Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but paying a competitor to do your job for you may be the most definitive form.



Capitulation to a more effective rival, or prudent move to reach the broadest possible audience? That's the choice to consider for Yahoo as it opts to place a job ad in America's top media market at the online home of Craig Newmark and his merry band at Craigslist.

ZDNet's Donna Bogatin took considerable joy, it seems, in posting about Yahoo HotJobs soliciting inside sales reps through a Craigslist ad:

Where is the “world’s number one Internet brand” looking on the Internet to find “people like you” to sell Yahoo online jobs classifieds services?

AT CRAIGSLIST ONLINE JOBS CLASSIFIEDS.

The number one Internet brand may understand its limitations better these days. After a year of wandering through the wilderness while building a revamped advertising system, reading the Peanut Butter Manifesto, and experiencing upheaval in the executive ranks, maybe a smidgen of humility took hold in the C-level offices in Sunnyvale.

Derick Alan at Internet Marketing Monitor opined that going to Craigslist was a smart move by Yahoo:

Realistically… should Yahoo really be that embarrassed about using Craigslist? I don't think so.

Craigslist has a very strong following… a following that Yahoo probably doesn't see much traffic from. So it only makes good sense to use as many services as possible to try and find the best person for the job. Exposure is good when you're trying to find a needle in a haystack (one person out of millions).

One last observation to make about advertising on Craigslist: Google does it too. They've got a reputation for employing smart people, and spending $75 to reach more smart people has to be a good price to pay.

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Yahoo, HotJobs, Craigslist