红粉拯救雅虎

    我想给玛丽莎•梅耶尔写一封公开信，向这位雅虎公司（Yahoo）新晋CEO提一个既可以发挥她的长处，又契合该公司优势的建议。虽然这听起来有点荒诞，但如果你顺着我的思路分析，我敢打赌你也会赞同我的战略。

    过去六七年以来，雅虎公司一直在苦苦挣扎，难以理顺一系列重大问题——雅虎代表什么样的价值，谁是公司的掌舵者，如何留住员工，如何与谷歌（Google）竞争，如何利用该公司在内容、沟通和遍布世界各地的社区等方面所拥有的惊人优势。除了拒绝微软公司（Microsoft）的收购要约，雇佣前任CEO卡罗尔•巴茨之外，雅虎最后一个真正大胆的举措或许是收购网络相册服务商Flickr公司。然而，通过聘请玛丽莎•梅耶尔出任新CEO，这家公司现在依然可以采用一种方式来维系其影响力，甚至重现昔日的辉煌。

    答案很简单：专注于女性。

    我敢肯定，你一定认为这种说法既荒诞不经，又有性别歧视之嫌，但请认真思量一下雅虎的优势。现在每天依然有庞大的受众群体访问雅虎网站，阅读时尚、家庭、购物和娱乐这类对女性颇具吸引力的内容。除了这些特性之外，电子邮件、聊天、图像，以及被世界各地网民频繁且广泛使用的交流软件也是雅虎公司的强势领域。

    倘若梅耶尔现在用雅虎作为“天字第一号讲坛”，应对一个约占全球网民一半数量（甚或更多）的受众群体的需要，那将会怎样呢？倘若雅虎开始收购或联手一些对女性具有独特影响力的资产，比如照片分享网站Pinterest、女鞋专营网站ShoeDazzle、设计师品牌特卖网站Gilt Groupe、专业育儿网宝宝中心（BabyCenter）、《奥普拉》（Oprah）、《人物》（People）、工艺品专营网站Etsy、艾伦•德杰尼勒斯和玛莎•斯图尔特的媒体王国（或BritMorin.com），那又将会怎样呢？

    雅虎是否可以考虑联手从事医疗保健（如EcoMom）、职业咨询（如Daily Muse）、理财顾问（如Daily Worth）、儿童活动（如ActivityHero）等业务的初创企业，以及像PicCollage这样的照片拼贴网站？

    倘若雅虎重新拾起它对于媒体和娱乐的愿景，收购票务服务商EventBrite、视频网站Hulu或Netflix，甚或特别令女性着迷的社交游戏网站 Zynga，又会出现什么情形？

    倘若玛丽莎向外界宣布，在雇佣女性高管、让女性担当领导职位和提升女性的职场发展机会方面（正如谢丽尔•桑德博格在Facebook公司所采取的那些著名的举措），雅虎将成为世界上最好的高科技公司，那将会如何？

    如果雅虎全身心地专注于占世界人口一半、在许多发展中国家中依然遭受歧视、处于不利地位、甚至被剥夺权力的女性群体，进而扩大其国际优势，那又将会如何？这难道不是一种吸引全球女性，成为女性议题和内容领军人物的好办法吗？

    虽然听起来有点极端，但这是一种大规模的“制胜细分市场”战略。把经营重点聚焦在女性身上可以帮助雅虎公司打败竞争对手。谷歌和Facebook皆是由世界上最令人生厌，最具书呆子气的男性掌舵，面对如何跟女性用户打交道这个问题时，它们显然会非常不适应。

    在先前的收购讨论中，相对于其他平台巨头，雅虎总是处于不利地位。但现在，难道还有哪家专注于女性群体的初创企业不愿加入雅虎这样一家由女性执掌、由女性高管领导、专注于女性用户的公司吗？

    因此，玛丽莎，在你执掌“老紫色”（Old Purple）之际，请容许我给你提一个大胆的建议——大胆构想，跳出窠臼，着眼于粉色（即女性）。

    然后把“老男孩网络”（Old Boy Network）打得找不着北。

    本文作者戴夫•麦克卢尔是种子投资集团500初创企业（500 Startups）的创始合伙人。这篇文章最初发表于他的个人博客。

    译者：任文科

    I'd like to write a different Open Letter to Marissa Mayer. One that plays to both her strengths, as well as those of Yahoo (YHOO). It's a bit off the wall, but if you think it thru with me, I bet you'll agree with the strategy.

    Yahoo has struggled for the last six to seven years – with what it stands for, who's running the show, how to keep its employees, how to compete with Google (GOOG), and how to take advantage of its amazing assets in content, communications, and community around the world. The last really bold move Yahoo made was probably acquiring Flickr (aside from turning down the Microsoft acquisition offer, or the previous hire of Carol Bartz). Yet by tapping Marissa Mayer as its new CEO, there is still a way for the company to remain relevant, and even perhaps regain some of its former glory.

    The answer is simple: Focus on WOMEN.

    I'm sure you think I'm being both foolish and sexist with this statement, but consider Yahoo's strengths. It still has huge audience that visits every day for content that appeals to women: Fashion, family, shopping, entertainment, etc. In addition to these properties, Yahoo is also strong in email, chat, images and communications, with frequent and broad usage all over the world.

    Now what if Marissa used Yahoo as a bully pulpit, to address the needs of a market that is roughly 50% or more of the global Internet population? What if Yahoo began acquiring or partnering with properties specifically relevant to women, like Pinterest, ShoeDazzle, Gilt Groupe, BabyCenter, Oprah, People, Etsy, Ellen Degeneres and Martha Stewart (or BritMorin.com).

    What about working with startups doing healthcare & wellness like EcoMom, career advice like Daily Muse, finance education like Daily Worth, children's activities like ActivityHero and photo sites like PicCollage? (sorry shameless 500 Startups plugs there)

    What if Yahoo went back to its vision for media and entertainment, and acquired services like EventBrite for ticketing, Hulu or Netflix (NLFX) for video, and perhaps picked up Zynga (which appeals to mostly women) for gaming?

    What if Marissa made it known that Yahoo would be the best tech company in the world for hiring women execs, putting women in leadership positions and advancing opportunities for women in the workplace (as Sheryl Sandberg is so well-known for promoting at Facebook)?

    What if Yahoo expanded its international advantages by focusing on half the world's population that is still discriminated against, disadvantaged and even dis-empowered in many growing developing nations? Wouldn't that be an awesome way to appeal to women globally, and be the torchbearer for women's issues and content around the world?

    While this may sound extreme, this is the Niche To Win strategy writ large. By narrowing its focus to women, Yahoo can beat the pants off its competitors. Both Google and Facebook (FB), run by the geekiest and nerdiest of men, are clearly out of their element when faced with how to address the female customer.

    And consider that in previous acquisition discussions, Yahoo was always at a disadvantage to other platform giants – but now, wouldn't any woman-focused startup prefer to join Yahoo, run by a woman, led by women execs and focused on women customers?

    So Marissa, let me suggest you make a bold move as you take Old Purple by the reins – think BIG, think DIFFERENT, and think PINK.

    Then go beat the living crap out of the Old Boy Network.

    Dave McClure is founding partner of seed investment group 500 Startups. This post originally appeared on his blog.