Microsoft Advertising is bringing its online behavioral targeting options, segments and categories to buyers of its mobile display inventory. 

Mobile behavioral targeting helps advertisers maximize the impact and return on investment of their mobile campaigns by targeting consumers who demonstrate interest in specific product categories. Microsoft has made more than 100 behavioral segments available for purchase.

?Our strategy is to maximize the potential of each screen and across screens to enable advertisers to engage audiences in the most relevant ways,? said Jamie Wells, global director of trade marketing and mobile advertising at Microsoft Advertising, Redmond, WA.

?Our unique combination of technology and media platforms allows us to harvest audience insights across online, gaming and mobile ? ultimately driving quantifiable business results for advertisers,? he said.

Microsoft behavioral targeting works by anonymously tracking behavior and classifying consumers into segments using information from Web keyword search on Bing Search, sites visited across the Microsoft network, Microsoft network data and profile data from Windows Live.

Data from these sources and others is factored together to create specific segments.

Within these niches are the consumers who are most likely to be receptive to a brand?s message. What more could a brand ask for? 

With Microsoft's behavioral targeting for mobile, ads are served only to users in brands' desired segments, enabling better-targeted campaigns.

Additionally, targeted ads will make the consumer experience a more pleasant one. Consumers are more open to advertising that is relevant.

Better targeting and relevancy is an ongoing trend in mobile. 

For example, mobile ad networks such as Millennial Media and Quattro Wireless also provide their advertisers with behavioral targeting capabilities.

Mobile ad network Jumptap provides contextual advertising, enhanced by the data it gets through relationships with wireless carriers.

Microsoft has been making headlines in mobile a lot recently.

The company sells on-deck display inventory on Verizon's Ad Network on a cost-per-click basis.

Microsoft hopes to increase accountability and maintain a high level of performance through this move.

Not only that, but Microsoft has responded to user requests for third-party independent verification systems by providing Atlas DMT and DoubleClick DART to clients (see story).  

It is no surprise that the company is now letting its mobile advertisers target consumers based on their behavior.

?By increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of mobile advertising, our mobile behavioral targeting solution reduces the barrier to entry for advertisers still on the fence about mobile media ? and for those already investing, it presents a powerful way to further optimize their media mix,? Mr. Wells said.