????我想給瑪麗莎?梅耶爾寫一封公開信，向這位雅虎公司（Yahoo）新晉CEO提一個既可以發揮她的長處，又契合該公司優勢的建議。雖然這聽起來有點荒誕，但如果你順著我的思路分析，我敢打賭你也會贊同我的戰略。

????過去六七年以來，雅虎公司一直在苦苦掙扎，難以理順一系列重大問題——雅虎代表什么樣的價值，誰是公司的掌舵者，如何留住員工，如何與谷歌（Google）競爭，如何利用該公司在內容、溝通和遍布世界各地的社區等方面所擁有的驚人優勢。除了拒絕微軟公司（Microsoft）的收購要約，雇傭前任CEO卡羅爾?巴茨之外，雅虎最后一個真正大膽的舉措或許是收購網絡相冊服務商Flickr公司。然而，通過聘請瑪麗莎?梅耶爾出任新CEO，這家公司現在依然可以采用一種方式來維系其影響力，甚至重現昔日的輝煌。

????答案很簡單：專注于女性。

????我敢肯定，你一定認為這種說法既荒誕不經，又有性別歧視之嫌，但請認真思量一下雅虎的優勢。現在每天依然有龐大的受眾群體訪問雅虎網站，閱讀時尚、家庭、購物和娛樂這類對女性頗具吸引力的內容。除了這些特性之外，電子郵件、聊天、圖像，以及被世界各地網民頻繁且廣泛使用的交流軟件也是雅虎公司的強勢領域。

????倘若梅耶爾現在用雅虎作為“天字第一號講壇”，應對一個約占全球網民一半數量（甚或更多）的受眾群體的需要，那將會怎樣呢？倘若雅虎開始收購或聯手一些對女性具有獨特影響力的資產，比如照片分享網站Pinterest、女鞋專營網站ShoeDazzle、設計師品牌特賣網站Gilt Groupe、專業育兒網寶寶中心（BabyCenter）、《奧普拉》（Oprah）、《人物》（People）、工藝品專營網站Etsy、艾倫?德杰尼勒斯和瑪莎?斯圖爾特的媒體王國（或BritMorin.com），那又將會怎樣呢？

????雅虎是否可以考慮聯手從事醫療保健（如EcoMom）、職業咨詢（如Daily Muse）、理財顧問（如Daily Worth）、兒童活動（如ActivityHero）等業務的初創企業，以及像PicCollage這樣的照片拼貼網站？

????倘若雅虎重新拾起它對于媒體和娛樂的愿景，收購票務服務商EventBrite、視頻網站Hulu或Netflix，甚或特別令女性著迷的社交游戲網站 Zynga，又會出現什么情形？

????倘若瑪麗莎向外界宣布，在雇傭女性高管、讓女性擔當領導職位和提升女性的職場發展機會方面（正如謝麗爾?桑德博格在Facebook公司所采取的那些著名的舉措），雅虎將成為世界上最好的高科技公司，那將會如何？

????如果雅虎全身心地專注于占世界人口一半、在許多發展中國家中依然遭受歧視、處于不利地位、甚至被剝奪權力的女性群體，進而擴大其國際優勢，那又將會如何？這難道不是一種吸引全球女性，成為女性議題和內容領軍人物的好辦法嗎？

????雖然聽起來有點極端，但這是一種大規模的“制勝細分市場”戰略。把經營重點聚焦在女性身上可以幫助雅虎公司打敗競爭對手。谷歌和Facebook皆是由世界上最令人生厭，最具書呆子氣的男性掌舵，面對如何跟女性用戶打交道這個問題時，它們顯然會非常不適應。

????在先前的收購討論中，相對于其他平臺巨頭，雅虎總是處于不利地位。但現在，難道還有哪家專注于女性群體的初創企業不愿加入雅虎這樣一家由女性執掌、由女性高管領導、專注于女性用戶的公司嗎？

????因此，瑪麗莎，在你執掌“老紫色”（Old Purple）之際，請容許我給你提一個大膽的建議——大膽構想，跳出窠臼，著眼于粉色（即女性）。

????然后把“老男孩網絡”（Old Boy Network）打得找不著北。

????本文作者戴夫?麥克盧爾是種子投資集團500初創企業（500 Startups）的創始合伙人。這篇文章最初發表于他的個人博客。

????譯者：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.