More Yahoo

Heard about this recently: Maybe it’s already been discussed here…

http://promotions.yahoo.com/disconnected

Thanks for posting this.

I looked at it with interest. It seems like a fairly run-of-the-mill diary/deprivation study done for a client who needed validation of something - in this case, I suppose that the internet (as envisioned by Yahoo!) is a long-term place in which to invest much $. Sadly one only needs to look at the sponsors or the study and the conclusions of it to see that the results have, while being based on observation in actual context- also no doubt been shaped to suit the corporate goals of the program’s sponsors.

For instance, the potential upside of disconnection is left unaddressed here (except in the schtick about people getting more exercise at the mall etc). If I were the client, I might have been more convinced if I saw that the study at least attempted to address the potential upside of being disconnected, because there could also be a potential business opportunities for my brand in playing in the “disconnected” world.

But this program smells as though it was meant to serve some narrow, tactical goal, and for that reason feels like a missed opportunity.