As Yahoo celebrates its 30th anniversary, the tech pioneer continues to evolve in an industry defined by constant change. For Jon Finnie, Vice President of International Sales, that longevity comes down to a simple idea: staying adaptable while keeping curiosity and innovation at the core of how Yahoo connects with users and advertisers.
With over two decades at Yahoo, Finnie has helped shape the company’s evolution in the advertising landscape—building regional sales teams and delivering programmatic solutions to top brands and global agencies. As Vice President of International Sales, he leads commercial strategy and sales for Yahoo’s demand-side platform (DSP) across Canada, the UK, and AUSEA, and oversees the company’s Canadian operations, driving revenue across Yahoo DSP and its consumer properties, including Yahoo News, Sports, and Finance.
In our conversation, Finnie reflects on Yahoo’s three-decade journey, the evolving role of AI in advertising, and how the company’s DSP aims to empower marketers with smarter, more responsible ways to reach audiences. He also shares lessons from his own career and offers insights into what’s next for Yahoo in the Asia-Pacific region.
As Yahoo marks its 30th anniversary, how would you describe the significance of this milestone, and in what ways does the company’s founding DNA as the internet’s first guide continue to shape its identity today?
In an industry defined by constant disruption, reaching 30 years isn’t about age; it’s about adaptability. What’s kept Yahoo relevant is that pioneering mindset that’s been with us since the start. We began as a guide to the internet, helping people make sense of a rapidly changing digital world. That same spirit still drives us today in new ways.
In an industry defined by constant disruption, reaching 30 years isn’t about age; it’s about adaptability.
Over the past year, we’ve reimagined much of our product experience to connect with users more meaningfully, while using AI to make those experiences smarter and more personal – from Priority Inbox and email summaries in Yahoo Mail to personalised feeds and key takeaways in Yahoo News.
And on the advertising side, that same innovation powers the Yahoo DSP. It’s not just built for performance and for progress. Our technology continues to evolve to help brands reach audiences more intelligently, efficiently, and responsibly across channels.
To me, this milestone is less about looking back and more about how we keep moving forward – staying curious, inventive, and relevant for both users and advertisers.
As marketers adopt more AI-driven tools, how do you see AI shaping the balance between automation and human creativity in the years ahead?
We’ve been investing in AI and machine learning for over 20 years, and with nearly 570 AI/machine learning and DSP patents under our belt, AI isn’t new to us.
AI is a force multiplier – it’s great at removing repetitive overheads like ingesting and analysing data for predictions, targeting and optimisation, so that humans can focus on strategy, storytelling and creative thinking. We’re already seeing this in action with our AI engine, Yahoo Blueprint – 90% faster response times, 10x more data signals processed, and 11% savings, on average, which are reinvested into working media.
As AI adoption ramps up, the premium will shift back to human-led ideas, creativity and originality.
But not all AI is built equal. At its core, it’s only as good as the data it learns from and in adtech, that means the difference between relying on fragmented, third-party signals versus working with rich, consented first-party data that clients trust. Without that, the insights can be shallow or even misleading.
Even with strong data, AI still struggles with things that matter most in advertising: cultural nuance, context, and originality. This is where human oversight becomes non-negotiable – adding judgment, empathy, and context so AI’s efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of trust.
As AI adoption ramps up, the premium will shift back to human-led ideas, creativity and originality. AI will handle the heavy lifting of analysis and automation, but the brands that win will be those whose people use AI tools to create work that only humans can imagine.
How is Yahoo powering greater choice and control for advertisers through the Yahoo DSP, while also enhancing campaign performance and progress?
Yahoo DSP is a sophisticated media buying platform that offers a simple, direct proposition: omnichannel reach that combines robust first-party data, advanced AI and privacy-first identity tools to help brands connect with consumers across all digital channels.
As an open platform, the Yahoo DSP is interoperable with key partners, enabling advertisers to fully extend their omnichannel strategies to create customer-centric, seamless and consistent brand experiences across the entire consumer journey.
With one of the largest identity graphs in the industry powering our privacy-first identity solutions, Yahoo ConnectID and Next-Gen Solutions, the Yahoo DSP delivers deeper consumer insight and precision audience targeting in a way that is effective and respects consumer trust.
When it comes to performance, our AI-based, first-party data-driven performance engine, Yahoo Blueprint Performance, is the latest innovation that drives ad efficiency and optimisation throughout the campaign lifecycle, from planning to buying and measurement. Advertisers utilising this AI engine and Yahoo DSP’s 387 million deterministic, authenticated users drawn from direct consumer relationships and partnerships globally, are able to draw insights from complex data more efficiently, act quickly to address underperformance with automated troubleshooting, and optimise smarter with AI-driven recommendations.
Yahoo’s proprietary capabilities, including advanced, customisable offerings, simplify the complexities of modern media buying to deliver greater efficiency and stronger outcomes while giving back transparency and control to advertisers.
In today’s performance-driven environment, what top tips would you share with marketers trying to balance immediate results with sustainable growth?
In today’s business environment, striking a balance between immediate performance goals and long-term brand success lies in a dynamic interplay of first-party data, omnichannel strategies and AI-powered solutions and tools.
The cornerstone of a successful approach is first-party data. Marketers should lay a strong foundation with a brand’s first-party data by using this to understand consumer behaviour and needs, personalising their engagements and brand interactions. With groundwork firmly laid, it’s time to scale and here’s where marketers should look to collaborate with technology partners who have trusted first-party data and signals, resources and expertise to help build scale and reach.
With audiences spread across channels and constantly switching between screens – from mobile to desktop, tablets, connected TVs and digital-out-of-home (DOOH), capturing and holding audience attention has become even more challenging.
Omnichannel strategies for digital campaigns also need to go beyond just being present – they need to deliver a consistent brand experience that matters in the moment, across the entire consumer journey and every screen. Invest in developing cohesive, data-driven and seamless omnichannel campaigns that are executed on integrated platforms with transparent and interoperable ad solutions that provide unified measurable results. Having a complete view of the full customer journey provides key insights that can inform smarter decisions and strategies that balance short and long-term goals.
As AI solutions and tools become more accessible, marketers should also look for platforms and partners that harness the power of this technology for campaign efficiency, productivity and personalisation. From enhanced targeting capabilities to campaign optimisation and performance, AI enables marketers to effectively test strategies, learn and make adjustments to maximise reach, drive engagement and deliver results that matter for their campaigns.
What are Yahoo’s key priorities and areas of focus for growth and innovation in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years?
We’re building Yahoo for the next 30 years and beyond, taking inspiration from our DNA and bringing it into the future. At the heart of that is our user-first mindset. We’ve always believed that great products create great experiences, and great experiences drive lasting value for both consumers and advertisers.
Ultimately, it’s about making things simpler and more effective for our clients while helping brands create meaningful connections with their audiences.
I can speak from the DSP side, we’re continuing to push what’s possible for advertisers. Markets like Singapore and Australia have seen fantastic momentum, with AI-driven tools like Yahoo Blueprint helping brands reach audiences more intelligently and efficiently. Now we’re focused on taking that even further by using AI to deliver smarter recommendations, better optimisation across campaign goals, and a more intuitive platform overall.
Ultimately, it’s about making things simpler and more effective for our clients while helping brands create meaningful connections with their audiences. That focus on innovation and reinvention has kept Yahoo relevant for 30 years, and it’s what will keep us moving forward.
You’ve spent two decades at Yahoo — a rare tenure in today’s fast-moving industry. What milestones or lessons stand out most from your journey, and what advice would you give to those just starting out in the industry?
It’s been quite a journey, and I still feel like I’m learning something new every day. I joined Yahoo nearly two decades ago, and what’s kept me here is the constant evolution. The company I joined in 2007 looks very different from the Yahoo of today, and that’s a good thing. We like to say Yahoo is always “under construction,” because we’re constantly evolving to stay relevant with the people who use our products and the advertisers who partner with us.
There have been plenty of milestones along the way, from the early days of search and display advertising to now, leading a business that’s powered by AI and data. But what stands out most to me are the people. Yahoo has always been a place filled with curious, creative, and passionate individuals who genuinely care about what they’re building.
We like to say Yahoo is always “under construction,” because we’re constantly evolving to stay relevant with the people who use our products and the advertisers who partner with us.
If I had to give one piece of advice to anyone starting out in this industry, it would be to stay curious and adaptable. The tech and media landscape changes quickly, and you can’t just sit back and expect things to stay the same. Keep learning, have fun with it, and surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you. That’s what’s kept this journey so rewarding for me.
Quick Hits:
Most useful app or tool you’ve started using recently:
ChatGPT
Book, podcast, or resource you recommend:
A recent podcast I listened to is Masters of Scale. And I’d recommend this book by Spencer Johnson – Who Moved My Cheese?, which talks about dealing with business change and adapting to situations
Something you want to learn or wish you were better at:
I’ve started using AI to help me personally and from a business perspective, but I have so much more to learn!
