Yahoo is the master of pimping out local Newspaper and directory reps. Remember the local Newspaper Consortium deal they consummated with Publishers a few years back? Ya know…. where local reps do all the selling, then hand over 60% of deal to Yahoo? To make matters worse, that sale was usually to a current print client. Sweet. So let me get this straight: the local business gets turned on to the wonders of Yahoo, courtesy of the local Newspaper? Even if the local property gets to sell much more inventory and a behavioral targeting platform, the long term effects of this deal are not good.
Well, the puppet master is back at it….
As it seeks to reach out local marketers, Yahoo is partnering with companies like Valassis, which provides direct mail services to many telco companies. Yahoo believes it will open the door to moving more of that money online.
The partnership with a direct mail company also represents an evolution of the model behind the Yahoo Newspaper Consortium. As newspapers opened a lot of doors to Yahoo across local ad markets, the same is true of direct mail providers like Valassis. Also, in much the same way that Yahoo has provided ad sales training to newspapers through the Consortium, the company will also work with direct marketers to expand the digital possibilities there as well.
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