Yahoo’s 2015 Year in Review
Yahoo’s (YHOO) 2015 Year in Review, launched on December 2, provides a full picture of what captivated the company’s users by leveraging data from billions of searches across Yahoo, Polyvore, Flickr, and Tumblr.
For the first time, Yahoo is sharing insights from across its platforms: Polyvore looks at all things style, Flickr reveals the top photos of the year, and Tumblr offers a sneak peek into its annual review of top trends, which launches on December 8. On Yahoo women throughout Hollywood, professional sports, and on the campaign trail dominated the year’s top searches. In 2015, the Jenner family captured more attention than the Kardashian family, the color of a dress became a national phenomenon, and the iPhone remained at the top of consumer tech.
The untimely passing of Bobbi Kristina Brown, which came just three years after the unfortunate death of her mother, pop star Whitney Houston, drew tens of millions of searches and put her at No. 1 on the Top Searches on Yahoo list. Minecraft (No. 5) continues to be the ultimate video game of choice, making the list for the third year in a row. While Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner seemed content to stand in the background, Caitlyn Jenner (No. 3) emerged and brought transgender issues into the spotlight. Her daughter and fashion it-girl Kendall Jenner (No. 4) followed closely behind, and Kim Kardashian, a regular to the Yahoo most-searched list since 2009, landed at No. 7. Apple’s 6s announcement guaranteed the iPhone (No. 2) to make the top 10.
Top Searches on Yahoo in 2015:
1. Bobbi Kristina Brown
2. iPhone
3. Caitlyn Jenner
4. Kendall Jenner
5. Minecraft
6. Jennifer Aniston
7. Kim Kardashian
8. Katy Perry
9. Ronda Rousey
10. Farrah Abraham
Tumblr blogger Caitlin McNeill posted a visual challenge and a dress color briefly became a national phenomenon. Not surprisingly, America’s obsession with 「what color is the dress」 has a place in the top-buzzing crazes on Yahoo, as it was one of the biggest social debates this year. The controversial back and forth discourse on body shaming and the objectification of women took a twist with the man bun and dad bod. And Katy Perry may have been the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but it was her dancing sharks that became a national sensation.
Top-Buzzing Obsessions/Crazes on Yahoo in 2015 (top-searched + top gainers):
Katy Perry’s Super Bowl Halftime Sharks
Starbucks Holiday Cup
Man Bun
What color is the dress?
Whip/Nae Nae
Jurassic World
Back to the Future
Drake Dancing
Cecil the Lion
Dad Bod
With familiar names tossing their hats in the presidential ring, it was the lesser-known politicians who understandably generated more online buzz, raising questions about who they were and their qualifications for the top job. Carly Fiorina (No. 1), well-known for her career at HP, leads the list of top searched presidential hopefuls, followed by Bernie Sanders (No. 2). Former Secretary of State, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton comes in at No. 3, and Donald Trump takes the No. 5 spot, despite his unlikely surge among GOP candidates, while Ted Cruz rounds out the top 10.
Top Searched Presidential Hopefuls on Yahoo in 2015:
1. Carly Fiorina
2. Bernie Sanders
3. Hillary Clinton
4. Ben Carson
5. Donald Trump
6. Jeb Bush
7. Lindsey Graham
8. Scott Walker
9. Chris Christie
10. Ted Cruz
「Mad Men」 may have ended its series run, but its glam influence still lingers--most notably at the cocktail bar. The Old Fashioned (No. 1) was the cocktail of choice of Don Draper, and it seems to be Yahoo users』 favorite as well, followed by the Manhattan (No. 2), another whiskey favorite. Mojito (No. 3), Margarita (No. 7) and Bahama Mama (No. 10) also make the list as Yahoo’s top searched cocktails this year.
Top Searched Cocktails on Yahoo in 2015:
1. Old Fashioned
2. Manhattan
3. Mojito
4. Moscow Mule
5. Cosmopolitan
6. Vodka gimlet
7. Margarita
8. Sazerac
9. Sidecar
10. Bahama Mama
Throughout the year, searchers turn to Yahoo to answer any and every question. Among the standard questions about measurement conversions and sartorial protocol was the Tumblr-generated meme, 「What color is the dress?」 (No. 5), which may look familiar from this year’s top-buzzing obsessions list. 「How do you tie a tie?,」 which spikes every Friday and Saturday evening on Yahoo, topped the list at No. 1, and as searchers look to stay hydrated, 「How much water should you drink daily,」 rounded out the list at No. 10.
Top Searched Questions on Yahoo in 2015:
1. How do you tie a tie?
2. How many ounces in a gallon?
3. How many ounces in a pound?
4. How many ounces in a cup?
5. What color is the dress?
6. What is cloud computing?
7. When is Easter 2015?
8. When is the Super Bowl 2015?
9. How many weeks in a year?
10. How much water should you drink daily?
Tom Brady may be the gridiron equivalent of America’s sweetheart, so Deflate-gate was bound to be among the top sports controversies of the year (No. 3). Amazing performances, however, commanded an online following. Among them the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s spectacular World Cup win (No. 2), American Pharoah taking the Triple Crown (No. 4), and Serena Williams』 attempt at the Grand Slam (No. 7), captured the hearts and interest of fans. However, each of these was knocked out by the 「The Fight of the Century」 between Mayweather and Pacquiao (No. 1) on Yahoo’s most searched sports moments list for 2015.
Top Searched Sports Moments on Yahoo in 2015:
1. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao
2. U.S. Women's Soccer Team Wins World Cup
3. Deflate-gate
4. American Pharoah Triple Crown
5. Super Bowl 49
6. Rousey vs. Holm
7. Serena Williams Attempts Tennis Grand Slam
8. Jordan Spieth Sweeps All Major Awards for the PGA Season
9. Caitlyn Jenner ESPYs
10. Klay Thompson Record Breaking Quarter
Yet again, Apple took over the tech list, with iterations of its iPhone and iPad dominating the top 10. This year, however, curiosity about the Apple Watch elevated the old-fashioned timepiece in the digital gadget category. Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite PC whipping boy, Windows, became an event to watch: with the debacle of Windows 8 still familiar to many tech spectators, the promise of Microsoft Windows 10 – and its few glitches – pushed the operating system to No. 2.
Top Searched Tech Gadgets on Yahoo in 2015:
1. iPhone 6
2. Windows 10
3. iPhone 7
4. Samsung Galaxy s6
5. Apple Watch
6. iPhone 5
7. iPad Air 2
8. Microsoft Xbox ONE
9. Playstation 4
10. Amazon Kindle
Is Jon Snow dead or not? That question, along with other plotlines, like the suspense of Glenn Rhee’s fate, put 「Game of Thrones」 and 「The Walking Dead,」 respectively, into the top 10 most searched non-reality TV shows on Yahoo. 「Empire」 (No. 6), 「Orange Is the New Black」 (No. 8), and 「House of Cards」 (No. 9), also appear on the list.
Top Searched Non-Reality TV Shows on Yahoo in 2015:
1. The Walking Dead
2. Young and the Restless
3. Game of Thrones
4. Days of Our Lives
5. Bold and Beautiful
6. Empire
7. Sons of Anarchy
8. Orange Is the New Black
9. House of Cards
10. South Park
The bacon culinary trend continues to dominate. In 2015, bacon inspired a lot of recipe searches, including bacon wrapped brussels sprouts (No. 1), bacon wrapped scallops (No. 4), and potato soup with bacon (No. 10).
Top Searched Bacon Recipe on Yahoo in 2015:
1. Brussels sprouts with bacon
2. Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers
3. German potato salad with bacon
4. Bacon wrapped scallops
5. Bacon wrapped asparagus
6. Bacon wrapped chicken
7. Broccoli salad with bacon
8. Bacon wrapped smokies brown sugar
9. Bacon wrapped shrimp
10. Potato soup with bacon
Thanks to Polyvore’s community of millions of fashionistas from around the globe, Yahoo knows how shoppers were looking to update their wardrobes throughout 2015. Based on searches, it’s clear that the Polyvore community was obsessed with channeling its inner Carrie Bradshaw this year with tulle skirts coming in as the most sought-after style. Also included in this year’s top 10 were Athleisure staples like midi skirts, high neck swimwear, and crop tops.
Polyvore’s Top Fashion Obsessions of 2015:
1. Tulle Skirts
2. Gladiator Sandals
3. Denim Dresses
4. Two Piece Dresses
5. Midi Skirts
6. Fit and Flare Dresses
7. Camel Coats
8. Lace Up Heels
9. High Neck Swimwear
10. Crop Tops
For the third year in a row, Tumblr will present its own Year In Review with more than 100 categories of the top blogs, posts, people and moments from 2015. Unveiling Tumblr’s top solo artists of 2015 for an early look at this year’s trends, it’s no surprise that Taylor Swift lands the No. 1 spot. She has become the reigning Queen of Tumblr as she often takes to the platform to connect with her massive, fervent fan base. Behind her are Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Kanye West. Also unsurprisingly to Tumblr’s trend experts, newcomer Halsey lands in the Top 10, as her fandom has asserted her status among Tumblr monoliths like Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey and Drake.
Tumblr’s Top Solo Artists of 2015:
1. Taylor Swift
2. Nicki Minaj
3. Rihanna
4. Kanye West
5. Beyoncé
6. Lana Del Rey
7. Drake
8. Halsey
9. Marina & the Diamonds
10. Justin Bieber
Out of the billions of photos uploaded to Flickr in 2015, a photo of the SpaceX mission takes No. 1.
Flickr’s Top Photos of 2015:
1. SpaceX, CRS-4
2. Steve Garrington, Porthcawl Lighthouse Giant Wave
3. JK, SELF REFLECTION
4. Daniele Romagnoli, BORGO INCANTATO
5. Iwona, gooseheard
6. Elena Shumilova
7. George Probst, Magical light
8. Albert Droz, Typical Dutch!
9. David Olkarny, Keep Staring
10. Thomas Leuthard, OM-D E-M5II