We've been hearing a lot about this two-letter messaging app, so we took a deep dive to figure out what exactly it is and how brands can utilize its simplistic approach. This is an iris POV on the Yo App.

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YO! WHAT’S THE BIG
DEAL?A POV on the Yo App
December 2014
Confidential © 2014

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CONTENTS
§ What exactly is Yo?
§ Yo in Numbers
§ Why use Yo when we have other messaging apps?
§ What’s new with Yo? –Platform Updates
§ Should brands be on Yo?

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Yo’s offers users flexibility to subscribe to relevant
push notification services
SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS YO?
Yo is an app (launched on April 2014) with the singular function of sending
a Yo to friends , brands or content providers that one is subscribed to.
The app is based on the premise that the context (who is the sender, the
time of day and the situation) is more important than the content to
communicate, and a simple “Yo” effectively gets the message across.
It is easy to get started using the app after downloading it, one just needs
to invite their friends from their Contacts List and then start clicking on
their names to send them a Yo!
Its developers have even provided an API which lets brands join the
platform. Some of the innovative uses for the app so far have been:
• Users can share their location through Yo with a service to get local
recommendations, offers or weather updates
• Receive notifications through Instayo when a friends posts a photo on
Instagram and also receive a link to view it
• Notifications for emergencies (Earthquake Yo sends a warning if there is
an earthquake larger than 6.0 in magnitude)

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YO IN NUMBERS
$1.5 Million Received in Funding*
50,000 Users*
(and steadily growing)
*Figures as of July 2014
100 Millionth Yo Notification sent
on September 2014
Yo has gained a substantial user
base and funding from investors
since its launch in APRIL 2014

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Lo - an app which lets one request the location of their friends, to
which their friends can respond by just sharing their location.
WHY YO, DON’T WE HAVE ENOUGH MESSAGING
APPS?
Yes, we do but there are a host of other single-function apps like Yo that
are simple to use and having been steadily growing in popularity.
• Lo, which lets you share your location with friends when you get a
notification from them
• This, a social network in the beta phase that lets you share only one
link per day with your network
• Emojli, is an emoji-only network, where user names and messages are
created using emojis
These apps are in line with people shifting towards simpler app
experiences where they can perform a singular function in a distraction-
free environment (which can be a challenge in feature-packed apps).
Apps built on push-notifications are gaining a steady user base because
they provide a simple solution to a user need to communicate instantly
and seamlessly without sharing an extensive amount of personal data.

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The hashtag count generator
gauges the popularity of a hashtag
Yo enables users to easily share
links through notifications
WHAT’S NEW WITH YO?
Yo added a host of new features in August 2014 without compromising on the app’s
simple interface.,These features are especially useful for brands on the platform.
Easy identification of user profiles:
Since initially usernames weren’t associated with real names, this could lead to a
considerable amount of confusion. Now users can choose to show their full names along
with a photo, by letting others swipe right on their Yo profiles.
Attach a link:
Users can easily open and share links using Yo. If a user sees a (*) symbol next to a Yo,
tapping the notification would also open the link.
The Yo Index:
A centralized hub for discovering content providers and services that users might be
interested in receiving notifications from. It is integrated within the app itself.
Hashtags:
Yo hashtags lets users show their support for any topic of interest. Anyone can simply
add a hashtag to the Yo app and get their friends to share it by Yoing it.

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A glimpse of brands/content providers with a
presence on Yo
SHOULD BRANDS BE ON YO?
Brands are essentially turning pop-up notifications into branded interactions through
Yo and ensuring that they acquire a spot on the coveted homescreen on user’s
smartphones.
The ability to share a link with a Yo lets brands share exclusive content, offers etc. while
content publishers can send a notification every time they post a story.
Yo has an open API that allows any brand to join it. Once they join in, a brand appears
on the Index section of the app. Some brands that have a presence on the platform
already are the NBA, Citibike and Gett Taxi along side content publishers such as The
Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed.
Challenges:
Since Yo is a closed network, brands can’t rely on open broadcasts (as they do on
Facebook and Twitter). Creating relevant messaging based on what their user base is
sharing on Yo is difficult at this stage. Also, brands don’t have access to rich user
profiles and Yo is yet to offer robust analytics on usage.

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Monster.com - YO HOW YOU REALLY FEEL
ABOUT YOUR JOB
Monster.com created a campaign based on Yo’s simple push notification
capability.
It created Yo API Accounts such as ILOVEMYJOB, IHATEMYJOB and
INEEDAJOB. Users Yoed how they felt currently in their jobs to
Monster.com, thus interacting with the brand in a novel way.
Monster.com also got to collect some interesting statistics about its user
base on Yo, though the data is admittedly not indicative of its broader
audience. It was also able to target a younger audience base through the
platform.
Monster.com Yoed back at people, checking their user profiles and asking
for ways to contact them if they were looking for a job.
While not sharing exact numbers, Monster.com claims that subscribers to
Monster’s Yo account ran well into the thousands.

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THANKS!Questions? Thoughts?
Ritu Kanoria, Junior Community Manager
ritu.kanoria@iris-worldwide.com
Social Team @iris NY
socialny@iris-worldwide.com