Brand behind the brand: Flickr is now from Yahoo

Just a few weeks ago when I went to my Flickr account I noticed that it’s now “brought to you” by Yahoo. Most of us know that Yahoo bought Flickr several years ago and that Yahoo retained the Flickr brand because of its huge loyalty. They actually shut down Yahoo Photos in 2007 in favor of Flickr. This was a step outside the box for Yahoo. They primarily focus on a one-brand-only approach. But what’s interesting is that they are now sneaking in the back door with the “brought to you by” presence of the Yahoo brand, which really bothers many loyal Flickr users. Many folks out there are having a visceral reaction to this and do not like the rather old, middle-America Yahoo brand jumping in with the hip and cool Flickr brand.

Will this really harm the brand? Well, it limits Flickr’s potential and evolution since it mixes up the brand perception of Flickr. The opportunity for Yahoo to actually evolve into a family of brands is obviously off the table.  But this obviously is not their strategy. They still think Yahoo is the central brand with enough brand equity and positive image to go somewhere. That’s why the new management at Yahoo is  attempting to reinvigorate the brand as hip and cool. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the case. In my opinion, Yahoo is still perceived as the old online brand and has consistently suffered, as AOL has, from being a legacy online property stuck in the past, in the first big Internet wave of the 90’s. (why does AOL even still exist by the way?)

Neither brand has been able to reinvigorate its original value and become something that offers more to users, especially to the younger crowd that’s into social networking tools and sharing. Even with Yahoo’s $100 million marketing campaign launch in September– about “Y!ou, it’s hard to see Yahoo taking a major leap in brand equity and positive consumer vibe.

And to top it off, Yahoo’s parent affiliation with Flickr prompted many loyal Flickr users to respond with negative comments about this “brought to you by” connection. Comments on the Flickr site as well as on Twitter and other online media and forums are popping up all over and Yahoo is not really responding other than pushing it’s marketing campaign. This is a big mistake.

You can’t control your brand. You can manage and influence it, respond to comments on it and include the voice of your customers with it, but you can’t ignore what’s being said about it. Engagement is what it’s all about. Yahoo is doing a pretty lousy job at all of this right now.