Yahoo!’s New Ad Platform “Panama” Delayed

From ClickZ, Yahoo is delaying the launch of its revamped ad system after previously stating that it would be launched sometime during the third quarter. Now they are shooting for the fourth quarter. Yahoo blames the delay on previously unforeseen complications in the quality control and testing process.

“We wanted to make sure that we got it right,” said COO Dan Rosenzweig, noting that the company plans to perform “over 20,000 different tests.” He added, “We’d rather take the extra time to make sure that we do it right rather than rush it for a quarter.”

What are some of the changes that advertisers can expect? Yahoo promises keyword grouping enhancements, IP-based mapping features to support geo-targeting, better scheduling capabilities and the expression of business goals such as cost-per-acquisition, and indirect conversion tracking. They also plan to move to a Google-like quality-based ranking model as part of the switch. In the meantime, advertisers are left with a very outdated and poorly functioning system. I for one would gladly give up on Yahoo Sponsored Search until their new system is unveiled except for the fact that one cannot ignore their reach. And so we wait.