Microsoft probably loves Atlas' search study

In light of its pending deal to be acquired by Microsoft, it's amusing to see that Atlas just released a study that pisses all over search. It basically says that search gets more credit than it deserves in terms of closing sales because the interactive community isn't taking into account the effect of brand advertising previous to the final click on the overall willingness of an individual to finally make the deal. If you don't get the joke, it's that Microsoft has solidified its position as being an absolute also-ran in search advertising behind Google and Yahoo! over the last few years. In actuality, both major units of aQuantive (Atlas and interactive agency Avenue A/Razorfish) have been questioning the efficacy of search for awhile now, so there's no smoking gun. And maybe to say questioning it is a little too strong. What they're saying, which is undoubtedly on target (forgive the pun), is that the effectiveness of search advertising shouldn't be viewed in a vacuum.