Yahoo! hunts brand licensees for Answers service

by Gareth Jones, Marketing 12-Dec-06, 08:30

LONDON - Yahoo! will look to tie up with major UK brands next year to develop white-label versions of its recently launched social-search engine, Yahoo! Answers.

It intends to capitalise on the success of the service, which allows users to ask other people's advice, rather than rely on electronically generated results.

The white-label strategy is still in its early stages, but Yahoo! is considering licensing its social- search offering to internet service providers and mobile network operators that run call centres.

Partnerships could see firms pay to feature Yahoo! Answers on their website or use the service as an alternative means of providing customer support.

Stephen Taylor, Yahoo!'s European regional vice-president and managing director of search, said the company is continuously exploring innovative ways of creating profit from the social- search engine.

Yahoo! recently secured Sainsbury's and Thomson as the first brand sponsors of its Yahoo! Answers service.

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