MARK BROWN, PARTNER, WEAPON7
The simple answer is no. As most marketers know, consolidation is a fact of life. They want to work with good, solid partners who can deliver the right audience in an engaging way. Far from being unsettling, the bid from a brand as solid as Microsoft will sound reassuring to marketers working in an uncertain world.
However, there may be more of an issue among users. The anti-Microsoft brigade may well react adversely, and if that affects usership, it will have an impact on Yahoo!'s reach. However, as long as the service provided by Microsoft is good, most people will not really care.
Anything that is likely to stimulate innovation or make implementation easier can only be good for marketers.
SIMON THOMPSON, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, LASTMINUTE.COM
For me there is no confusion - Microsoft wishes to purchase Yahoo! to attack the dominance of Google, and Google does not like it.
Google deserves its leading position in this marketplace for its fabulous technology, constant innovation, and a strong eye for consumers' needs.
However, its domination is increasingly monopolistic. Competition is vital to driving innovation and competitive pricing, so this development should boost marketers' confidence in the web rather than damage it.
If Microsoft is successful - and I suspect it will be - the resultant head-to-head between the two titans of technology will be enthralling.
CHRIS AMBLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WARL GROUP
On a commercial level, Microsoft's proposed takeover of Yahoo! is a good thing. Google shareholders aside, the company's current near-monopoly is not in anyone's best interest. Success for Microsoft will create a duopoly, which will keep both parties on their toes, watching their prices and service.
More importantly, the web is a constantly evolving and dynamic medium that offers varied tools of engagement to marketers and agencies with the imagination and confidence to embrace it.
In addition, more so than in any other medium, ingenious thinking will continue to deliver real commercial value from the internet, whatever happens on Wall Street.
ANDY BARNES, SALES DIRECTOR, CHANNEL 4
I am not sure that the Microsoft bid for Yahoo! will cause too much confusion among marketers.
Traditionally, a merger of this size, which puts so much power in so few hands, could cause concerns about restricted choice and higher prices.
In the online space, however, this is much less the case. Here, a strong new force has to be good for competition.
Indeed, if Microsoft combines its world-leading technology and budgets with Yahoo!'s undoubted digital media strengths, we can expect to see the formation of a formidable company with the capability to provide many enhancements at relatively low cost to consumers and marketers alike.