Search Yahoo News for the term [advertising recession], and you’ll see about 1,200 results. But things could be worse, as another arm of the company is seeking to address the problem with some upgrades to its Content Match advertising product.
Don’t look for a host of press releases or a lot of hoopla; you shouldn’t even mark a specific date on your calendar. It seems that Yahoo’s been making changes for several months, and several advertisers have already seen improvements.
A post on the Yahoo Search Marketing Blog explains, “The new technology not only attempts to understand what the content is on a page, but also, who is viewing it, which helps you get your ad in front of the right customer. Content Match now combines a better understanding of web page and ad content with insights from users’ geographic and behavioral profiles. This combination can lead to more relevant clicks.”
Bankrate.com’s director of interactive marketing seems to agree. “Yahoo!’s Content Match Network refocus on quality and relevancy has improved the delivery of the right message to the right person at the right time,” Rafael Zorilla stated. And yes, this is the same Bankrate that recently saw fit to buy a blog for $15 million, so Yahoo’s winning over companies of some importance.
Higher click-through rates are a big lure. It wouldn’t be surprising if these developments cause more than a few other businesses to give Content Match a shot.