SEO Blog

Reading through the Technology section of the online New York Times this morning, I was confronted with a question that reminded me why there is a thin edge of hope for Yahoo!. The question itself was very basic, requiring a simple Yes or No answer. The implications of asking me this question, especially this morning, shows the potential depth of one of Yahoo!’s greatest assets.

The question, which is probably meaningless to anyone living in the United States, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and even most of Canada, involves the fate of a brand-character for a regional beer brewed and sold in British Columbia. Just above the article content, a banner ad asks, “Should the Kokanee Ranger Live or Die?“  Believe it or not, it is a rather important query ringing in the ears out here.

So here I am, sitting at the southern tip of a rather large but isolated island on the far-west coast of North America reading news published on a far less isolated island on the far-east coast of North America and I get confronted with a banner ad promoting a regional beer that has absolutely nothing to do with New York. Neat eh?

Well, it’s mostly neat but not entirely magical. By monitoring my IP address, the display advertising distribution company serving the New York Times selected an advertisement from its inventory that would likely match my desires or needs as a male Canadian consumer on the west coast. Canadians are known to enjoy their beer and British Columbians are known to drink pint after pint of that particular regional beer. Chances are I might be interested in that kind of beer as well, especially as I get a voting stake in the life-cycle of the Ranger, a beloved but bumbling character who protects BC’s beer supply from the ever-thirsty Sasquatch. (I kinda like the guy so I voted for his survival).

Speaking of survival, the advertisement serves as a reminder that Yahoo! has a far larger advertising footprint online than the simple PPC ads we associate with the enormous profits Google has enjoyed over the years. Yahoo! remains the dominant player in the display advertising market, even after Google’s acquisition of display ad-giant DoubleClick.

I would have liked to conclude this post noting the BC-based ad I saw this morning was served by Yahoo!. Unfortunately I can’t. The New York Times uses Google’s DoubleClick for its display advertising needs. Nevertheless, it is good to be reminded of such things. Yahoo!, while damaged and somewhat degraded after the three month Microsoft debacle is NOT down-and-out.