Yahoo to put adverts in PDF files

What's this all about?

[bouncybunny]

I'm trying to make head or tail of this story.

[news.bbc.co.uk...]

Where are these PDFs located? Are they online content, or downloadable?

[engine]

The Adobe service allows publishers to generate revenue by including text-based ads linked to the content of an Adobe PDF (portable document format) page in a separate side panel.

The free service requires no special software and is open to U.S. publishers of English-language content, initially.

Publishers who join Yahoo's online advertising network get access to the Web company's extensive network of advertisers.

The PDF publishers' document will show text-based ads in a side panel when a viewer opens the pdf.

Adobe Adds Yahoo Ads To Public PDF Test [reuters.com]

[advision.webevents.yahoo.com...]

[farmboy]

...allows publishers to generate revenue by including text-based ads ...

I think they mean, "...allows publishers to try to generate revenue by including irrelevant text-based ads...

FarmBoy

[ecmedia]

Yahoo is desperately trying everything and anything but it ain't working.

[engine]

This is an innovative idea, and I can't wait to try it. At that stage i'll be in a position to provide an objective opinion.

[Jon_King]

I consider Yahoo and Google search about the same in quality. The reason G IS the market is their marketing effort. With that said, Y is a big yawn as far as their marketing effort goes.

To me, this shows Y is starting to get it. Ads in PDFs are just another form of search. Yahoo listen up, your business is search - use it.

[edited by: Jon_King at 8:54 pm (utc) on Nov. 29, 2007]

[f1r3b4ll]

This is a very nice idea that is indeed innovative and can truly benefit those that handle pdf files on a
regular basis.

This can be really big for Yahoo as well.

Let's see what happens...... =-)

[farmboy]

Just in case some of you visiting this thread aren't familiar with YPN's contextual advertising program, they are terrible at putting correctly targeted ads on sites. Unless I'm missing something, I don't see how they can be any better with pdf files.

Does Adobe realize what's about to happen?

FarmBoy

[f1r3b4ll]

I've heard that YPN is really bad at "dispatching relevant ads", but since another good software firm is involved, maybe it might change.

You never know.

[weeks]

I read it and had the same reaction as BB: Huh?

HOW is this a big deal?

(Slightly off topic, but Y's poor matching is mostly a result of a very weak ad inventory. Their technology is adequate.)

[f1r3b4ll]

I'm sure this Adobe-Yahoo partnership will prove fruitful and attract more business to Yahoo (Assuming this idea is successful).

Plus, it is pretty much "virgin" advertising space that I haven't seen any company try to target. Yahoo can be on the verge of an advertising breakthrough.

[f1r3b4ll]

One thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't appear that this would be available to the general public if it is successful. I'd like to think that not many people handle PDFs, but I do know that schools and business almost exclusively rely on PDF files. In college, a lot of my profs only used PDF cause that is all "they knew how to use."

[bouncybunny]

Dynamic adverts can be changed for particular audiences or rotated to make sure that a particular user never sees the same advertisement twice.

I assume that once the PDF has been downloaded it would require an active internet connection for this to work. So a couple of initial questions I have are;

1. what are the security implications in this? I know that my Firewall will block any initial attempt by any 'element' within a downloaded/local PDF file to make an outside connection. Unless, of course, Adobe builds in some kind way of circumnavigating this.

2. Which, if Adobe are opening up the PDF platform for this, raises all sorts of issues around privacy/malware. OR does it? Is it any different to allowing the embedding of Quicktime videos or javascript within PDFs?

[4string]

How can you police that your publisher ID hasn't been swapped out once the PDF is out on the net? You can't even make a very secure, uneditable pdf yet.

And, now people will be able to scrape your content and distribute ad-supported ebooks of it.

[joerginase]

Since PDFs tend to be printed out a lot, Yahoo should try to run context sensitive IMAGE ads instead (and find a way to calculate prices for the printed copies).

This would open up complete new markets like travel guides, restaurant guides etc. All those things you print from the web and carry with you. Lonely Planet sold out to BBC for a reason :-)

[farmboy]

(Slightly off topic, but Y's poor matching is mostly a result of a very weak ad inventory. Their technology is adequate.)

I'm sure there are a lot of YPN publishers who would like to learn more about this. There doesn't seem to be many publishers that would agree with your opinion of their technology being adequate.

FarmBoy

[ember]

I for one am eager to see how this plays out. As said before, maybe having Adobe as a partner will benefit Yahoo! and help them get their act together as far as relevant ads go.