Yahoo! plots major rebrand to boost its global standing
Overhaul thought to be the reason for delay in unveiling new homepage.
Yahoo! has confirmed it is working on several initiatives “to unleash [the] incredible power globally” of its brand, following reports it is working on a major brand overhaul.
The recently appointed chief marketing officer, Elisa Steele, is spearheading the rebrand, according to reports, amid speculation that the overhaul could have been the reason why the January unveiling of the new homepage was delayed.
The front page relaunch was put on hold soon after chief executive Carol Bartz took over the top job at the internet company at the start of the year.
Steele was appointed by Bartz in March as part of a wider company restructure.
A spokesman says: “”The Yahoo! brand is one of our most valuable and strategic assets and we are working on several initiatives to unleash its incredible power globally.”
The news comes as Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer reignited speculation of a possible partnership with Yahoo! In a speech at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival last week, he refused to rule out that he was interested in a search partnership with the second-biggest search engine.
Microsoft recently launched Bing, a search engine rival to Yahoo! and Google.
