Pacquiao, Bebeng and the other Top 10 Trending searches on Yahoo! Philippines

I posted this content in my blog and then the content was gone after a problem with blogger.com, but I’m bringing it back again here. Here are the top 10 trending searches that happened last week. Thanks to our friends at Yahoo! Philippines for sending this info.

Pacquiao vs Mosley: Eight-division world champion and Philippines’ Pambansang Kamao, Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his welterweight title against American boxer Shane Mosley on Saturday night. “I fought the best fighter in the world,” Agence Presse quoted Mosley. Pacquiao wore yellow gloves and asked spectators and supporters to choose yellow as a sign of unity in the country’s fight for poverty. Observers instead noticed the expensive jewelry that his wife wore during the boxing event.

Tropical Storm Bebeng: Searches for the latest weather updates increased as this year’s second tropical cyclone in the country brought rains in Luzon and Visayas after weeks of hot weather. Bagyong Bebeng (International name: Aere) became a tropical storm on Friday, unleashed rains and caused landslides, and killed 15. It also left inter-island commuters stranded and several domestic flights canceled. Nine ground crew of the Philippine Airlines were also injured when a lightning struck an Airbus 320 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Merceditas Gutierrez: Former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigned on April 29, 10 days before the start of her impeachment trial for her alleged inaction on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam and other scandals in the Arroyo administration. The senate shelved the impeachment complaint against Gutierrez, resulting in activist groups filing obstruction and perjury charges against the former Ombudsman.

Blessed John Paul II: A week after his beatification, Pope John Paul II is still buzzing on Yahoo! Search logs. The late pontiff nears sainthood as Pope Benedict XVI on May 1 declared his predecessor as “blessed” before a crowd of more than one million at the St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

Dianne Necio: Dianne Necio was caught off guard when a male fan reportedly stole a kiss and touched her breasts at the Mutya ng Magayon 2011 coronation night. The police arrested the daring fan.

Princess Eugenie: Well beyond the Royal Wedding, Yahoo! Philippines users were still searching for members of the British Royal family. Most popular among them during the past week is Princess Eugenie, cousin of Princes William and Harry. Also in the logs are Queen Elizabeth, Princess Beatrice, Princess Diana, and Queen Victoria.

Mother’s Day: According Yahoo Search Trends, Filipino users searched the Web mostly in search of Mother’s Day greeting cards and quotes.

Fast and Furious 5: Released in the US as “Fast Five,” the fifth installment of the street racing action film which is now showing in the Philippines has shown a remarkable increase in search by Yahoo! users. 

I am Legend: This Koreanovela that stars Kim Jung Eun of "Lovers in Paris" fame premiered on ABS-CBN on May 2. The story is about an emotionally abused wife who decided to pursue her own career: she relived her rock band roots and became a band leader.

Patrick Meneses:  Bulacan Mayor Patrick Meneses, filed a libel case against his ex-girlfriend Aiko Melendez for allegedly insinuating that he is gay.  Meneses appeared on TV 5’s “Paparazzi” on April 24 to speak about his breakup with the actress-politician. Instead he was caught off-guard when TV host Cristy Fermin showed him the Twitter messages between Melendez and a friend who cast doubt on Meneses’s sexuality. Melendez said she never doubted Menenes’s sexuality as she denied orchestrating a smear campaign against him.

Yahoo! Search Trends aggregates millions of searches performed every day across Yahoo! properties to give the pulse on what people are thinking and talking about. Searches represent the people and what matters to them most; from fleeting moods to entrenched attitudes of Internet users across the world.

(photo above : AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS, yahoo!  sports )

Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt is back! win a Purple Hyundai i10 car

The big treasure hunt contest is back! The Yahoo! Philippines Puple Hunt contest is now here on its 2nd year this 2011. The internet and web surfers will be busy again in lots of guessing games and hunt for that item or name the location of that purple sticker. I remember that I joined the hunt online and its very difficult to guess the exact address of a location that shows they have the purple sticker.

But today, the contest is new and looks like that you need to have a fast mouse clicking finger and a Yahoo! Messenger. I'm excited and I'm going to register again.. even that I lose on the last contest, I still wish for a Yahoo! Purple t-shirt :(



wow! purple car!

read the news below

-- press release --

MANILA, 17 March 2011 – Online treasure hunters are in for a purple treat because this March 2011, Yahoo! is bringing back the Purple Hunt 2.0, the hugely popular online treasure hunt that has been a great success in the Philippines since its launch in 2009.

Similar to its first run, the Purple Hunt 2.0 will have participants hunt for online clues for 5 weeks using different Yahoo! properties for amazing offline prizes including the grand prize of a brand new Purple Hyundai i10.

“Given the incredible success of Purple Hunt back in 2009, Yahoo! is very excited to be bringing back the treasure hunt experience to Pinoy users once again,” said Arlene Amarante, Yahoo! Philippines Sales Director. “With the Purple Hunt 2.0, users can continue to learn about Yahoo! and get more chances to win great prizes at the same time.”

Competition Mechanics
Joining the competition is just a click away - all that’s needed is an internet connection, a mouse and a hunter’s instinct. Participants must be at least 18 years of age to join. All they need to do is register at the Purple Hunt 2.0 microsite found at http://yahoopurplehunt2.com.ph. Existing Yahoo! users can use their accounts to register while those new to Yahoo! will need to create an account. Once registered, participants will need to open their Yahoo! Messenger account and add YPurpleMaster to their contact list. The YPurpleMaster will be the participants’ source of clues throughout the competition.

Getting Started
To begin the treasure hunt and win instant prizes along the way, participants need to add the YPurpleMaster to their Yahoo! Messenger list which is a system generated program that will automatically add them upon their request. The YPurpleMaster will then provide participants with instructions on how to obtain the keyword to open the box. Once the participants obtain the keyword, they need to go to http://yahoopurplehunt2.com.ph and submit the keyword in the Yahoo! Messenger Purple Box.

Steps to winning the Purplized Hyundai i10
Winning prizes and receiving clues are not limited to the online world. Offline, Yahoo has partnered with Magic 89.9 and Fox International Channels (Fox, Star World, Star Movies, Fox Family Movies, Fox Crime, FX, tvN, National Geographic, Channel V). Magic 89.9 will be airing the Magic Minute where the station’s DJs will randomly play the Yahoo! yodel at certain times of the day from 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM. During the Magic Minute, the keyword for the week will be revealed. Weekly clues will also be distributed on air on the Fox International Channels and all participants have to do is watch Fox (from 9:00 AM – 6:00PM) and wait for the Yahoo! commercial where the keyword will appear. Once participants obtain the key word, they will need to type it in the Purple Hunt 2.0 microsite to stand a chance to win prizes.

On top of this, participants will be asked to take a photo of themselves with any Hyundai car –whether it’s their own or on the street or in a showroom- and upload their image at www.flickr.com at the YahooPurpleHunt2 official Flickr group. Clues will also be distributed on the Flickr page so participants will have to look at all the photos carefully!

Once completed, participants will stand a chance to win instant prizes such as Nokia X2-01 mobile phones, Nokia MD-9 speakers, Smart Bro Bro prepaid pocket wifi and more. To be eligible to win the Hyundai i10 grand prize, participants will need to complete all online and offline activities for the entire 5-week duration of the campaign.

Finale Event
Staying true to the treasure hunt theme, participants will have to hunt for their own invites to the grand finale of the Purple Hunt 2.0. The grand finale will be a huge celebration of all things Yahoo! – fanfare, music and celebrities to culminate the 5-week campaign. The grand prize winner will also be awarded during the event where 17 finalists from Luzon, GMA (Greater Manila Area) and 3 from Visayas and Mindanao will compete for the Hyundai i10. All participants will have to attend the finale event should they want to be eligible for the grand prize but no finalist goes home empty handed. All finalists will still go home with cool Yahoo! prizes.

To learn more about the Purple Hunt 2.0, log on to http://yahoopurplehunt2.com.ph. Participants may join the games in the microsite beginning March 15, 2011.

Yahoo! reveals the top searches related to Japan earthquake

Our friends in Yahoo! sent us a news about the top searches and Yahoo! 's action to help those who are affected in the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. The percentage of search results and trending topics are over 500%, its a big surprise that everyone in the world are concerned and want to know more what's happening in Japan and its global effect.

its a great news... read the full story below


--press release --

The Japan Crisis illustrates a growing need for detailed earthquake and tsunami related information while evoking a deep sense of concern towards natural disasters

PHILLIPINES, 15 March 2011 – As Japan grapples from the aftermath of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, people all over the world resorted to prayers while seeking more information on the disaster. In an attempt to find out the top concerns of online users during this recent earthquake catastrophe, Yahoo! has meticulously aggregated searches from all over APAC (includes Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and Southeast Asia) to reveal detailed information on the most searched keywords - ‘Earthquake’ and ‘Tsunami’.

Yahoo! Search Trends witnessed a sharp spike in a short period of time relating to the news and information on the Japan earthquake and tsunami. In Taiwan, ‘earthquake’ and ‘tsunami’ related search queries increased 80,000% in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake. In Hong Kong, the search volume for keyword ‘earthquake’ spiked 4,000% and ‘tsunami’ 10,600% and both have remained the most searched keywords since then. Similarly, Korea witnessed a spike of 23,520% on the term ‘earthquake’ and 40,025% for ‘tsunami’. All of this reveals the deep impact the earthquake has rendered in the minds and hearts of people across APAC.

Users also resorted to making specific keywords searches with some variations such as ‘Japan earthquake’, ‘Japan tsunami’, ‘earthquake 2011’, ‘Japanese tsunami 2011’. In Singapore and Malaysia, the keyword ‘Japan tsunami’ had an increase of 30,450% and 9,100% respectively just within a day after the tsunami struck. Apart from specific keywords, APAC users looked out for graphical imagery of the disaster with searches on maps, videos and images of the disaster observing a significant spike.

With the news of the impact of the massive earthquake on the nuclear reactor and the fear of a nuclear meltdown, inquiries pertaining to nuclear energy, radiation, meltdown and its effects rose in significant numbers. Yahoo! Search Trends findings also revealed that this unfortunate tragedy has reminded users of Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear disaster in 1986. Searches on Chernobyl disaster, explosion, Chernobyl radioactive clouds was observed. Evidence of people being reminiscent of the past disasters also reflected in the Philippine searches for ‘ring of fire’ and ‘fault line map’, further illustrating the growing concern of the Filipinos and a stark reminder of their country’s vulnerability to quakes.

The search count on Yahoo! with regards to predictions and prophecies on the Japanese disaster, the ‘Nikkei” and ‘Tokyo stock exchange’, movies with disaster scenes like “Sinking of Japan”, “2012” and “The Day after Tomorrow” and rumoured death of Japanese personalities such as creator of Pokemon, Hello Kitty, actress Maria Ozawa, has been on the rise since the earthquake struck Japan.


A global concern and unified initiative
In times like this, we often see the softer side of people, their willingness to reach out and show solidarity at the time of crisis. In an effort to raise awareness, Yahoo! Answers in Singapore posted questions to educate online users - “What is the difference between a tsunami and a tidal wave because some broadcasters use the words interchangeably?”

A noteworthy observation by Yahoo! Search Trends was on the searches for the latest news updates and information on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In the Philippines, there was a drastic increase in the searches like ‘Tsunami Japan 2011’, ‘Earthquake Japan Tsunami’, and ‘Japan Earthquake and Tsunami’. Among the most searched topics, the Filipinos were also searching on several earthquake-related terms specifically to the Philippines on how susceptible the Philippines is to an earthquake. Some searches are ‘Philippines Fault Line Map’, ‘Pacific Ring of Fire Map’ and ‘Marikina Fault Line’.

Yahoo! too has pledged support to Japan during this unfortunate tragedy. Amongst several of its initiatives for the disaster, Yahoo! News is providing ‘How to Help links’ and the Yahoo! Frontpage is featuring a modified logo that drives traffic to its ‘How to Help links’.

Further, Yahoo! Korea is conducting an online campaign to raise funds of up to KRW 50 million for Japan earthquake relief in partnership with World Vision on its donation page, ‘Yahoo! Nanuri’ (http://kr.news.yahoo.com/nanuri/). This campaign which began on March 13, is in tandem with the global Yahoo! initiative for Japan and was the first such initiative among industry players to reach out to the on-line audience. As of March 14, Yahoo! Korea received donations of up to KRW 3,557,000.

Yahoo! Taiwan has raised US$1.17M for Red Cross and other non-profit organisations. Yahoo! Taiwan’s News' Face Book account has generated nearly 400,000 users participating in the action of "Pray for Japan" on Wretch and has seen more than 3500 blogs posted.

Yahoo!Kimo Charity, a platform that plays a bridging role to link up users and beneficiaries through the assistance of Non-profit Organisations from various fields, has raised NT 30 million dollars in donations within 72 hours and has further added 2 projects to source for an additional NT 10 million fund-raising.

Within Yahoo!, the company will match up to $1,000 per calendar year for gifts made to non-profit organisations by each of its full-time employees. Yahoo! deeply empathises with the people of Japan and would like to encourage the online community to get the latest and most relevant news from the Yahoo! site. We urge all to reach out and donate to our NGO partners on the Yahoo! platform and showcase a united front to help rebuild Japan.

Yahoo! Philippines’ Top Search Trends For Valentine’s

Yahoo! SEA announced our Philippines' top search trends for Valentines day. Everyone is now searching for gifts and other gimiks for Valentines day, Yahoo! was used by lots of internet users and let's see what our fellow pinoys are searching for.

more news below

PHILIPPINES, 11 FEBRUARY, 2011 – Love is in the air and Yahoo! Search Trends finds that Filipinos are true romantics at heart. Fully geared to celebrate the romantic day, Filipinos are looking out for just the right kind of messages, gifts and songs to woo the heart of their loved ones.

Findings from Yahoo! Search Trends show that the Filipinos surfed the web for Valentine’s messages, unique quotes and also for wedding related items. Valentine’s being a special occasion has been a season for marriage in the Philippines and hence the searches on wedding related items like cakes, flowers and dresses surged for the month of February.
Yahoo! Search Trends top Valentine’s searches are:

1. Greetings
2. Gifts
3. Shopping
4. Entertainment
5. Decoration

“Beyond popular searches for Valentine day messages, fun quotes and pop-up card searches in Valentine’s messages by the young, ranked high in the list. Filipinos wanted to show their special touch and focused on unique concepts and ideas for gifts. Interesting to observe is that prom and wedding related searches surfaced around this time and seems like the big day would double as a family reunion for a lot of the families,” said Zul Rejab, Editorial Manager, Search Content Analysis.

Entertainment as a category ranked amongst the top searches. The song ‘Valentine’ a duet between Martina McBride and Jim Brickman remained the most popular song for Valentine’s. Cute trends worthwhile to take note are searches on Disney cartoons characters such as Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Pocahontas for e-cards.

‘What to do and not to do’ on Valentine’s was a quirky search that resonated across all of Southeast Asia. This reflects the perfectionist disposition of the people in these countries who wanted an ideal and smooth Valentine’s celebration. Vietnam and Philippines remained among the most artistic Southeast Asian countries that preferred hand-made gifts as a sincere way to show their love and affection.

Being traditional at heart, the Filipinos not only searched for love ideas but also for decorations to rev up the day. Searches on Valentine hearts, cupids and angles spiked for the season and this could be attributed to the tradition in schools of making cards for family and friends on Valentine’s. Concerts and movies seemed to be in high demand this time as the Filipinos embark on the season for romance.

source: Ogilvy PR