Yahoo has set up an Asia-Pacific sales team in a bid to restore its regional structure.
The internet portal dropped its regional offering in 2001 following the dotcom bust. However, according to Ivy Wong, newly-appointed regional media sales team director, the portal has seen renewed interest in regional online campaigns, particularly from global brands and Japanese labels seeking to raise their profile on the international stage.
"The web business is growing fast, but there are different policies and guidelines for different markets, so we haven't been able to handle regional campaigns. The growth we are seeing is particularly in branded advertising and search marketing," said Wong. "We have had interest from brands such as L'Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic, as well as from GE and General Motors in the US. This structure will allow us to offer a central marketing strategy."
Yahoo's regional media sales division and sales operation team, which will work with the US for systems updates, will be based in Hong Kong. "We will take it slowly and will look to move the entire operation in the same direction," noted Wong.
