A meeting with Andrey Sebrant, Marketing Director of Yandex

Attendants majoring in Internet Industry Management field had visited a new office of Yandex located in the "Red Rose" quarter. There they were welcomed by Andrey Sebrant, Marketing Director of Yandex, holding a course in internet marketing. He gave them details on the popular search engine, the processes taken within Yandex's walls and described them the role marketing plays in these processes.

He noted Yandex as "an uprising Internet-business". - In 1997 our users had made 10 thousand requests (and it seemed to be so much at that moment), while in 2010 the 10-million milestone have been reached. Since 2003 the number of searchers increased from one to fourteen million users. As for annual turnover, starting with 50 millions in 2003 it had came to 300 millions in 2008. Annual profit stands at 50% level since 2004. The principal source the company gains profit from is internet advertising: with an approximate ratio of 80% for contextual and 20% for banner ad.

Concerning requirements to the Yandex staff, Mr. Sebrant told as follows: "When one is carefully picked for the marketing department or for the company in general, we put a special emphasis on freshness and speed of his mind. A willingness to gain knowledge and ability to solve various tasks in unorthodox way are considered as major advantages too. As long as one's mind is fresh, chances are we'll welcome him nothwithstanding one's knowledge gaps, if any".