Yext Highlights Search Technology Gap in '90s-Themed Integrated Marketing Campaign

Rhea-AI Summary

Yext (NYSE: YEXT) launched a 1990s-themed marketing campaign to address outdated search technology. This multimedia initiative includes television ads and a collaboration with Adweek featuring a quirky CD insert that directs readers to an interactive game. The campaign humorously contrasts outdated keyword search technology with modern AI-powered solutions, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of search in business. Chief Marketing Officer Josh Grau emphasizes that many companies still rely on outdated keyword search methods.

Positive

• Launch of a creative, engaging marketing campaign targeting outdated search technology.
• First television campaign and collaborations with Adweek to reach a broader audience.
• Use of humor and nostalgia to illustrate the advantages of modern AI-powered search.

Negative

• Continued reliance of millions of companies on outdated keyword search technology.

NEW YORK, May 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the Answers Search Company, today announced a 1990s-themed integrated marketing campaign to playfully educate businesses on the real problem of using outdated search technology. The company, which provides modern, AI-powered search solutions for businesses, is launching a variety of creative assets to communicate that keyword search technology, which typically delivers lists of irrelevant hyperlinks to customer questions, is the last holdout of 1990s technology that most companies have yet to update.

In addition to launching its first television campaign and video ads on digital and social channels, Yext collaborated with Adweek to activate the campaign in the publication's May 10th CMO-themed issue. Readers who receive a print copy of the magazine will find a "Keyword Search" CD insert, reminiscent of the installation CDs frequently mailed to consumers in the late 1990s. The Yext-created CD includes a QR code that takes readers to a microsite, www.got-hyperlinks.com, where they are challenged to "escape the '90s" and impending Y2K doom by selecting between outdated technology choices in an interactive game.

The TV spot, produced in partnership with Sawhorse Productions out of Los Angeles, uses comedy to personify different technologies as they return to their high school reunion. The characters include a cell phone ("Cell Phone"), cloud storage ("Storage"), and internet ("Internet") reflecting on how outdated they were in high school back in 1999. The story's antagonist is "Keyword Search," who hasn't changed in looks, attitude, or efficacy since graduation.

"We have a pretty simple message, which is there are two kinds of business search out there — outdated keyword search that is stuck in the past, and modern, AI-powered search built for today," said Josh Grau, Chief Marketing Officer at Yext. "The choice might seem obvious, but the reality is millions of companies still use keyword search to power their websites. To shine a light on this problem, we created a multi-media campaign using humor to compare using keyword search with using technology that is so obviously outdated, like an old flip phone or a dial-up modem. Search is mission critical to a business's success, and we think this campaign will help create more awareness of its importance in an increasingly digital world."  

Click here to learn more about Yext's modern, AI-powered search solutions. 

About Yext
The ultimate source for official answers about a business online should be the business itself. However, when consumers ask questions on company websites, too often they are left in the dark with wrong answers. Yext (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud, solves this problem by organizing a business's facts so it can provide official answers to consumer questions — wherever people search. Starting with the company website, then extending across search engines and voice assistants, businesses around the world, like T-Mobile, Jaguar Land Rover, BBVA USA, and Kiehl's — as well as organizations like the U.S. State Department and World Health Organization — trust Yext to radically improve the search experience on their websites and across the entire search ecosystem.

Yext's mission is to help businesses and organizations around the world deliver official answers everywhere people search. Yext has been named a Best Place to Work by Fortune and Great Place to Work®, as well as a Best Workplace for Women. Yext is headquartered in New York City with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, London, Miami, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and the Washington, D.C. area.

Contact: Amanda Kontor, pr@yext.com

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SOURCE Yext, Inc.

FAQ

What is the theme of Yext's recent marketing campaign?

Yext's marketing campaign is themed around the 1990s, highlighting the gap between outdated keyword search technology and modern AI-powered solutions.

When was Yext's marketing campaign launched?

Yext's 1990s-themed marketing campaign was launched on May 10, 2021.

How is Yext promoting its marketing campaign?

Yext is promoting the campaign through television ads, digital and social media, and a collaboration with Adweek that includes a physical CD insert.

What message does Yext aim to convey through its campaign?

Yext aims to convey that outdated keyword search technology is ineffective and that businesses should transition to modern, AI-powered search solutions for better results.

What interactive element is included in Yext's campaign?

The campaign includes an interactive game accessed via a QR code on a CD insert that challenges users to 'escape the '90s'.