Google, Microsoft and Yahoo unite: Brotherly love?

Arch rivals Google, Microsoft and Yahoo will be battling for mind share of decision makers at print and electronic Yellow Pages, classified newspapers, local media, shopping, search, directory marketing and local SEMs, this week in Philadelphia.The highly coveted, but highly fragmented, $31 billion global local search and online classified advertising (by 2010, according to Kelsey Group forecasts) market opportunity is the prize and the City of Brotherly Love is the backdrop. 

Kelsey Group gatherings are among my favorites on the conference circuit. This year’s three day Interactive Local Media event will mark my fifth Kelsey conference (once as a speaker!). Both the content and the participants are focused and actionable information is the goal.

Executives from Google, Microsoft and Yahoo will take the stage together to debate “The State of the Local Search Experience”: 

Innovation and product development in the local search marketplace have reached a frenetic pace. Anticipating the needs and behavioral changes of the connected user and building advertising models consistent with those needs are daunting tasks.

 

Other conference highlights:

 

Dan Rubinstein keynote, SME Business Platforms, Google, Director of Google’s Small Business product initiatives, including the integration of Google tools into Intuit’s Quickbooks. 

Cityguides and Standalone Local Products: Where Are They Now?

Cityguides and IYPs have been around for nearly a decade, and millions of dollars have been bet on their success. How can standalone local products play a substantive role in the local media market in the face of increasing competition. 

Newspapers and the Internet Marketplace

Traditional classified advertising has been taking shots from vertical and horizontal Internet sites seeking to siphon off user traffic and ultimately ad share. The major newspaper companies are responding aggressively as their offline circulation declines; Hurdles and opportunities facing traditional and new media players. 

STAY TUNED FOR ALL THE LOCAL ACTION FROM PHILADELPHIA!