MEDIA-I: Yahoo in scramble to polish bruised image

<p>Online corporate giant Yahoo is trying to clean up its image and be </p><p>a "good corporate citizen" after being criticised by internet users for </p><p>running forums for racist groups and selling pornography online. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The portal is now offering millions of free ads, running into millions </p><p>of dollars, to charitable causes in an effort to appease consumers and </p><p>save its brand from being thrashed in the media. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company has already allotted 120 million anti-hate ads worth </p><p>USdollars 3 million to be featured online for anti-hate groups over a </p><p>three-year period. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The portal, which earlier banned Nazi items from its auctions, confirmed </p><p>it has been offering adult material under pressure to generate needed </p><p>revenue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It first defended its sale of pornographic material, but announced </p><p>shortly afterwards it would remove all porn from its shopping auction </p><p>channels in the US and would reject requests for related advertising </p><p>after drawing harsh criticism from internet users worldwide. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, the company could not confirm if porn would still be available </p><p>at its websites in Asia and countries outside the US. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yahoo marketing manger for Asia, Pauline Wong, said: "In Asia, Yahoo </p><p>strives to honour the laws and values of its host country and is taking </p><p>extra measures to make adult products available only to age-appropriate </p><p>audiences. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We are always looking at ways to improve our service, and we will </p><p>continue to listen to our users and evaluate our policies in Asia." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The free ads will target racial tolerance, the environment, AIDS, </p><p>disaster relief and equal opportunity in access to technology, according </p><p>to a Yahoo statement. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yahoo's vice-president of brand marketing, Murray Gaylord, said the </p><p>initiative is "part of being a good corporate citizen". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The negative publicity associated with the porn sales and racial groups </p><p>on Yahoo has left the portal reconsidering its branding strategy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yahoo had also reported a first-quarter net loss and announced it would </p><p>slash staff numbers by 12 per cent as part of its plan to ensure it has </p><p>"the operating and financial flexibility to deliver long-term </p><p>value". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company laid off 3,510 employees, sending a warning to other portals </p><p>that even an internet media giant like Yahoo cannot escape the effects </p><p>of declining advertising revenues. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Wong added, "We're still finding out how the layoffs will affect the </p><p>Asian Yahoo staff. It's a busy and crucial time for us as we are trying </p><p>to sort out how these various happenings in the US translate to </p><p>Asia." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While Yahoo brands itself as being all things to all internet users, the </p><p>portal must now change its strategy and pull back on some of its </p><p>non-strategic business areas to save costs as it struggles, along with </p><p>other portals worldwide, with a softening online ad market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>