Sainsbury's signs as Yahoo! Answers first advertiser

by Danielle Long, Revolution UK 19-Sep-06, 08:00

LONDON - Yahoo! has signed up Sainsbury's as the first UK advertiser on Yahoo! Answers to capitalise on the success of the social search service, which has attracted 50m unique users worldwide in seven months.

Sainsbury's will sponsor the food and drink section of the Yahoo! Answers site, which resembles a large online forum where people can ask questions and post answers.

As part of the four-month Sainsbury's campaign, a "Daily Delicious" question will be posted everyday on the Food and Drink section, providing users with a forum to share food ideas and recipe tips. The questions will cover a host of topics from healthy eating to romantic meals for two.

Kirstey Elston, senior brand manager at sainsburys.co.uk, said: "Our sponsorship of the Yahoo! Answers Food and Drink section will provide us with the opportunity to extend our brand presence online by communicating fresh ideas to consumers on a daily basis. Yahoo! users and Sainsbury's customers have a very natural fit and as a result of the Daily Delicious question we hope to inspire shoppers to 'Try something new today'."

A library of recipes and menu ideas will also be available for users to download on Yahoo Messengers IMVironments. The deal was brokered by PHDIQ with creative by AKQA.

Blake Chandlee, media sales director for Yahoo! UK & Ireland, said it is now considering offering other channels for sponsorship to advertisers, but is not planning large-scale commercialisation of the service due to its social nature.

Chandlee said: "The key thing is relevance and advertisers have to contribute to the consumer experience. Sainsburys has really embraced the concept and done a good job of integrating with the whole social experience."

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