FEATURE/PlayStation 2, Eminem and American Idol Top of Mind in 2002; Yahoo! Reveals Most Popular Search Terms

Business Wire, Dec 26, 2002

High-Tech/Entertainment Editors

FEATURE...

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 26, 2002

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading global Internet company, today revealed the most popular search terms of 2002. Based on insight into the searches conducted by Yahoo!'s more than 200 million users worldwide, the search terms are a benchmark of consumer interests and trends this year.

Continuing from its success in 2001, the Sony PlayStation 2 was again the overall most popular search term for 2002, followed by singer Britney Spears, retaining her number two spot from 2001 and Japanese anime franchise Dragon Ball Z, moving up from 2001's number four ranking.

The Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 10 Leaders for 2002:

1. PlayStation 2

2. Britney Spears

3. Dragon Ball Z

4. Kazaa

5. Eminem

6. WWE

7. Morpheus

8. Internal Revenue Service

9. Jennifer Lopez

10. Harry Potter

Music and music-related searches dominated the top 10 most-searched topics in 2002. In the wake of Napster's demise, peer-to-peer file sharing sites like Kazaa and Morpheus replaced the pioneer's position in the top ten, showing that the demand for online music sites remains strong. Music stars Eminem and Jennifer Lopez, both with new albums and films released in 2002, also moved into the top 10 from numbers 14 and 11 respectively.

"Music-related searches were the focus in 2002, whereas last year we saw more national news stories featured within the top search terms due to the events surrounding September 11," said Srinija Srinivasan, editor-in-chief, Yahoo! Inc. "This reflects the changing focus of the nation as people returned to normal patterns of daily life."

Interestingly, the Internal Revenue Service jumped from the number 10 spot (in 2001) to the eighth ranking, a sign of the increasing number of people who now search for tax information online particularly around the tax season.

Other notable leaders in 2002 in specific categories include:

The Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 10 Leaders -- Toys

1. Barbie

2. Pokemon

3. Hello Kitty

4. Yu-gi-oh Cards

5. Zoids

6. Lego

7. Hot Wheels

8. Transformers

9. Beyblade

10. American Girl dolls

Although several new toys hit the market in 2002, Barbie continues to outlast all toy fads and reigns supreme. Beyblade, a game of fast-spinning 'high performance battling' tops, turned out to be one of the hotter toys this year, with searches more than doubling in the months preceding the holiday shopping season. Legos, Hot Wheels, and Transformers were all in the top ten, with Hello Kitty making a strong showing at number three, most likely due to the brand's popularity this year in the fashion world.

The Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 10 Leaders -- Reality Shows

1. American Idol

2. Big Brother

3. Survivor

4. The Bachelor

5. Trading Spaces

6. Jackass

7. The Anna Nicole Smith Show

8. The Amazing Race

9. The Real World

10. The Osbournes

While some pundits believe the reality show era is starting to fade, 2002 was another big year for Americans watching ordinary people in challenging situations, as well as celebrities going about the business of their daily lives, such as MTV's phenomenon The Osbournes and E!'s The Anna Nicole Smith Show. American Idol started generating buzz and searches at the end of June and continued until early September when Kelly Clarkson won the competition.

The Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 10 Leaders -- Medications

1. Viagra

2. Paxil

3. Zoloft

4. Celexa

5. Xenadrine

6. Prozac

7. Wellbutrin

8. Vioxx

9. Celebrex

10. Effexor

While Viagra continues to lead the pack, this year, six out of the top ten most popular medication searches were for depression-related drugs. This could be explained by the fact that there is a marked increase in the number of people who are seeking treatment for depression, according to a recent Journal of the American Medical Association study (January, 2002). In fact, depression was the third most popular health-related search term in 2002.

The Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 10 Leaders -- Gen X and Baby Boomers

Generation X (21-34)

1. Eminem

2. Kazaa

3. Britney Spears

4. Morpheus

5. Shakira

6. Nelly

7. NASCAR

8. Jennifer Lopez

9. Madonna

10. Pink

Baby Boomers (35-54)

1. NASCAR

2. Kazaa

3. Neopets

4. Harry Potter

5. Eminem

6. Morpheus

7. Britney Spears

8. NFL

9. Nelly

10. Dragon Ball Z

Dividing this year's most popular search terms between demographics shows some interesting similarities and differences. While each generation's number one search terms seem to fall within predictable expectations, the fact that Britney Spears, Morpheus and Nelly are included in both groups would suggest that interest in these topics span generations. Also, the appearance of Harry Potter and Neopets on the Baby Boomers' list is probably due to parents searching for these items for their children.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading provider of comprehensive online products and services to consumers and businesses worldwide. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and the most trafficked Internet destination worldwide. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo!'s global network includes 25 World properties and is available in 13 languages.