Is the number radio-listening population in the U.S. that significant for Yahoo to consider running (or airing) ads on radio programs to promote its search engine? Elinor Mills of News Blog is reporting that Yahoo has started running ads in the San Francisco Bay Area that runs something like this:
“Search engines like Google get you lost in all the links, but not Yahoo search.”
The Yahoo radio ads were also selling key points of its search engine such as drop-down menus and search assist. And you the ending statement of the radio ads is simply classic – “You won’t find that on your Google page.”
Raj Gossain, vice president of marketing for the Yahoo Search team said that Yahoo finds it difficult user habits and preference in making Google Search their default search engine. But they are confident that through information campaign running on radio programs, Yahoo might actually get some search engine converts in the long run.
The radio ads will “introduce Yahoo search to folks who perhaps haven’t tried us in awhile, We’ve got capabilities in our search experience that the competition doesn’t have, said Gossain.
Ok, I stop from giggling now. Really? The Yahoo Search Team actually thinks that those radio ads will make some loyal users of Google to start using Yahoo Search? Well, good if it does. But it does not, I think the money spent on those radio ads could have been used for other better purposes.
But still, there’s nothing wrong with trying something new. Let’s see in the results of the monthly search statistics in the coming months if Yahoo Search would register significant increase in usage.
