[Image credit: Microsoft PressPass]

Remember how Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) was almost swallowed by software giant Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)?  As a result, Yahoo!’s stock has shot down, but the search engine company did get revenge in two ways.  First was an advertising deal with Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and second was by hiring Joanne Bradford. 

“We are thrilled to have an executive of Joanne’s caliber to lead Yahoo through to the next phase of its growth,” stated Yahoo! President Sue Decker. “Yahoo and Joanne have a shared mind-set about the strategic role that Yahoo and online marketing can play to both build leading brands and drive customer acquisition for the world’s leading marketers.”

Joanne Bradford was a former executive at Microsoft that spent the last few months working at Spot Runner.  Spot Runner is a startup that sets up advertising for local television channels.  Bradford’s new role is the SVP of revenue and market development at Yahoo!  Bradford will oversee Yahoo!’s sales, marketing for advertisers, small business unit, and HotJobs.  Hilary Schneider, EVP of Yahoo! will oversee Bradford’s performance. 

Bradford is one of Yahoo!’s newest executives since Carl Icahn joined the Board of Directors

Joanne Bradford, Chief Media Officer of MSN is leaving Microsoft to join Spot Runner.  The MSN network receives 465 million unique users per month.  Before Chief Media Officer, Bradford was corporate VP of Global Sales and Marketing.  She was also the Chief Media Revenue Officer and in 2001, Bradford was VP and Director of BusinessWeek’s advertising sales divison. 

In the meantime, Greg Nelson, a 12 year team member of Microsoft will lead the MSN team.  Nelson was a GM of MSN.com International beforehand.  As of a month ago, Bradford reported to Steve Berkowitz.  Berkowitz will be leaving later this year as well.

Spot Runner was founded by Nick Group and David Waxman.  These two created Firefly Network Inc, a company that Microsoft acquired in 1998.  Firefly had the technology that was used as the foundation for Microsoft Passport. 

Spot Runner is a company to buy 30 second TV ads online.  Investors include Battery Ventures, Index Ventures, WPP, Interpublic Group, and CBS.

[Image credit: Microsoft PressPass]

“Spot Runner today announced that WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY), CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS), Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) and other institutions have made equity investments in the company [source].”  Spot Runner makes it easier to produce TV commercials for local TV channels by allowing users to personalize TV ads, select TV channels, and launch your campaign.

“There is a powerful trend in the advertising arena in which agencies need to focus on creative, but also identify the best vehicles to distribute their creative and reach people wherever they live, work and play,” stated Sir Martin Sorrell, the CEO of WPP. “Spot Runner’s practical and cost-effective solutions are a great complement to our national capabilities and will help our clients market at the most local level.”

On the homepage of Spot Runner, one interesting feature is that if you move your mouse over the U.S. map, it will display the channel and the cost of placing a 30 second TV advertisement on that channel.  Below is the cost for Comedy Central in Ann Arbor, MI:

According to the Spot Runner press release, “WPP plans to use Spot Runner’s web-based platform to help clients target ads across all media channels more effectively at the local level, while maintaining a consistent brand message.”

What makes Spot Runner an interesting company is that it provides a service to people that may not necessarily feel that they had the capability to get their advertisements on TV.  For $99, Spot Runner even has an Express Launch.  There are sample commercials on the Express Launch page as well. 

Spot Runner is based in Los Angeles, California and is a private company.  The company was founded by Nick Grouf and David Waxman who had also created PeoplePC and Firefly Network, two companies that were acquired by Earthlink and Microsoft.

[Article source: Venture Beat]