Yahoo! launches offline analytics service

The Internet firm has partnered with analytics firm Marketing Management Analytics to offer the service, which builds on an existing MMA model to include data from Yahoo! showing users’ exposure to online graphical and search advertising.

This service is designed to enhance the accountability of online marketing return on investment (ROI), and help marketers deploy a best practice solution for budget allocations across all media.

This new model provides a focused assessment of online programs on Yahoo!, measured next to programs on other media, and gives insights and recommendations to marketers on both online and offline marketing spend.

Marketers can choose to provide MMA with data from other online sites, including direct marketing campaigns and Web site data, to get a broader view of their total marketing programs.

John Nardone, MMA chief client officer, said: “In many ways, online marketing can be more accountable than many offline marketing tactics, but there is still a real need to understand the total sales impact of online and offline programs on a common ROI basis so that optimal budget allocations can be made.

“Clients are shifting more and more of their total spend online, and need to move beyond measurement of clicks and page views to understand what is really working to drive sales.”  

Yahoo has not confirmed its plans to introduce the service to its other international domains.  However, Blake Chandlee, Yahoo! UK commercial director, hinted that a similar service could launch in the UK in the future.

" This is a great development in the US market and at Yahoo! UK we anticipate being able to bring the benefits of similar research to UK Marketers in the next year,” Chandlee added.