going to extend the invitation to apply to all of our loyal blog readers. We want all of you to have a shot. See below for the invite and information on how to apply. 

     Brady Forrest, MSN Search PM

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From: Yusuf Mehdi

As you know, we launched MSN adCenter –our next generation advertising platform — in France and Singapore last month. This was an important first step to delivering our global vision to connect advertisers to consumers in a more meaningful way.

Now, as we prepare to launch the US pilot of MSN adCenter, we need your help in getting your friends and family to apply to participate in the self-service offering for small-to-medium businesses. This pilot represents a unique opportunity for small and medium businesses to be among the first to experience the more powerful tools and wide-ranging benefits of MSN adCenter. Our paid search offering will help advertisers:

• Learn by accessing comprehensive data to plan more strategic campaigns,
• Connect by using advanced demographics to target the right audience at the right place and time, and
• Refine by making meaningful changes on the fly with features for greater flexibility and control.

If you know a business-owner who would be interested in advertising their business on MSN Search, please forward this email to them and encourage them to apply to participate in the US Pilot by completing our online registration form at http://advertising.msn.com/adCenterPilot/89620.asp.

 Please note that entry in the US pilot is by invitation only. We will select participants on a rolling basis from those you refer and who express interest. During the US pilot, MSN adCenter will be delivering text-based advertisements on up to 25 percent of MSN Search traffic; the remaining traffic will continue to be served through our partnership with Yahoo.

I hope that you will support this important initiative by sharing this information with your friends and family. We look forward to serving their advertising needs and gathering their valuable feedback on our products and services.

 thanks,

 Yusuf