Hi all,
Yesterday morning, Y! Canada, particularly the Sales division, had a Trade Marketing breakfast at the King Eddy Hotel in downtown Toronto.
For the most part, the event was well received by the agency and direct advertising folks that were invited to learn about the growth potential of online and how to strategize new goals in this burgeoning sector - I believe the following summation article by one of the attendees (with some direct quotes from Y! Canada's Director of Marketing) puts it all in context:
Yahoo execs pitch "four-pillar marketing"
by Jesse Kohl
Sales and marketing execs from Yahoo's Canadian and US offices pitched "four-pillar marketing" to media and advertising strategists in Toronto yesterday. Put simply, the four pillars are content, personalization, community and search - and Canadians are already familiar with them, Yahoo Canada marketing director Hunter Madsen tells MiC.
Madsen told the crowd that recent comScore research shows Canadians already take a four-pillar approach to media use - for 41 hours per month, compared to 24 hours per month in the US. More and more of that time is spent in digital communities, photo sharing and interactive entertainment environments.
"Canadians are using the media this way, and it means marketers can do what we call four-pillar marketing," Madsen explains. "Marketers need to make sure that their programs are active in all of the four dimensions and that they're thinking about how to use the content and the communities and the search activity and the personalization - making that relevant to the brand as well as the user."
Each of the four pillars is based on a core of digital data that helps define the modern consumer through user profiling, and four-pillar marketing builds campaigns with careful consideration of all categories.
"You've got the digital base of user profile information," says Madsen. "Then you put marketing program elements for community, content, search and personalization. And all of that builds up to a strategy for driving people up the pyramid, from just being part of the mass audience to being the engaged people ready to purchase, and finally to being - some of them - raving fans and passionate advocates."
Execs from Yahoo's Sunnyvale, California, HQ - including VP sales central region Charlie Thomas, sales and media research director Theresa LaMontagne and Engage! senior director David Kopp - highlighted case studies of several US campaigns that went beyond the banner in a bid to strengthen the argument for new approaches to marketing in the digital media landscape.
Madsen gave a Canadian example of digital media thinking with four-pillar potential. The Canadian Tourism Commission asked Yahoo Canada to build an online community to give Canadians a forum for expressing what they love about their country. In the future, this project could be used in tourism campaigns tied to other such communities created by, for example, Yahoo! France.
Thomas, VP sales for Yahoo's central region in the US, told the crowd that the most powerful advertising, historically, has always been a direct reflection of the most powerful medium - and today that medium is interactive, so a common language is needed.
"The hard trend of technology and demographics would indicate that when you have four pillars, it's not going to go back to one," he said. "It may become eight. Maybe another pillar should be entertainment. You can improvise with it. But this gives you a foundation and a common language to operate with.
"Standards are going to get raised really fast, starting this year and heading into 2008, around audiences and engagement," Thomas added. "Once you start buying big numbers of the kinds of audiences you can get in this audience pyramid, it's not going to feel so good to spend more money to reach an audience that's less engaged.
"This is a competitive idea: Who can customize the best audiences? Anybody can buy an audience, but how do you create the best audience - so your advertising is creating assets as it goes, not just performing an advertising function?"
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Hi all,
As M&A continues to stoke the fires of the big players in the online advertising and search/serving space, those of us in the trenches are continuously wondering where it may lead. No longer only the realm of online behemoths like Google or Microsoft, others such as News Corp. who are rumoured to be looking to offload MySpace in exchange for a 25% stake in Yahoo! or AOL's recent purchase of European ad serving company AdTECH, are looking to further their interests and monetize global online ad spend at an alarming rate.
We, and the following article, can only speculate and to what tomorrow will bring.....
Murdoch in search of online deals
By Aline van Duyn in New York and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in
Rupert Murdoch is looking for deals beyond his $5bn offer for Dow Jones, people familiar with his plans said.He is seeking internet acquisitions or a deal involving the MySpace social networking site to increase his stake in the booming online advertising sector, they say.Mr Murdoch has made a series of moves this month to build News Corp’s war chest, putting non-core assets such as its smaller US television stations up for sale and reviewing its outdoor advertising business in Russia and eastern Europe.Analysts estimate that the moves could bring in up to $5bn in cash for further deals.“Rupert has a shopping list. Dow Jones is at the top of it, but it’s not the end of the list,” said one person familiar with Mr Murdoch’s plans.Mr Murdoch has built his News Corp media business through numerous acquisitions. Following a deal with John Malone’s Liberty Media to swap News Corp’s stake in DirecTV for News Corp voting shares, he will control about 40 per cent of News Corp’s voting power later this year.“That increased ownership concentration raises the potential for transactions,” said Michael Morris, analyst at UBS.Mr Murdoch bought MySpace for $580m, and has already recouped his investment through a search deal with Google worth $900m and amid strong revenue growth.People familiar with MySpace say Mr Murdoch believes that despite the social networking site’s success, it is not able to make as much money from its non-search online inventory as companies such as Yahoo and AOL. This is partly because it does not own systems that match online inventory with ads. Yahoo, the internet portal, has long been seen as a potential News Corp partner. Mr Murdoch and Peter Chernin, his number two, have in recent months had informal talks with Terry Semel about swapping MySpace for a stake in Yahoo of up to 25 per cent, people familiar with the talks said. The discussions never developed into negotiations, and due to the shake-up at Yahoo which this week led to the ousting of Mr Semel, it is not clear if Jerry Yang, his successor, wants to consider a deal. “We would love to see News Corp monetise MySpace at north of $10bn tax-free for a 25 per cent stake in Yahoo,” said Richard Greenfield, analyst at Pali Research, adding that a newly merged Yahoo/MySpace should buy rival site Facebook.News Corp is potentially considering other acquisitions, following deals such as Microsoft’s $6bn purchase of Aquantive and Google’s $3.1bn deal for DoubleClick. The biggest potential targets in the US include Quepasa and Valueclick, according to UBS research.
As M&A continues to stoke the fires of the big players in the online advertising and search/serving space, those of us in the trenches are continuously wondering where it may lead. No longer only the realm of online behemoths like Google or Microsoft, others such as News Corp. who are rumoured to be looking to offload MySpace in exchange for a 25% stake in Yahoo! or AOL's recent purchase of European ad serving company AdTECH, are looking to further their interests and monetize global online ad spend at an alarming rate.
We, and the following article, can only speculate and to what tomorrow will bring.....
Murdoch in search of online deals
By Aline van Duyn in New York and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in
Rupert Murdoch is looking for deals beyond his $5bn offer for Dow Jones, people familiar with his plans said.He is seeking internet acquisitions or a deal involving the MySpace social networking site to increase his stake in the booming online advertising sector, they say.Mr Murdoch has made a series of moves this month to build News Corp’s war chest, putting non-core assets such as its smaller US television stations up for sale and reviewing its outdoor advertising business in Russia and eastern Europe.Analysts estimate that the moves could bring in up to $5bn in cash for further deals.“Rupert has a shopping list. Dow Jones is at the top of it, but it’s not the end of the list,” said one person familiar with Mr Murdoch’s plans.Mr Murdoch has built his News Corp media business through numerous acquisitions. Following a deal with John Malone’s Liberty Media to swap News Corp’s stake in DirecTV for News Corp voting shares, he will control about 40 per cent of News Corp’s voting power later this year.“That increased ownership concentration raises the potential for transactions,” said Michael Morris, analyst at UBS.Mr Murdoch bought MySpace for $580m, and has already recouped his investment through a search deal with Google worth $900m and amid strong revenue growth.People familiar with MySpace say Mr Murdoch believes that despite the social networking site’s success, it is not able to make as much money from its non-search online inventory as companies such as Yahoo and AOL. This is partly because it does not own systems that match online inventory with ads. Yahoo, the internet portal, has long been seen as a potential News Corp partner. Mr Murdoch and Peter Chernin, his number two, have in recent months had informal talks with Terry Semel about swapping MySpace for a stake in Yahoo of up to 25 per cent, people familiar with the talks said. The discussions never developed into negotiations, and due to the shake-up at Yahoo which this week led to the ousting of Mr Semel, it is not clear if Jerry Yang, his successor, wants to consider a deal. “We would love to see News Corp monetise MySpace at north of $10bn tax-free for a 25 per cent stake in Yahoo,” said Richard Greenfield, analyst at Pali Research, adding that a newly merged Yahoo/MySpace should buy rival site Facebook.News Corp is potentially considering other acquisitions, following deals such as Microsoft’s $6bn purchase of Aquantive and Google’s $3.1bn deal for DoubleClick. The biggest potential targets in the US include Quepasa and Valueclick, according to UBS research.
Friday, June 22, 2007
First off, just wanted to thank Jenn Blackie for posting pictures from the other night's Jays game on the SEP Blog, we all had a nice time but the score was horrendous!
I was offered tix for the next day's game but had to decline - unfortunately for me it was a good one with the Jays trouncing the Dodgers 10-1 behind Halladay.....
Why does it always happen to me?
Duane
Daily Dose:
Panama Gets High Marks
John Battelle's Searchblog -
On his Searchblog, John Battelle publishes the findings of Interpublic SEM firm Reprise in its early interactions with Yahoo's Panama search ad system. Overall, the search firm calls Panama "a significant upgrade over the previous Yahoo DTC (Direct Traffic Center) system, but it worries about the complex system's ability "to access the long tail of the market." The Reprise study evaluates Panama's campaign management and performance, user interface and technology over a three-month period (January-March). In terms of SEM performance, the cost-per-click for keywords actually dropped 6.2% during a period where the average CPC for Google AdWords increased 2.8% and Microsoft's adCenter a whopping 9.6% -- a good thing for search marketers. The good news for Yahoo is that Reprise also found that its clickthrough rates went up dramatically, bringing [the CTR] in line with our average Google CTRs. The bad news, however--and this usually proves to be the benchmark by which search marketers determine their spending--is that campaign conversions went down 5%, while conversion rates improved on both Google and MSN. That could mean the Panama's new quality ranking of sites has filtered out a few that used to convert at high levels. Reprise thinks Panama "does not yet address all of the requirements of the market," though it's a significant improvement.
I was offered tix for the next day's game but had to decline - unfortunately for me it was a good one with the Jays trouncing the Dodgers 10-1 behind Halladay.....
Why does it always happen to me?
Duane
Daily Dose:
Panama Gets High Marks
John Battelle's Searchblog -
On his Searchblog, John Battelle publishes the findings of Interpublic SEM firm Reprise in its early interactions with Yahoo's Panama search ad system. Overall, the search firm calls Panama "a significant upgrade over the previous Yahoo DTC (Direct Traffic Center) system, but it worries about the complex system's ability "to access the long tail of the market." The Reprise study evaluates Panama's campaign management and performance, user interface and technology over a three-month period (January-March). In terms of SEM performance, the cost-per-click for keywords actually dropped 6.2% during a period where the average CPC for Google AdWords increased 2.8% and Microsoft's adCenter a whopping 9.6% -- a good thing for search marketers. The good news for Yahoo is that Reprise also found that its clickthrough rates went up dramatically, bringing [the CTR] in line with our average Google CTRs. The bad news, however--and this usually proves to be the benchmark by which search marketers determine their spending--is that campaign conversions went down 5%, while conversion rates improved on both Google and MSN. That could mean the Panama's new quality ranking of sites has filtered out a few that used to convert at high levels. Reprise thinks Panama "does not yet address all of the requirements of the market," though it's a significant improvement.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Me again,
Here's the followup from Jerry:
My new job
June 18th, 2007 at 1:18 pm by Jerry Yang, Chief Executive Officer In Working at Yahoo!, Trends & News
The title of Chief Yahoo takes on new meaning today. I have the great honor of stepping into the role of Yahoo!’s Chief Executive Officer. Yahoo! has an incredibly bright future and I make this move with deep conviction and enthusiasm. I’ve partnered closely with our executive teams for 12 years to steer our strategy and direction and today I’m ready for this challenge.
Today also marks the close of a great chapter in my life with Terry Semel as my partner. Since coming on board in 2001, Terry has given Yahoo! six of its best years. He delivered great value to our users, advertisers and shareholders. Terry refocused the company on key strategic priorities, and in so doing, helped Yahoo! increase our revenues nearly nine-fold from $717 million in 2001 to $6.4 billion in 2006; boost our operating income from a loss in 2001 to nearly $1 billion last year; and create more than $30 billion in shareholder value during his tenure. He helped grow our audience from 170 million to more than 500 million users globally, and he oversaw the expansion of our base of talented employees from 3,500 to nearly 12,000.
I will always be grateful for the incredible achievements under his leadership — and for his mentorship and friendship. We’ll continue to benefit from his support and guidance as he transitions to his role as our Chairman.
I also couldn’t ask for a better partner in Sue Decker as our new president. In addition to knowing this company inside and out, Sue has incredible talents, leadership abilities, a fierce focus on winning, and intense dedication to this company and its people. I look forward to teaming more closely with her as we pursue our joint vision.
What is that vision? A Yahoo! that executes with speed, clarity and discipline. A Yahoo! that increases its focus on differentiating its products and investing in creativity and innovation. A Yahoo! that better monetizes its audience. A Yahoo! whose great talent is galvanized to address its challenges. And a Yahoo! that is better focused on what’s important to its users, customers, and employees.
The past year has obviously not been an easy one for us. But we’ve taken important steps to address the challenges we face, and we’re starting to realize some of the benefits – especially with the successful launch of Panama, which continues to receive positive feedback from advertisers and is exceeding our expectations. By the way, that’s directly attributable to the operational excellence mentality Terry has instilled and is a clear sign one of his most critical initiatives is succeeding.
We have incredible assets. This company has massive potential, drive, determination and skills, and we won’t be satisfied until the external perception of Yahoo! accurately reflects that reality.
I have absolute conviction about Yahoo!’s potential for long-term success as an Internet leader. Yahoo! is a company that started with a vision and a dream and, make no mistake, that dream is very much alive. I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to transform Yahoo! into an even greater success in the future.
The time for me is right. The time is now. The Internet is still young, the opportunities ahead are tremendous, and I’m ready to rally our nearly 12,000 Yahoos around the world to help seize them.
Go Yahoo!
Jerry Yang CEO and Chief Yahoo
Here's the followup from Jerry:
My new job
June 18th, 2007 at 1:18 pm by Jerry Yang, Chief Executive Officer In Working at Yahoo!, Trends & News
The title of Chief Yahoo takes on new meaning today. I have the great honor of stepping into the role of Yahoo!’s Chief Executive Officer. Yahoo! has an incredibly bright future and I make this move with deep conviction and enthusiasm. I’ve partnered closely with our executive teams for 12 years to steer our strategy and direction and today I’m ready for this challenge.
Today also marks the close of a great chapter in my life with Terry Semel as my partner. Since coming on board in 2001, Terry has given Yahoo! six of its best years. He delivered great value to our users, advertisers and shareholders. Terry refocused the company on key strategic priorities, and in so doing, helped Yahoo! increase our revenues nearly nine-fold from $717 million in 2001 to $6.4 billion in 2006; boost our operating income from a loss in 2001 to nearly $1 billion last year; and create more than $30 billion in shareholder value during his tenure. He helped grow our audience from 170 million to more than 500 million users globally, and he oversaw the expansion of our base of talented employees from 3,500 to nearly 12,000.
I will always be grateful for the incredible achievements under his leadership — and for his mentorship and friendship. We’ll continue to benefit from his support and guidance as he transitions to his role as our Chairman.
I also couldn’t ask for a better partner in Sue Decker as our new president. In addition to knowing this company inside and out, Sue has incredible talents, leadership abilities, a fierce focus on winning, and intense dedication to this company and its people. I look forward to teaming more closely with her as we pursue our joint vision.
What is that vision? A Yahoo! that executes with speed, clarity and discipline. A Yahoo! that increases its focus on differentiating its products and investing in creativity and innovation. A Yahoo! that better monetizes its audience. A Yahoo! whose great talent is galvanized to address its challenges. And a Yahoo! that is better focused on what’s important to its users, customers, and employees.
The past year has obviously not been an easy one for us. But we’ve taken important steps to address the challenges we face, and we’re starting to realize some of the benefits – especially with the successful launch of Panama, which continues to receive positive feedback from advertisers and is exceeding our expectations. By the way, that’s directly attributable to the operational excellence mentality Terry has instilled and is a clear sign one of his most critical initiatives is succeeding.
We have incredible assets. This company has massive potential, drive, determination and skills, and we won’t be satisfied until the external perception of Yahoo! accurately reflects that reality.
I have absolute conviction about Yahoo!’s potential for long-term success as an Internet leader. Yahoo! is a company that started with a vision and a dream and, make no mistake, that dream is very much alive. I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to transform Yahoo! into an even greater success in the future.
The time for me is right. The time is now. The Internet is still young, the opportunities ahead are tremendous, and I’m ready to rally our nearly 12,000 Yahoos around the world to help seize them.
Go Yahoo!
Jerry Yang CEO and Chief Yahoo
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
06.19.07
My first post in 6 years - the web keeps changing and I have been a part of it all along! Best of luck to Jerry, Sue and the team - I have high hopes for you all to take Y! from strength to strength in the coming months. May we see improved stockprice and a steady marketshare increase to boot! [eBay is already helping that along - read: their $26 million monthly ad spend removal rift with GG]
Cheers
Duane (...is dead)
With Yahoo's Semel Out, Yang Makes People Priority
by Tameka Kee and Laurie Petersen, Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007
WITH A STEADY STREAM OF departures at all levels turning into a flood, Yahoo's co-founder and newest CEO Jerry Yang said "motivating, developing and attracting talent" will be one of his top priorities. In a Silicon Valley awash in venture-funded startups, that may be the toughest challenge.
Despite protestations from the board, speculation is rampant that the company is set to be broken up or merged.
Yang sought to galvanize investors during the press conference announcing his appointment with six words: "I am ready for the challenge."
Yang defined the key challenges that the Web giant continues to grapple with: from an underperforming search monetization platform, to the ever-increasing spate of rivals for its share of user traffic, to the "competition for our talent" that has led to employee attrition. He also laid out a road map for how the company would move forward.
Yang will have a formidable partner to lead Yahoo through its multi-year expansion plan, as former executive vice president Sue Decker now assumes the role of president. In her new role, Decker will continue to build the partnerships that are integral to Yahoo's growth strategy (such as a display advertising deal with Comcast), and will further implement the company's operational reorganization that began last year under Terry Semel, who announced his resignation after the market closed.
Yesterday's announcement ended months of speculation on whether Semel would keep his position as CEO amidst Yahoo's struggles with sub-par earnings forecasts, the loss of senior management personnel, and the relentless industry perception that it's always a step behind Google.
Semel countered those theories indirectly in his public resignation letter and statement, saying: "I've been clear in my desire to take a step back from an executive role, sooner rather than later. I've long been talking to the Board about ensuring a smooth succession--and the need for a leadership team committed to leading Yahoo through its multi-year transformation."
My first post in 6 years - the web keeps changing and I have been a part of it all along! Best of luck to Jerry, Sue and the team - I have high hopes for you all to take Y! from strength to strength in the coming months. May we see improved stockprice and a steady marketshare increase to boot! [eBay is already helping that along - read: their $26 million monthly ad spend removal rift with GG]
Cheers
Duane (...is dead)
With Yahoo's Semel Out, Yang Makes People Priority
by Tameka Kee and Laurie Petersen, Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007
WITH A STEADY STREAM OF departures at all levels turning into a flood, Yahoo's co-founder and newest CEO Jerry Yang said "motivating, developing and attracting talent" will be one of his top priorities. In a Silicon Valley awash in venture-funded startups, that may be the toughest challenge.
Despite protestations from the board, speculation is rampant that the company is set to be broken up or merged.
Yang sought to galvanize investors during the press conference announcing his appointment with six words: "I am ready for the challenge."
Yang defined the key challenges that the Web giant continues to grapple with: from an underperforming search monetization platform, to the ever-increasing spate of rivals for its share of user traffic, to the "competition for our talent" that has led to employee attrition. He also laid out a road map for how the company would move forward.
Yang will have a formidable partner to lead Yahoo through its multi-year expansion plan, as former executive vice president Sue Decker now assumes the role of president. In her new role, Decker will continue to build the partnerships that are integral to Yahoo's growth strategy (such as a display advertising deal with Comcast), and will further implement the company's operational reorganization that began last year under Terry Semel, who announced his resignation after the market closed.
Yesterday's announcement ended months of speculation on whether Semel would keep his position as CEO amidst Yahoo's struggles with sub-par earnings forecasts, the loss of senior management personnel, and the relentless industry perception that it's always a step behind Google.
Semel countered those theories indirectly in his public resignation letter and statement, saying: "I've been clear in my desire to take a step back from an executive role, sooner rather than later. I've long been talking to the Board about ensuring a smooth succession--and the need for a leadership team committed to leading Yahoo through its multi-year transformation."
This is the next step for the Search+Community Website behemoth known as Y! - Jerry and Sue are veterans by all standards in running and developing this company and I look forward to them taking Y! from strength to strength..... Here's looking at a stockprice upturn (we're all indirectly involed in this!).
As always - Duane
With Yahoo's Semel Out, Yang Makes People Priority
by Tameka Kee and Laurie Petersen, Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007
WITH A STEADY STREAM OF departures at all levels turning into a flood, Yahoo's co-founder and newest CEO Jerry Yang said "motivating, developing and attracting talent" will be one of his top priorities. In a Silicon Valley awash in venture-funded startups, that may be the toughest challenge.
Despite protestations from the board, speculation is rampant that the company is set to be broken up or merged.
Yang sought to galvanize investors during the press conference announcing his appointment with six words: "I am ready for the challenge."
Yang defined the key challenges that the Web giant continues to grapple with: from an underperforming search monetization platform, to the ever-increasing spate of rivals for its share of user traffic, to the "competition for our talent" that has led to employee attrition. He also laid out a road map for how the company would move forward.
Yang will have a formidable partner to lead Yahoo through its multi-year expansion plan, as former executive vice president Sue Decker now assumes the role of president. In her new role, Decker will continue to build the partnerships that are integral to Yahoo's growth strategy (such as a display advertising deal with Comcast), and will further implement the company's operational reorganization that began last year under Terry Semel, who announced his resignation after the market closed.
Yesterday's announcement ended months of speculation on whether Semel would keep his position as CEO amidst Yahoo's struggles with sub-par earnings forecasts, the loss of senior management personnel, and the relentless industry perception that it's always a step behind Google.
Semel countered those theories indirectly in his public resignation letter and statement, saying: "I've been clear in my desire to take a step back from an executive role, sooner rather than later. I've long been talking to the Board about ensuring a smooth succession--and the need for a leadership team committed to leading Yahoo through its multi-year transformation."
As always - Duane
With Yahoo's Semel Out, Yang Makes People Priority
by Tameka Kee and Laurie Petersen, Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007
WITH A STEADY STREAM OF departures at all levels turning into a flood, Yahoo's co-founder and newest CEO Jerry Yang said "motivating, developing and attracting talent" will be one of his top priorities. In a Silicon Valley awash in venture-funded startups, that may be the toughest challenge.
Despite protestations from the board, speculation is rampant that the company is set to be broken up or merged.
Yang sought to galvanize investors during the press conference announcing his appointment with six words: "I am ready for the challenge."
Yang defined the key challenges that the Web giant continues to grapple with: from an underperforming search monetization platform, to the ever-increasing spate of rivals for its share of user traffic, to the "competition for our talent" that has led to employee attrition. He also laid out a road map for how the company would move forward.
Yang will have a formidable partner to lead Yahoo through its multi-year expansion plan, as former executive vice president Sue Decker now assumes the role of president. In her new role, Decker will continue to build the partnerships that are integral to Yahoo's growth strategy (such as a display advertising deal with Comcast), and will further implement the company's operational reorganization that began last year under Terry Semel, who announced his resignation after the market closed.
Yesterday's announcement ended months of speculation on whether Semel would keep his position as CEO amidst Yahoo's struggles with sub-par earnings forecasts, the loss of senior management personnel, and the relentless industry perception that it's always a step behind Google.
Semel countered those theories indirectly in his public resignation letter and statement, saying: "I've been clear in my desire to take a step back from an executive role, sooner rather than later. I've long been talking to the Board about ensuring a smooth succession--and the need for a leadership team committed to leading Yahoo through its multi-year transformation."
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