Agency: Yahoo!
Client: In-House
The Yahoo! Buzz Marketing team was tasked with creating a nontraditional marketing extension to support the company’s “It's Y!ou” global advertising initiative that would connect people with the Yahoo! brand, make it personally relevant and enable them to widely and easily share their self expression with others.
To address this challenge, the team took one of Yahoo!'s most recognizable assets – its signature yodel – and gave it back to the people by giving them the opportunity to personalize the Yahoo! yodel.
In a worldwide casting call, Yahoo!’s Buzz Marketing team searched for the best personal expressions of the Yahoo! yodel, with the best being featured on the Yahoo! homepage.
Yahoo! Yodel Studios were built in New York, London, Mumbai and online, where, on October 13th, passers-by could cut their own yodel rendition. Each live location offered help from celebrity mentors such as Randy Jackson and Jewel.
In conjunction with the studio on Military Island in New York’s Times Square, Yahoo! built a multi-level stage atop the Hard Rock Cafe marquee, with six individual areas that housed an eclectic mix of musicians. The yodelers were able to guide the house band, with the help of the artist and musical director in various genres. All yodels were uploaded to Yahoo! for judging.
Also, through a microsite, online users could record and upload their own yodel rendition, view, vote, share and comment on featured yodelers and download mobile phone yodel ringtones. Updates were announced via Yahoo! and social media sites when yodels were created, commented on, shared and received Gold and/or Platinum status.
Over 30 days, 21,000 yodels were uploaded, 50 of which went “gold” (1,000+ views) and three of which went “platinum”. The site attracted 1.1 million visitors, 6.5 million views, 3.8 million video views, 13,600 comments, and 11,707 votes. Over 128,000 yodel ringtones were downloaded, while people spent an average of 5:17 minutes on the microsite.
