It seems appropriate that Yahoo's users searched for "Britney Spears" more than any other term in 2008. Like the troubled singer, it's been a long fall for the media company that can no longer be fairly called a search engine.
Amazing is that either still show up so high on anyone's radar. Yahoo's stock is trading nearly as low as the nuclear winter of 2002. Even previously hungry Microsoft, its buyout rebuffed by the Yahoo board, is now repeatedly denying any interest.
Spears' downfall has been even more widely reported. As she works toward regaining custody of her children, ousted Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang paints a rosy picture of online advertising. Never mind that it's a view so contradicted by data. Optimism is a valuable tool, even when wielded by the delusional.
Despite the tarnished brands of Spears and Yahoo, their previous greatness is their best asset. The fact that millions still search at all on Yahoo and that a number of them search for Britney (perhaps to check if their internet is down—old habits die hard), is reason enough for both to be optimistic. If only they can get their acts together.
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