Do We Yahoo? After This Ad Disaster, Absolutely Not: A Soho Square and Ogilvy One Spot Goes Wrong on So Many Levels

copyright Adage.com
By Bob Garfield
Published: October 01, 2006

What's the opposite of yahoo? If the yodelish yelp is meant to connote triumph, shouldn't there be a fanciful word to whoop out when the outcome is bad?

Never mind. For the moment we withdraw the question, as we've just thought of a dozen words that serve exactly that function, none of them printable here. So, to begin again, have you seen the new Yahoo commercial from Soho Square and Ogilvy One, New York?

[Not printable here]! What a bad outcome.

The spot, titled "Bully," is part of Yahoo's (semi) relaunch, which includes a reconfigured home page, new mail and content options, and a (supposed) return to its eccentric "Do You Yahoo!?" advertising roots. Well, the tagline and yodel are back, but otherwise this ad is about as eccentric as an archery target.

FULL ARTICLE