Yahoo and Microsoft have both shared updates on their plans to transition advertisers as part of the new “search alliance” between the two companies, and the big news appears to be that the transition from Yahoo’s ad platform to Microsoft’s adCenter will begin this summer.
In its blog post, Yahoo lays out how the transition will proceed:
Protect the holiday period – We know how important the holiday selling season is to many of you, so our aim is to complete the transition in the U.S. and Canada before the start of the 2010 holiday season.
Ensure a quality transition – If we determine that we cannot transition with quality before the holiday period, we’ll defer the transition until the early part of 2011.
Provide a window-of-time – To provide as much flexibility as possible, we intend to offer a window of several weeks in late summer, during which you can choose the time to initiate and complete your transition.
Yahoo also says its advertisers will find information and tools about the transition in their Yahoo Search Marketing accounts and in the Yahoo! Transition Center.
In its blog post, Microsoft adds that the transition will begin on a staggered basis in 2011 for advertisers outside the U.S. and Canada. Microsoft also points advertisers to the Microsoft Advertising Transition Center for additional information.