Why is Yahoo losing its seniority against Google? For the last few couple of years, we are continually experiencing the downfall of Yahoo and increasing the popularity and reputation of Google. This is the time when the contrast between the two leading search engines has become too sharp to explore easily.
There are many reasons the experts have described in their reports and articles. But if we summarize them, the main point that came to a surface is: while Google has achieved the leading position through its well-planned brand strategy and management, Yahoo lost its clear vision about the brand purpose and futuristic approach. As the result, there were key brand deficits that lead this former media giant to a deal with the threat of losing its visual identity in many countries.
Confusion vs. clear vision
Google has worked so hard on organizing its information Polaroid and making are easily accessible and valuable. This is actually the brand mission of the company from its beginning and the commitment is still followed by the present staff and management. If you go to Google’s “About” page, you will find the statement in the very front and center. This clear approach has benefitted the search engine in many ways. It often works as the driving force behind the whole set of activities of the Google team.
On the other side, Yahoo has been never clear about their brand mission. This thing is actually missing on their website and statements. The expert often used to comment that Yahoo has the lacks of a definitive and compelling description of their mission, motive and working pattern. In simpler words, the company never tells the users that what it actually does and why.
The presence of sponsored content
From its beginning, Yahoo is working with its problematic mission. As the time passed on, the company failed to grow as a single place for finding the most valuable sites and providing the sites an attractive platform for domain placement. Step by step, the organizational efforts failed to maintain the pace of improvement, development and crafting the alternate enduring strategy for company’s valuable existence.
Though one can argue that it is not highly essential to have a set of well-defined and clearly described a set of mission statements, but can you imagine that any organization can perform well if there is nothing to be said as the clear and motivating sense of purpose. The brand purpose is used as the compass as well as the engine in the leading corporate and industry giants. It drives, aligns and guides the efforts, activities, and morals of the people working in and for them. In this sense, it was a big mistake by the Yahoo administration to not develop a futuristic commitment to a definitive purpose, for which it is paying so harshly.
Google anticipation vs Yahoo reaction
Unfortunately, Yahoo has been performed without a vision since the last whole decade. It is just operated like reacting to the things happening out there. It never took the responsibility or dare to drive some changes and revolutions. Also, the recently launched homepage is just a simple incremental evolution of its previous patterns and an unpleasant effort to copy the well-known features of the other popular sites.
As the other remarkable shortcoming, Yahoo has failed to understand the importance of digital content and its utilization in the promotional strategy. It is the established fact that the richer digital content directly helps in boosting the searches and mail. While the company has only being operated in the reactive mode, it is losing the growth opportunities that could have been easily created.
Now compare this situation with Google; it has been clearly described in the introductory alphabets of Google and its other entities that they believe in making the incremental changes instead of comfortably doing the same things on a same comfortable track. They have further added that is necessary to stay relevant as the technology is driving the revolutionary ideas in many new growth areas.it also can be regarded as the company’s open vision for the potential future.
The company never hesitates to make bold moves, for example, their new launch Jigsaw is detached from its traditional name Google, which was a necessary part of the titles of all their previous launches. It shows the other set of efforts focusing on the mission of empowerment. With it, they freely pursue their aims- “to utilize the technical advancement to deal with the challenging geopolitical circumstances, from handling violent extremism to threatening online censorship concerning with risks of digital attacks. ”
If the Yahoo management has thought about this kind of brand separation, they could prevent the present day situation to arise. The brand separation could have saved this company from the doubts involved with the issues with the e-commerce hotspot Alibaba. Today, when Yahoo is considering about selling its core business for sale, there is a big question mark on the future of the company as well as the vitality and the viability of its various units.
The only reason that Yahoo is finding itself in this critical and confusing situation because it never took seriously the matter of developing the future-oriented brand vision.
Yahoo style vs. Google Substance
In the past, Yahoo ignored the importance of a sound brand purpose and a futuristic brand ambition as a result, it missed miscellaneous opportunities during the time when it changed its logo in the year 2013.
It was very disappointing to see that its new logo design has been just a symbolic update of the previous version and also it was unable to communicate anything about improved substance. A logo needs to be modern, fresh, with the nod of history and the human touch i.e. individuality and pride, not just a pattern or incorporates straight lines. Though the Yahoo management issued the statement that this improved logo was inspired the intention of “new experiences with the re-imagined design”. But it could not be the reality as there was nothing to be said as the new experiences incorporated into with the logo and other substances. It has been just a glimpse of Yahoo’s simple thought about refreshing design and brand personality.
On its quite opposite side, when Google launched its new logo, it was a clear message about the updated and upgraded the functionality of the company. This New logo was sleeker, brighter and animated which was somehow indicating the magical functionality of the brand and the commitment towards better services and launches in the future. If we compare the logo change of both companies, we can regard the Yahoo’s change a self-serving one whereas Google’s clearly customer oriented.
The study of the updated visual identities of Yahoo and Google further illuminate their specific brand purpose and vision. If these qualities are incorporated, the change in the visual identity of a brand serves the meaning and value, unless it is just a cosmetic action.
If a company has its clear mindset about where it is standing and to where it is heading for, it becomes easy to direct its human, physical and monetary resources to the right path for attaining the long-term goals.
In conclusion, if Yahoo had thought about being something more than just working in its safety and comfort zone, it could change today’ online market scenario. If Google is an unbeatable company, definitely it is because of its futuristic vision and determination of the brand purpose, but we cannot deny the failure of Yahoo management to deal with futuristic opportunities.
great article sir…one of the biggest doubt of many people will be cleared after reading your article…
nicely explained.