Microsoft has completed its acquisition of aQuantive Inc. The move follows Microsoft’s acquisitions of AdECN, Massive Inc., and ScreenTonic earlier in the year and confirms how seriously it is taking its goal of creating a world-class advertising platform across devices and media.

At the same time, Microsoft has set up the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group. The new group, run by Brian McAndrews, CEO of aQuantive, will be responsible for building Microsoft’s monetization engine to serve the advertiser and publisher community. It will also take over responsibility for building and marketing all ad platforms, including Atlas, DRIVEpm, MSNDR and Microsoft® AdCenter, along with emerging media types such as in-game and mobile ads, and the agency arm Avenue A | Razorfish.

“Today we take a significant step forward in our ability to capture share of the $40 billion online ad opportunity and the larger $600 billion ad market” said Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft’s Platforms & Services Division (PSD) to whom McAndrews will report. “The addition of aQuantive’s technologies and people to the Microsoft portfolio is a core, strategic investment and step forward in our plans to become one of the top two online advertising platforms in the industry.”

Full press release HERE.