STEVEN PHILIP WARNER, post his interactions with industry experts, does a reality check…
“It was not something that we realised when we suddenly woke up in the morning. The Yahoo! team had been at it for over 9 months now and it was a pure collaborative effort, led by our CEO Carol Bartz,” began Nitin Mathur, Director - Marketing, Yahoo! India. So what is he really referring to here? Yahoo’s latest “It’s Y!ou” rebranding campaign that was rolled out on October 5, 2009, in India after its launch in US a week prior to that. So while many online Yahoo fans are pleased with the repainting of the Yahoo! brand with some new and fresh third-party applications, the question that remains to be answered is – will this $100 million-worth global plan help save this brand which many critics now even call debilitated and anemic? One such individual is Richard L. Ptak, a noted Silicon Valley-based analyst, who opines, “I can’t think of any successful re-branding efforts to date when it comes to online services. Die-hard Yahoo! aficionados may go to the site and spend time trying to figure out the benefits. But simply revising the graphics and an unfocussed message is not going to drive people to its site. Marketing is definitely important to gain attention but you need to be able to demonstrate a clear differentiation from the competition. Yahoo! looks the same as any of their competitors on the web. When you go to their site, it’s still the same old Yahoo!” Well, we certainly do not agree with Ptak here, for Yahoo! has brought in more than just a simple change in graphics. “It is more like understanding the rebranding efforts with the change in content and innovation in other offerings as the real backdrop,” states Mathur.
Then there are others who agree that Yahoo! is doing much more than simply being a navel-gazing narcissist! One Jagdeep Kapoor, a noted brand analyst, positively propounds a three-advantage theory, “First, is that it would rejuvenate the Yahoo! brand and make it more vibrant. Secondly, the ‘Y!ou’ part is significant, which attempts to connect with the consumers old and new on an individual level. Thirdly, the media spend and visibility will also bring Yahoo! will bring into the consideration set for potential consumers...” Considered that an optimistic Kapoor talks about the increased visibility for Yahoo!, but how often do you see a Gmail or Google search advertisement on print? Or for that matter, even Microsoft, which is sitting on about $49 billion of cash reserves, bothers least about highlighting its ‘newly’ launched Bing search engine brand, in newspapers or magazines, globally! But as media gurus around the world shunned the need for online giants to advertise on print media, Yahoo! sprung a surprise. It was Yahoo! and its new found vigour for re-branding that were splashed across front pages of six leading national dailies in India on October 5, 2009. And this is actually some indication from the online service giant that it is waking-up to the call of the wild online world. As far as India is concerned, this is all set to become the latest 360-degree re-branding effort by the giant, spanning vehicles like print, social media, TV, radio, cellular services and online (which of course will remain the main vehicle during the months to come, as the ads are planned to hit your temples till the end of 2010)! “We’ve had the Yoodle campaign in Mumbai, which generated a lot of interest amongst youngsters, and this campaign will continue for the next 16-18 months, till the end of 2010,” adds Mathur. Yahoo! is also looking at many below-the-line campaigns, the next one of which will be centred around the cyber-cafes. It is interesting that despite being a global player, Yahoo! is showing a special interest in the Indian market. Talking about the same, Ptak avers, “Given the attention to India-specific images in the generic intro video, I would expect that Yahoo! would have ads targeted on and highlighting India-specific interests, concerns and events. Yahoo! will regionalise & make it easier to get more local content and make the information offered more local.”
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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“It was not something that we realised when we suddenly woke up in the morning. The Yahoo! team had been at it for over 9 months now and it was a pure collaborative effort, led by our CEO Carol Bartz,” began Nitin Mathur, Director - Marketing, Yahoo! India. So what is he really referring to here? Yahoo’s latest “It’s Y!ou” rebranding campaign that was rolled out on October 5, 2009, in India after its launch in US a week prior to that. So while many online Yahoo fans are pleased with the repainting of the Yahoo! brand with some new and fresh third-party applications, the question that remains to be answered is – will this $100 million-worth global plan help save this brand which many critics now even call debilitated and anemic? One such individual is Richard L. Ptak, a noted Silicon Valley-based analyst, who opines, “I can’t think of any successful re-branding efforts to date when it comes to online services. Die-hard Yahoo! aficionados may go to the site and spend time trying to figure out the benefits. But simply revising the graphics and an unfocussed message is not going to drive people to its site. Marketing is definitely important to gain attention but you need to be able to demonstrate a clear differentiation from the competition. Yahoo! looks the same as any of their competitors on the web. When you go to their site, it’s still the same old Yahoo!” Well, we certainly do not agree with Ptak here, for Yahoo! has brought in more than just a simple change in graphics. “It is more like understanding the rebranding efforts with the change in content and innovation in other offerings as the real backdrop,” states Mathur.
Then there are others who agree that Yahoo! is doing much more than simply being a navel-gazing narcissist! One Jagdeep Kapoor, a noted brand analyst, positively propounds a three-advantage theory, “First, is that it would rejuvenate the Yahoo! brand and make it more vibrant. Secondly, the ‘Y!ou’ part is significant, which attempts to connect with the consumers old and new on an individual level. Thirdly, the media spend and visibility will also bring Yahoo! will bring into the consideration set for potential consumers...” Considered that an optimistic Kapoor talks about the increased visibility for Yahoo!, but how often do you see a Gmail or Google search advertisement on print? Or for that matter, even Microsoft, which is sitting on about $49 billion of cash reserves, bothers least about highlighting its ‘newly’ launched Bing search engine brand, in newspapers or magazines, globally! But as media gurus around the world shunned the need for online giants to advertise on print media, Yahoo! sprung a surprise. It was Yahoo! and its new found vigour for re-branding that were splashed across front pages of six leading national dailies in India on October 5, 2009. And this is actually some indication from the online service giant that it is waking-up to the call of the wild online world. As far as India is concerned, this is all set to become the latest 360-degree re-branding effort by the giant, spanning vehicles like print, social media, TV, radio, cellular services and online (which of course will remain the main vehicle during the months to come, as the ads are planned to hit your temples till the end of 2010)! “We’ve had the Yoodle campaign in Mumbai, which generated a lot of interest amongst youngsters, and this campaign will continue for the next 16-18 months, till the end of 2010,” adds Mathur. Yahoo! is also looking at many below-the-line campaigns, the next one of which will be centred around the cyber-cafes. It is interesting that despite being a global player, Yahoo! is showing a special interest in the Indian market. Talking about the same, Ptak avers, “Given the attention to India-specific images in the generic intro video, I would expect that Yahoo! would have ads targeted on and highlighting India-specific interests, concerns and events. Yahoo! will regionalise & make it easier to get more local content and make the information offered more local.”
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here
Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN
IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri
