By: Doug Caverly - Tue, 10/14/2008 - 3:08pm.

Radio and display ads start today

Yahoo has made a great deal of money thanks to the fact that marketers believe ads can influence consumers' behavior. Now, with the launch of a new ad campaign, the search company seems to be hoping that the same principle can help it win back some market share.

Yahoo will be spreading display ads and radio blurbs far and wide, according to a post on the Yahoo Search Blog. Of the two examples given, one puts an emphasis on safety and McAfee-provided protection. The other tosses a slight insult at Google ("Don't get lost in all the links"), and mentions Yahoo's "smart suggestions" and "related concepts."

We've got to give the ads a rather mediocre score overall. Neither really highlights any amazing abilities, and in terms of entertainment, Ask's Fat Pat bits (and even Microsoft's clips with Jerry Seinfeld) were better.

Still, Raj Gossain, Yahoo Search's vice president of marketing, wrote, "We're launching an integrated, nationwide, on and offline marketing campaign to remind the rest of the world (or at least everyone in the United States) that it's time to give Yahoo! Search a try." And the campaign will at least call attention to his company.

So keep your eyes and ears open. We'd love to know what you think of the ads and how far they spread.

Source: www.WebProNews.com