Yahoo IMV

Realizing the value of being included in conversations the Army’s first social media effort involved an instant messaging program utilizing the Yahoo! Instant Messaging Imvironment (IMV), also referred to as a “skin.”   The objective of the program was to increase visits to the goarmy.com website in an effort to educate those less compelled to military service to teach the truth about the Army.

 

IMVironments help Yahoo! Messenger users further express themselves to others using IM-themed backgrounds appearing directly in the IM window. IMVs are viral advertisements allowing users to share images, audio, video and content all while chatting with their friends.

Results

The IMV profiles six U.S. Army employment opportunities and features an interactive “Hooah” buzz.
Between September 6, 2007 – December 6, 2007, results exceeded all expectations, engaging 5,474,977 users, additional benchmarks for success include:

  • 38,729,813 instant messages sent
  • 662 days: equivalent in time spent interacting with the skin
  • 657,757 click-thrus to GoArmy.com, including:
Goarmy.com/amedd: 9,376
Goarmy.com/band: 13,770
Goarmy.com/chaplain: 42,825
Goarmy.com/rotc: 13,208
Goarmy.com/special_forces: 40,851

Army Strong IMV ranked #1 on Yahoo! Instant Messenger

Return on Investment

Total GoArmy.com referrals: 657,757

Total CPC: $0.19

 

What happened next?

As a result of the unexpected performance of the Yahoo IMV we developed a new “skin” between January 14, 2008 – June 20, 2008 that included a game, videos and wallpaper downloads:

Results

  • More than 4.9 million unique users,
  • 1.5 MM views on Soldier career opportunities
  • 172,000 click-thrus to goarmy.com
  • 158,000 Army Strong videos watched
  • 97,000 wallpapers  downloaded