Having launched a UK version of the popular US celebrity news site omg!, Yahoo! asked Crowd DNA to review the positioning of the channel in the wider entertainment news market and identify how to grow the site's audience base among its core target audience – younger women.

We also undertook a similar study in France – to understand the need for celebrity news in this market, how French consumers access celebrity news and in particular which audiences there have similar mindsets to UK consumers'.

Using myriad research methods covering desk research, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and including rich sound bites from in-home and street interviews, we conducted a comprehensive review of the celebrity news market in both markets. Our remit was to understand entertainment news consumption across all media, the role of online in the mix, consumer journeys and need states as well as uncovering quick wins, opportunities and long term strategy guidance for Yahoo! omg! in the UK and, for France, establishing tone of voice, content and where celebrity news and gossip should sit within the on the Yahoo! France website.

Our findings identified different types of celebrity fans, how they are satisfying their celebrity news fixes and how omg! UK/Yahoo! France can best serve them. We also gave clear guidance on depth vs breath and how to obtain the most commercially viable media offering to win over new audiences. As a result, Yahoo! has moved into the three biggest entertainment news sites on comScore within six months and the results are also being used to educate potential advertisers and sponsors about how Yahoo! can win by pleasing both its consumer and advertiser needs.

'Crowd DNA immediately grasped our research briefs (for both the UK and France), designing robust methodological approaches which enabled them to understand both the granular detail of celebrity news consumption and the wider landscape in which it sits. The team showed in-depth media understanding,
considered commercial application to insights and appreciation of the diverse needs of the different Yahoo! stakeholders. Their outputs brought the audiences to life and their clear, actionable recommendations have proved invaluable for growing omg!¹s audience, which has now reached over three million monthly unique visitors (comScore MediaMetrix - February 2012) in the UK market." Paul Hardcastle, Head of Consumer Research & Insights, EMEA, Yahoo!