Yahoo launches a brand campaign on the heels of Verizon Media sale

Yahoo is out with a new brand campaign just in time for its sale from parent Verizon Media to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion on Monday.

Yahoo will become the brand name for the entity that was once AOL and Yahoo, both web 1.0 internet giants acquired by Verizon in 2015 and 2017, respectively, for $9 billion, with grand ambitions by the telco to build a media empire.

The plan, which led to the brief creation of media company Oath in 2017, was aborted as CEO Hans Vestberg took over in 2018 and refocused the telco on other areas, including 5G.

Under its newly revived brand, Yahoo is showcasing a newer, more personalized version of its platform, which started rolling out to users in April. The web services provider launched a new campaign on Monday, “For Lovers Of,” which shows how anyone can personalize the Yahoo platform to suit their interests.

The spots, created with Elephant, feature people telling stories about their experiences using Yahoo. In one clip, interior designer Francesca talks about shopping directly from her inbox on Yahoo Mail. Another spot focuses on Spencer, a gym owner who uses Yahoo Finance’s resources to grow his business. The third spot introduces Reyven, a hairstylist who catches up on informative content with Yahoo News.

The spots were filmed in an intimate, portrait style and directed by Floyd Russ.

“We focused on finding Yahoo consumers from all walks of life whose true stories inspire us — because inspiration is in the everyday and it's all around us,” said Russ. “We wanted to shine a light on these amazing people and their stories to share a simple message; remember what you love and find a way back to it. ”

Yahoo, launched in 1994 as one of the original internet portals, is evolving to keep up with the more personalized content that people now expect. The campaign captures Yahoo’s “forward-looking strategy” around “taking the internet and making it your internet,” said Joanna Lambert, head of consumer, Verizon Media, who spoke with Campaign US prior to the Yahoo sale being finalized.

“What are the things you care about?” she said. “How do we bring you closer to the things you love and help you discover even more? Everything we do can be direct-to-consumer, based on what they like, and what people don’t.”

It’s unclear how Yahoo’s new brand positioning will evolve under its new parent company, Apollo, a private equity firm that owns the Venitian resort in Las Vegas and crafts retailer Michaels.