The Tech Class of 1999: The Reunion

In 2021 Yext launched a global ‘90s-themed integrated marketing campaign including: a TV commercial, DOOH, print ads, social media, emails, landing pages, and a gamified microsite. Our goal was to frame keyword search as the outdated “enemy” and position Yext as the modern solution, poised to help businesses eliminate keyword search and keep their customers moving along their journey.

We used humor and the nostalgia of the 90s to not only capture attention, but also draw parallels to the ridiculousness of using other ‘90s technology to run a business. We focused on reach, frequency, and engagement, and used a multimedia approach to find and connect with our target audience throughout the year.

In the early phase of the year-long campaign we had the opportunity to work with Adweek. We had a back cover ad placement of their CMO edition and had the idea to include a CD outsert that was reminiscent of the AOL mailer days in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Not only did we want to stop people in their tracks with the CD and delight them with this little bit of nostalgia, but we wanted to align “Keyword Search” with a piece of technology that is so clearly outdated and unusable.

The fun didn’t stop there. The back cover ad and the CD outsert directed users to a gamified microsite where people tried to “Escape the 90s”.

A couple months into the campaign we teased the main characters of our Tech Class Reunion (Cellphone, Internet, Storage, and Keyword Search) in more Adweek print and digital ads.

We decided the best way to tell this story was to juxtapose keyword search with other, more well-known technology that has evolved immensely since 1999 and personifying the technology in a humorous way would really help make our message stick. We partnered with Sawhorse Productions to cast, direct, and create a TV commercial and various scripted behind-the-scenes videos to further promote the story.

Awards: 14th Annual Shorty Award Winner in Humor, Comedy Video, and Multi-Platform Presence categories.

Creative Direction: Alex Felsenstein

Art Direction & Strategy: Colleen Kelly

Graphic Design: Tyler Lee