Thoughts on Why Yahoo! Doesn't Generate a Buzz as Google Does

Why a Beta product from Yahoo! doesn't generate a buzz as Google does?

An example:

Google introduced My Search History and the blogosphere and cyberspace was abuzz with it.
Yahoo! introduced My Web (Beta) and people came to know, but it didn't generate a buzz.

This is from a Yahoo! user's and not an investment banker's or a research analyst's point-of-view.

Cool Factor
I think it's because of the cool factor.
People think of Google as a cool, great, fun, easy going, fantastic place to work. Google projects itself as a Do No Evil, cool, vibrant, and colorful company. Yahoo! needs to rejuvenate its consumer marketing efforts. For example, Yahoo!'s web page that sells apparel and outdoor gear, Yahoo! Gear, still has a 2004 look to it and is going to be updated in 2005. When? Now, check Google Store. See the difference. Google reaches out to its audience. Yahoo! should promote themselves as a cool company.
We are Yahoo! and this is what we do, and introduce some contests etc.

Promote the Yahoo! brand
Yahoo! is a sponsor of the Bangalore International Marathon to be held on the 15th of May. They can distribute free T-Shirts and caps with the red and purple Yahoo! logos to everyone who registers through their site. They can also give prizes to people who complete the run and have special offers for techies who take part in the competition. Yahoo! can promote other activities in Bangalore, Sunnyvale, and offices around the world. Say, a Yahoo! week full of contests, games, and fun offers for users.

Yahoo! needs to make people feel its buzz.
Something different from what they've been doing. First thing, get the cool quotient to rise. They have a great punchline - "Do you Yahoo? I do." They can play around with this and make their marketing campaigns around the brand Yahoo!

Let me write a sample copy for a Yahoo! ad.

If you want to remember one site for everything on the Internet and forget the rest. What will it be? One site that provides everything you need.

Do you Yahoo!?

- Send email, Find info, Read news, Share photos, Shop for gifts, Buy appliances, Send greetings, Read movie reviews, Listen to music, Chat with friends, Play games, Follow sports, Write blogs, Get the latest in Entertainment, Download wallpapers, Get local, Get more clicks for your Ads, Get a date, Make friends, Upload your own Web site, Connect to your cellphone, Keep updated, all this and much more, with a only a few clicks on any Yahoo! page.

So do you have a reason to remember any other site?
Whatever it is, get it from Yahoo!
Do you Yahoo!? I do!

Had these thoughts after checking news stories on Google and Yahoo personal searches and posted this. 1160 results for Yahoo My Web and 3340 results for Google My Search History on Google News.

Update:
Yahoo! rebrands Overture as Yahoo! Search Marketing for US markets and also has a Yahoo! Search Marketing Contest. The international editions of Overture will be rebranded later on.

Technorati Tags: Yahoo, Google, and Search

Comments section for the benefit of those who read this blog in RSS Aggregators.

Hi Jatin-

Thanks for the your comment.

Yahoo! did advertise their Beta News launch and Contextual Search, however as you noted, few people outside the Search and allied industries noted it.

Yahoo! needs to make the world feel that each product it launches has the potential to change the way people use the Internet to their advantage.

Yahoo!'s Contextual Search, Y!Q is a fantastic feature and will play a major role in Yahoo!'s advertising plans based on contextual searching. You can also embed Y!Q in your Web site and make each page/post offer a contextual search option.
I've been using it on my blog for over a month and I've also written posts about it and conducted trial searches with it.

Yahoo!'s News page (Beta) has got a good makeover. Their Buzz Log shows the latest trends in Web searching and gives an overview of what the world is searching for on Yahoo, a Zeitgeist of our times. It is comprehensive, exhaustive, informative, and updated daily.

Yahoo! has the steam and it is picking speed. Good luck to Yahoo!

Google as a company has always kept a step ahead of its competition. Yahoo! is a strong competitor in Desktop Search and Internet Advertising. It will be interesting to see when Yahoo! launches its Contextual Advertising Service.

Learn more about Y!Q search on http://yq.search.yahoo.com/

Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Good luck.

Cheers
Chirayu

Jatin's points:
- Why didn't Yahoo! advertise their Contextual Search and Beta News features?
- Yahoo! needs to compete with Google in Search and PR activities.
- Yahoo!'s Contextual Search is good and adds value to surfing. (Yes, it does)
- Yahoo!'s My Web has more features than Google. (Yes, it is more than Beta)