Yahoo.com has redesigned its homepage to make it more appealing to a new generation of the online audience. Thanks to the redesign, the oldest web portal got a simplified, crisper look as well as more social-media feel, which is believed to help the website deliver consistent user experience across desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. So far, Yahoo has rolled out the new look only in the U.S.
USA
The lager brand Stella Artois, which has a strong emotional connection with the cinema world, launched its new ad during the live broadcast of the Oscars on Sunday. The advert titled “The Artist,” which has nothing in common with the silent movie under the same name, celebrates the craftsmanship behind each glass of the beer.
Google has released its first touchscreen display computer, Chromebook Pixel, competing with similar offerings from Apple and Samsung. Already available for $1,299 at the Google Play store in the U.S., the laptop has a multi-touch 2560 x 1700 screen, 12.85-inch display, a 3:2 photographic format, 4.3 million pixels and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. In addition, Google offers the Chromebook Pixel owners the immersive 1TB of Google Drive cloud storage for free for the first three years.
In early February, General Electric invited American creators to share their groundbreaking ideas with the world in celebration of National Inventor’s Day that coincided with the greatest U.S. inventor, Thomas Edison’s, birthday on February 11. The company teamed up with the BuzzFeed website and launched a social-media campaign #IWantToInvent on Twitter to collected revolutionary ideas submitted by public.
As part of the project, GE released a plethora of blueprints with the user-generated concepts.
Ford is engaging the U.S. online community to promote its latest Ford Fiesta vehicle. The automaker is on the lookout for 100 young adults, so-called social influencers from various areas, who will “convey the unique personality and attributes of the new 2014 Ford Fiesta in an entirely different way,” says the brand. The new initiative, dubbed “Fiesta Movement: A Social Remix,” will be built from user-generated content only.
Lexus infuses life into the new print, promoting the 2014 Lexus IS in the latest issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine. The automaker has collaborated with the Team One agency, which created the interactive print that is activated by scanning a QR code. Thanks to the technology, a traditional paper magazine ad comes to life, revealing three models wearing swimsuits.
Dell has released a spot titled “Meet Thomas: Creator of an Alternate Universe,” which inspires people to go creative even if they lead ordinary lives and don’t create much at their work. The advertisment, developed by Y&R NY, comes as a tribute to visionaries and game-changers, who live within each of us.
Honda USA celebrated this year’s Valentine’s Day with a social media campaign, which involved a great dose of improvisation and interactivity. The “You Are Our Valentine” promotion got the staff from Honda’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities from all across the country responding to consumer’s Facebook posts, tweets and Instagram uploads in real time with personalized Valentine’s Day virtual cards.