It’s not news to me that MSN started with Behavioral Targeting - but it’s one thing to talk about it (as Microsoft has, over the last year) and another to successfully implement Behavioral Targeting.

"The company revealed some of its targeting tools in June, through the adCenter Labs project."

These are the same tools I’ve been using for the last six months, since we all became aware of them last April.

"The behavioral targeting technology will place Web customers into one of 18 segments as dictated by a combination of their online search habits and Web pages visited. Based on their segment, customers will be served display ads that are relevant to their interests.

Some of the segments available for targeting include parents, new/expecting moms, mobile users, power users, gamers and movie watchers. In addition to an auto buyers category, Microsoft breaks out researchers of luxury cars, sports cars, pick-up trucks, SUVs and passenger cars. For travel-related categories, there are segments for hotel, cruise, and airfare seekers. Financial categories include home buyers, credit card shoppers and personal investors. "

In fact, today, you can isolate audiences based on MSN’s Targeting Technology, even if you still can’t get the ads served yet.

MSN Profiler

Demographic: Gender Age Income Education & Occupation Marital Status Online Usage Online Shopping Segment: 18-24 18-49 25-34 25-54 45+ 55+ 65+ Top 10 MSN Sites Age : 25-34 Hotmail 23% Messenger 23% Careers 22% Groups 22% Astrology 20% Games 19% Chat 18% MSN Home Page 18% MSN Video 18% Sports 18% Source: @plan, Summer 2006

So if you know the audience you want to reach, the profiler will tell you were you can reach that audience.  So you decide to pick Astrology to get at the an audience that is 20% comprised of 25-34 year old searchers.

Astrology

MSN® Astrology offers users a pleasurable escape from their daily routines. This entertaining site delivers a quality horoscope experience with seasonal forecasts based on love, money, and career, as well as tarot readings and live psychic chats. It also provides a valuable branding opportunity for consumer packaged goods (CPG) and other advertisers to reach women who are interested in products and services that relate to self-improvement.1   Why Market on MSN Astrology?   Reach an elusive impulse shopper! MSN Astrology attracts the single professional or stay-at-home married mom. She responds to compelling offers and free products, and she loves to shop. In fact, she’s an impulsive buyer who actively looks for sales and bargains.2 Align your brand with a comprehensive astrological site – MSN Astrology offers content ranging from Chinese horoscopes to numerology and tarot reading, so users keep returning. It also delivers contextual links to personals, advice for women, and other useful links across MSN. These shoppers interact. MSN Astrology users respond positively to free product offers, impulse shopping buys, credit offers, mortgage refinancing, and any self-improvement consumer packaged goods.1   Women who visit MSN Astrology are interested in New Age health solutions, alternative fitness solutions, love and romance, apparel, candles, and aromatherapy.1   Marketing Opportunities on MSN Astrology MSN Astrology offers several exciting advertising opportunities that will help you connect with this shopping-oriented audience. A list of ad products is available below. For more information about the marketing opportunities on the site, Contact Sales.   1. @plan, Summer 2006  2. @plan, Summer 2006; Microsoft Internal MSN® Astrology offers users a pleasurable escape from their daily routines. This entertaining site delivers a quality horoscope experience with seasonal forecasts based on love, money, and career, as well as tarot readings and live psychic chats. It also provides a valuable branding opportunity for consumer packaged goods (CPG) and other advertisers to reach women who are interested in products and services that relate to self-improvement.1   Why Market on MSN Astrology? More…Less…

Visit: astrology.msn.com

You still have to do research to figure out what audience you want to target - most of the parts of MSN’s Behavioral Targeting are in place - except the ads, which, from the sounds of it, will be coming soon.