• by Masha Geller , August 5, 2003

Yahoo! has severed ties with Havas-owned Black Rocket, part of Euro RSCG Worldwide, and has appointed Soho Square, a WPP company, to lead U.S. brand advertising for the company. The assignment includes strategic planning, integrated online and offline advertising campaigns, and media planning and buying responsibilities for the overall Yahoo! brand and select properties in the United States.

"Yahoo!'s business has grown and evolved significantly in the past several years and similarly the needs of Yahoo!'s brand have changed as well. Yahoo!'s brand position and key attributes which drive the brand -- innovative, fun and trustworthy -- remain steadfast and a strong base of core assets on which to build," said Cammie Dunaway, chief marketing officer, Yahoo!. "WPP and its group of companies have a longstanding history of creative and strategic leadership in the industry, and we expect their holistic approach to brand advertising and service to drive tremendous value and benefits for Yahoo! over the long-term."

Soho Square, a new WPP unit, will provide Yahoo!'s broad and growing business with extensive resources from WPP's more than 90 businesses. Soho Square will tap into appropriate disciplines from across the company's global group in order to provide specialized service for Yahoo!. Soho Square and the WPP Group of companies will bring to Yahoo! a wide-ranging set of expertise, including extensive media capabilities and leading creative and strategic planning resources.

About the previous agency, Dunaway said, "Black Rocket has played a principal role over the last nine years in helping to develop and shape Yahoo!'s unique brand definition. We will always strongly value the tenure of our relationship and the contributions that both Black Rocket and Euro RSCG have made to the Yahoo! brand."

Yahoo! maintains relationships with additional agencies for a variety of projects, initiatives and global locations.