Razorfish Stalwart Jeff Lanctot Sticks With Microsoft

Jeff Lanctot, longtime head of Razorfish’s media buying strategy, has accepted a senior role with Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions group. His hire was made public just a week after Microsoft officially sold Razorfish to Publicis.

Another Razorfish executive, Managing Director Jim Watson, has also taken up with his erstwhile employer. AdAge first reported the hires.

In his new role, Lanctot will oversee Microsoft’s long-term media and services agreement with Publicis. Reports have pegged the value of that contract at more than $2 billion in ads, spent over five years.

Lanctot told ClickZ he was closely involved in negotiating the terms of Razorfish’s sale to Publicis. He denied the media spending provisions created a conflict of interest for Publicis’s client relationships, as some have alleged.

“When you talk about increasing spend with any publisher, there are a lot of ways a publisher can make a campaign perform — whether it’s about placement or reach and frequency, they can improve performance,” he said.

Lanctot’s official title at Microsoft is managing director of Advertiser and Publisher Solutions. He’ll oversee Microsoft’s dealings with its largest agency partners. Until the end of the year, he’ll split his time between Razorfish and Publicis. He’ll report to Scott Howe, corporate VP of the APS division.

Jim Watson, former MD at Razorfish, will be involved product management for Microsoft’s audience segment business. He’ll report to Matt Carr as part of the Microsoft Media Network.

“Both Jeff and Jim’s talents will help strengthen our competitive position as a company with deep expertise in both technology and media,” Howe said in a statement.