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...strategy, would debut Feb. 5, refining how the company sells ad space. The system gives advertisers more control over their ad campaigns, letting them freely change keywords or ad strategies to adapt to what's working. It also enables Yahoo! to highlight ads relevant to a user's search rather than ordering them simply according to who paid more. Because search advertising accounts for nearly 50% of Yahoo!'s revenue, Panama is critical to its growth...
...Panama an undertaking as big as any product launch ever. But there was a price to pay for the delay. "A lot of people [at Yahoo!] feel abused by the outside world and its perception of the company," says Ellen Siminoff, one of Yahoo!'s founding executives, who heads search-advertising agency Efficient Frontier. "They have missed a few quarters this year, they have lowered expectations, they were late in delivering Panama, and so they're in the penalty box with Wall Street...
...taming of Yahoo!'s many-headed beast echoes the task Semel took on after arriving in 2001. He trimmed the 44 business units to four, and the company rededicated itself to search by developing a new engine and buying Overture, which pioneered search ads. Yahoo!'s stock price nearly tripled in Semel's first three years, but its search tools still trailed Google...
Advertisers are increasingly eager to focus campaigns around search ads. Panama gives them a new, cleanly designed online spot where they can plan, track and change ad campaigns in progress. It may help improve Yahoo!'s return on investment in that arena because it gives advertisers more leeway in targeting specific geographic areas. A pizza-shop owner can pinpoint his pitch to local diners who search for pepperoni, for instance. "Geo-targeting is huge," says Neisser. The company is also adding a mobile search tool that will eventually extend Panama's reach to cell phones. The new services should help...
Panama may not be Semel's last bullet. Analysts have suggested Yahoo! could benefit from merging with AOL, a division of Time Warner (TIME's parent), or a linkup with Microsoft, which lags in search. Either deal would help Yahoo! take on Google more aggressively. One thing that won't change: the quirky Yahoo! culture. Early on, founders Jerry Yang and David Filo set up a free cappuccino bar for employees and have followed up with annual company-wide gifts, ranging from MP3 players to sleeping bags. Google has topped the coffee bar with free meals and a host...