News Corp. and Internet giant Yahoo! have scored a major new cross-marketing program designed to increase both companies’ brand names.
The new cross-media and marketing deal will kick off Super Bowl Sunday, with spots promoting Yahoo! to air in the pre- and post-game show.
Yahoo! will promote its brand on Fox’s network and cable TV entities and will extend its efforts to other News Corp. businesses, including Twentieth Century Fox Film, Fox Music and Fox Interactive.
News Corp. also owns The Post.
Fox will be able to take advantage of Yahoo!’s high traffic numbers to direct traffic to its own websites.
Yahoo! will get the last spot before Sunday’s kickoff and is also the sponsor of “Family Guy,” which makes its debut on Fox after the big game.
The leading portal will also host a live online chat with the show’s executive producer.
“Yahoo! doesn’t have a media partner and still doesn’t, but everybody and their brother wants to get on the Super Bowl to promote their little Internet company,” said Bill Bass, an analyst with Forrester Research. “Yahoo! gets the last commercial before kick-off. That’s the best position to be in.”
“Yahoo! has a great demographic match to our brands,” said Kayne Lanahan, senior vice president, News Corp. One.
News Corp. One was formed last year to create multi-platform deals across News Corp.’s companies.
Unlike deals between some traditional media entities and Internet companies (such as Disney and InfoSeek, NBC and Snap! or even CBS and SportsLine), Yahoo! isn’t giving away any equity in its company in exchange for offline media promotion.
“Yahoo! wants to get to the next level,” said Patrick Keane, an analyst with Jupiter Communications. “Where better to build an audience than on national TV, starting with the Super Bowl?”