Yahoo! Empowers Users To ''Be a Better ...'' Through the Most Integrated Brand Campaign in Company History

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Everybody wants to be better at something. Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today unveiled a new integrated brand campaign that demonstrates how Yahoo! can help people be better at whatever they're into. Whether it’s being a better movie-goer, fashionista, grill master, or marketer, Yahoo! empowers users to connect to their interests and passions and evolve that part of their lives through Yahoo!'s breadth of information, tools, and services. Created in partnership with Soho Square and OgilvyOne Worldwide, the multi-million dollar campaign captures Yahoo!'s trademark irreverence through humorous and memorable online, TV, print, radio, and cinema advertisements. Both online and offline media will debut today in the U.S., with plans to expand internationally.

“It’s not about what Yahoo! does, but what you can do with Yahoo!.”

“Be a Better ...” Brand Campaign

The “Be a Better ...” campaign is Yahoo!’s most integrated and interactive effort to come to life across Yahoo!’s network. The campaign spotlights Yahoo! Answers and Yahoo! oneSearch, a new search service that gives consumers better search results on their mobile phone, to showcase how people can enhance their lives by using Yahoo! to access the world’s knowledge and make informed decisions from anywhere, anytime. The "Be a Better ..." messaging will be integrated into properties across Yahoo! through interactive ads and promotions, for example "Be a Better Globetrotter" (Yahoo! Travel) and "Be a Better Roadie" (Yahoo! Autos).

"From everyday tasks to pie-in-the-sky aspirations, this campaign is really about empowering our customers be to better at whatever is important to them,” said Cammie Dunaway, chief marketing officer at Yahoo! Inc. “It’s not about what Yahoo! does, but what you can do with Yahoo!.”

Building on the popularity and momentum of Yahoo!'s 2006 campaign about life with and without the new Yahoo.com, this new campaign focuses the camera on the customer, illustrating the many ways consumers, marketers, and small businesses can be better with Yahoo!. From man-eating flowers to explosive laser beams, the bold and witty ads showcase the power of information available across Yahoo!’s network.

"The global nature of this campaign required us to transcend age, gender, language, and region and be flexible across all of Yahoo!’s properties,” said Alda Abbracciamento, managing director at Soho Square. “The ‘Be a Better ...’ theme is a clear and simple call-to-action that resonates universally.”

"Most companies focus on the new bells and whistles. In Yahoo!’s case, they asked us to point the camera away from them and onto their customers,” said Alan Pafenbach, executive creative director at Soho Square. “Our solution was a campaign that allowed people to fill in the blank with whatever they hoped to be better at.”

Television and radio spots will debut today with the first TV spot to air on NBC’s “The Real Wedding Crashers” and to continue on primetime television shows, including NBC’s “Scrubs” and “Heroes” and Fox’s “American Idol" and "Family Guy.” Late night airings include spots on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel,” NBC’s “The Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” and Fox’s “Mad TV.” Innovative interactive ads online will play off the TV creative to further integrate and extend the campaign on and off the Yahoo! network. Finally, cinema spots are scheduled to air throughout the summer.

The campaign also targets marketers and small businesses by highlighting the new Yahoo! Search Marketing System, a.k.a. Project Panama. Print and online elements articulate how Yahoo! offers a better way to market businesses to target audiences.

Extending an Interactive Campaign Online and Offline

The brand campaign will live online at http://better.yahoo.com or by going to Yahoo.com and searching for “better.” Starting today, users can go online to view, rate, and share their comments about the ads, as well as get the skinny on behind-the-scenes footage. Starting May 5^th, users have the chance to unleash their inner director by remixing the TV spots, choosing their own endings, and sharing their version with friends. To further extend the campaign offline, Yahoo! may be visiting a city near you for fun and unusual street promotions to be rolled out over the next few months. Stay tuned.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!'s mission is to connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world's knowledge. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.