Fortune favours the bold

2023 has reinforced the fact that change is the only constant we can rely on, from consumer habits to advances in technology, regulation changes, macroeconomic headwinds, and the compounding uncertainty we see in global developments. The marketing and advertising industry is so closely woven into the fabric of society, economy, and business that changes are bound to have a ripple effect on how we work.

 

In this whirlwind of uncertainty, businesses are desperately seeking answers to how they can maintain agility, foster flexibility, and adeptly navigate the ever-evolving terrain. This was the focus of the recent Yahoo Newfront event, held across Australia and Southeast Asia, where the Yahoo Advertising team unveiled our bold, forward-focused strategy to support and guide our partners, agencies, and brands as they navigate the complexities to drive growth for their organisations.

 

In a world where millions of brands compete for market share, attention, and consumer dollars, marketers need to create unforgettable ad campaigns, captivating content, and unprecedented audience engagement. 

 

Our mission is clear: we aim to connect people through advertising, harnessing the power of creativity and technology to mould a more vibrant internet for all and a digital advertising industry that sets the gold standard.

 

As the team at Yahoo keeps pushing boundaries to create opportunities for partners and advertisers to really connect, here are some highlights from the Yahoo Newfront.

 

Cut to the chase

 

Many media agencies we’ve spoken to have shared that they are seeking solutions that can help maximise their media spend, reduce media waste, and are demanding for more transparency in pricing, progress, and performance.

 

Supply path optimisation is one of the answers to this. A simplified supply chain means fewer middlemen, less latency, fewer bid requests — and, as a result, fewer carbon emissions. 

 

Investing into the future towards transparency and maximising media spend and ROI for advertisers, we’ve harnessed the trusted publisher relationships that we’ve built over the years with Yahoo’s own portfolio of iconic products to create Yahoo Backstage. This direct-to-publisher offering — recognised in an independent audit by Jounce Media as the largest supply source free of made-for-advertising websites — will simplify the supply chain, create stronger partnerships, and drive more effective media spend.

 

Facing challenges together

 

Industry overhauls have become a norm for marketers. It’s almost an expected cadence where new technology, regulation, or changing consumer habits threaten to make what we know and do obsolete. Yet, each time, we’ve risen to the occasion and worked together as an industry to improve and be better.

 

With data and privacy in constant flux, it’s not any different. Marketers that we’ve worked with have recognised that going solo will only get them so far, and are looking for partnerships that can help them drive sustainable differentiation. They have a first-party data foundation in place, but need more as they seek to connect the dots across the consumer journey.

 

Tapping into Yahoo’s unique position as a publisher and an adtech partner, with a global scale of over 335 million authenticated users and also the technology and solutions to leverage it, we are helping marketers establish their advantage as they future-proof their data-led transformation across addressable and non-addressable environments.

 

And we’re not stopping there. We’re also investing in partnerships that will build an ecosystem that benefits everyone in the industry — publishers, agencies, brands, and technology partners — through data interoperability.

 

Yahoo’s most recent partnership with LiveRamp provides brands greater scale through the Yahoo DSP and our identity solution Yahoo ConnectID, and publishers who have adopted LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) will be able to better monetise their addressable supply as they integrate with Yahoo ConnectID.

 

We’re making it easier for brands to activate their own first-party data across different protocols, standards, formats, and platforms, while ensuring data custodianship and consumer privacy. At the same time, through Yahoo Identity Solutions and its interoperable partners, they will be able to augment campaigns with data, inventory, and technology of external partners to conduct full-funnel, omnichannel campaigns.

 

Championing a better world

 

A free internet is the bedrock of society, and advertising has largely made that possible thus far. As a founding pillar of the internet, Yahoo is committed to building a safer internet for all. That includes prioritising initiatives that foster inclusivity, diversity, and environmental stewardship, with the aim to create a positive impact that extends beyond advertising and contributes to a better world for all.

 

Made-for-advertising sites consume 21% of all programmatic ad impressions, and we’re fighting to solve that with Yahoo Backstage by offering trusted paths to premium web supply — and, as a result, reduce media waste and its environmental impact.

 

Additionally, our global partnership with Good-Loop has created a carbon-neutral private marketplace, allowing advertisers to become more sustainable by minimising the carbon footprint of their digital advertising activities. 

 

We also leverage our core assets — Yahoo’s people and products across editorial, creative and technology — to support community partners and have a positive impact. Most recently, working with Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD) in Australia in support of the MMAD Day, which seeks to get the nation behind the cause that transforms young lives through music.

 

We aren’t afraid of change; in fact, we embrace it. Over almost 30 years, Yahoo has a history of successfully evolving for the needs of the day. That’s why we thrive on supporting and guiding our partners along the journey as we bring together creativity and technology to impact change.