Yahoo may not be the force it once was in the search-engine world, but the struggling company isn't giving up. Yahoo announced plans to acquire an advertising and technology solutions firm that it hopes will help it compete against its rivals, namely Google and Facebook, on the display advertising front.
Yahoo is buying Interclick for $270 million. Interclick boasts proprietary solutions that improve data-targeted solutions and optimize returns for advertisers across pooled premium supply sources.
"This investment underscores our focus on enhancing the performance of both our guaranteed and non-guaranteed display business across Yahoo and our partner sites," said Ross Levinsohn, executive vice president of the Americas region.
Beefing Up Display Ad Intel
Levinsohn specifically mentioned the Interclick platform's ability to expand Yahoo's targeting and data capabilities to deliver campaigns with stronger performance metrics. Interclick has made a name for itself with its data valuation platform, which is optimized to work with large data volumes across multiple providers and marketplaces.
Once the acquisition is complete, Yahoo will be able to offer marketers tools that help them navigate the complex data online ecosystem. Interclick tools like Open Segment Manager and its Genome Platform were built to address the fundamental challenges of audience targeting by taking a more holistic understanding of consumers through its deep integrations with leading data providers.
But Yahoo gets more than technology in the Interclick deal. The search-engine company also gets new premium supply and a team experienced in selling audiences across disparate sources of pooled supply. It also gets an infusion of revenue. Interclick generated about $53 million of revenue in the first half of 2011.
But will it help Yahoo stave off the competition in the display advertising space? "Amid the chaos surrounding Yahoo and its future," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, "the new acquisition will help bolster Yahoo's premium display business, which is under intensifying pressure from Google and Facebook."
Post-Bartz Focus
The Interclick acquisition is the first since Yahoo fired its last CEO, Carol Bartz, in September. Bartz's departure came amid a leadership reorganization. Timothy Morse, the company's CFO, is holding the CEO reins while the board of directors searches for a permanent replacement.
Rumors abounded after Bartz was fired that Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL would join forces to compete against Google on the display advertising front. Analysts at the time said an alliance to sell display ads made a lot of sense and represented the best chance the three had to go on the offensive against Google. Considering the Bing-Yahoo search alliance, the Interclick acquisition could signal the next move.
"The alternative is to do nothing and watch Google continue to run away with the coveted prize of online advertising revenue, which will also fuel Google's ability to compete and win in other market segments," said Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC. "It now remains to be seen whether the Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL triumvirate can successfully blunt Google's momentum and steal business."
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