Yahoo! Opens Access to Search Marketing Platform APIs

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Dedicated third-party partner services and free, open access to Yahoo!'s "Panama" advertising platform technology will drive further growth and innovation in digital advertising

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 4, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet company, today announced the Yahoo! Search Marketing Commercial API Program, which provides businesses and developers of all sizes free, open access to the "Panama" search marketing application program interfaces (APIs). Through this program, advertisers, developers and commercial partners including ad agencies and technology providers can easily build upon Yahoo!'s core search marketing technologies to enhance their existing business offerings or create brand new search marketing tools and applications. In addition, the program provides a range of value-added services to help commercial partners gain greater insight into Yahoo!'s search marketing product roadmap and fully leverage Yahoo! Search Marketing's APIs for their clients.
"Yahoo! is dedicated to driving third-party innovation and success because we know it is vital to the future growth of the online advertising industry," said Susan Decker, head of Yahoo!'s Advertiser & Publisher Group. "By providing open access to our technology, we are making a clear investment in our advertising partners, creating new opportunities for developers, and taking a key step toward achieving our vision to build the industry's leading advertising and publishing ecosystem."
The program provides free access to Yahoo! Search Marketing's robust and scalable APIs, and offers growing businesses optional fee-based services to accommodate their wide ranging needs. These services can be customized to include significant technical support, product roadmap visibility and co-marketing services to provide open, reliable partnership support to companies creating and selling commercial advertising applications.
The program provides three levels of commercial partnership, including:

-- Basic - Designed for small advertising agencies and early stage
technology companies. Provides free access to the Panama platform and
technical support, and leverages the Yahoo! commercial brand to develop
and launch applications in the market.
-- Advanced - Designed for fast growing technology companies and mid-size
advertising agencies. Provides access to the Panama platform, dedicated
technical account management support, service level commitments and
listing in partner application directory.
-- Elite - Designed for leading technology companies and large advertising
agencies. Enables these partners to leverage the Panama platform,
resources and brand via regular business review, product council,
roadmap coordination and joint marketing activities. Early participants
in the Elite tier include Efficient Frontier, Omniture, SearchIgnite
and The Search Agency.

"We are excited to be an Elite partner under Yahoo! Search Marketing's Commercial API Program. This new program offers mission-critical service and support levels as well as product roadmap insight that will allow us to deliver greater value to our clients," said John Mellor, senior vice president of business development and corporate strategy for Omniture, a leading provider of online business optimization software. "We are especially pleased with Yahoo!'s open and customized approach to working with third-party partners, and we're looking forward to working closely with them to build on their APIs and create new offerings."
"Yahoo! Search Marketing's Commercial API Program will provide us with the expert guidance, support and commitments we need to effectively grow our business," said Ellen Siminoff, president and chief executive office of Efficient Frontier, a leading search engine marketing company. "Additionally, Yahoo!'s commitment to grow the online advertising industry and provide open API access for everyone makes them a leading partner for companies like ours."
Yahoo! Search Marketing's Commercial API Program is immediately available to agencies, technology providers, search engine marketing firms and developers through the Yahoo! account management team or by visiting: http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/api.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!'s mission is to connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world's knowledge. Yahoo! Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
SOURCE Yahoo! Inc.
Heather Meeker of Yahoo! Inc., +1-714-580-7761, hmeeker@yahoo-inc.com
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