‘Agencies Flock to Innovative Companies Consumers Flock to’

My view is that if Yahoo can win over entrepreneurs, it will help drive innovation. If they innovate, that will help win over consumers. You know what agencies flock to? Innovative companies that consumers flock to.
— Jeff Lanctot, chief media officer, Razorfish in “As ‘Tech’ Company, Yahoo Is Giving Ad Agencies A New Look: The Cold Shoulder.” (AdAge)

The age-old dilemma for all Silicon Valley tech companies is whether they’re really media companies. Google went through this debate ad nauseam in its early days. The challenge is these companies are both: They’re tech companies with media business models. Yahoo made the decisive turn to focus on its tech side when it passed over Ross Levinsohn for Marissa Mayer, a virtual unknown to Madison Avenue. Lanctot crystallizes why this tech-company-or-media-company debate is a false one. Ad buyers follow audiences. Yahoo’s relevance depends on that, whether it attracts that audience through hot mobile tech or through great content.

https://digiday.com/?p=35301

More in Marketing

Ad Tech Briefing: Start-ups are now table stakes for the future of ad tech

Scaled ad tech companies need to maintain relationships with startups, when the sector is experiencing ongoing disruption due to AI.

Inside Kristi Argyilan’s RMN playbook: Lessons from the ‘godmother’ of retail media

Uber’s global head of advertising Kristi Argyilan says the future of retail media hinges on real-time relevance, brand differentiation, and breaking free from a one-size-fits-all playbook.

Digiday+ Research: More than half of marketers invest in TV and streaming, with an eye on impressions and branding

The majority of marketers are directing ad spend toward TV, with a focus on ads that drive impressions and branding.