DoSomething.org is leveraging mobile search to highlight social causes important to young consumers by accepting a 10 cent donation from Yahoo for every eligible search performed on a mobile browser throughout October.

Yahoo is ramping up the month-long initiative to showcase select causes that DoSomething, an organization dedicated to social change and young people, supports. The mobile-first approach of the campaign suggests that more charitable brands may find the right communication vehicles for driving donations on smartphones, especially if they seek to target millennial consumers.

“Most people around the world now access the Web through a mobile device, and we’ve seen the number of users who come to Yahoo’s network via mobile increase significantly over the last few years: we have more than one billion users worldwide, and over 600 million of them visit us through a mobile browser,” said a spokeswoman for Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA.

“We think mobile search can be a powerful tool to get people the information they need, right when they need it.”

Spotlight on search
DoSomething.org has selected Yahoo as its knowledge partner during the month of October, due to Yahoo’s expertise in helping users take action on their mobile phones. Yahoo will take the reins from the social cause-minded organization to boost awareness for select charities and causes supported by millions of young consumers.

“We partnered with DoSomething.org because they are experts at helping people take action,” Yahoo’s spokeswoman said. “Action is also at the core of Yahoo Search; we’re focused on delivering search results that help you get things done immediately from your mobile phone.

“We both believe that to take action and make a difference in the world, you need access to the right knowledge.”

The technology company is set to donate ten cents to DoSomething.org for each eligible search conducted via its mobile browser during the month of October, up to a maximum donation of one million dollars.

Consumers interested in participating in the campaign may visit do.yahoo.com on their smartphones the next time they would like to use a search engine. After the first search is completed, all addition searches made via Yahoo’s platform on the same device will trigger a donation.

The campaign will not collect donations made via searches on tablet devices or Yahoo’s mobile applications. Users should check to ensure all cookies are enabled on their smartphones prior to undertaking a search.

Consumers can easily look up the weather forecast, search for current news or read about their favorite celebrity while on-the-go, all while fueling donations. This campaign is likely to resonate with individuals passionate about social causes, and may help attract more millennials to donation-collecting efforts.

Individuals who visit the do.yahoo.com mobile site will also spot several clickable buttons at the bottom of the screen, containing world issues that DoSomething.org supports. Users may click on them to be taken to Yahoo’s results page, which displays content from DoSomething at the top.

Activating millennials
Mobile search may be an optimal communication vehicle for DoSomething.org to tap, especially as the company primarily focuses on catering to younger consumers. A vast majority of millennials revel in the constant connectivity that personal devices offer, and frequently use mobile search to satisfy any inquiries or questions they may have.

The ease of logging on to Yahoo’s dedicated microsite may also encourage plenty of participation, especially as consumers do not have to relinquish prime smartphone real estate by downloading another app.

Yahoo has also proven to yield significant outreach for its search results, prompting other major brands to leverage the search engine for mobile marketing campaigns.

Yahoo also pushes consumers to DoSomething.org’s content about certain causes

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Yahoo may soon find more charitable organizations knocking on its door for collaborations, especially if it offers donations for each search made via mobile.

“We just launched yesterday, and we’re already seeing strong engagement, including through our social media campaign,” Yahoo’s spokeswoman said. “We’ve partnered with several influential celebrity and social media personalities to help spread the word to their communities about these hugely important causes.”

Final Take
Alex Samuely, staff writer on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York