Yahoo came to NC State as part of a national tour to universities intended to give out free concert tickets and promote a new streaming service.
The purple Yahoo bus arrived at NC State Thursday and remained until Monday before departing for its final destination of the tour in South Carolina. During that time, it was located prominently on the Brickyard.
As part of the tour, Yahoo employees gave out free tickets for tonight’s Charli XCX concert in Carrboro. Charli XCX is a chart-topping pop artist famous for her song “Boom Clap.”
“The setup certainly catches your attention,” said Navneet Atwal, a sophomore in biochemistry. “It is cool that they are giving out free tickets.”
According to Yahoo employees, Yahoo will provide transportation to and from the concert. Three buses will take ticketholders from D.H. Hill Library on Hillsborough Street to Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro tonight.
As part of the three-day event, students had the opportunity to play a game at one of the three stations set up by the Yahoo bus in the Brickyard to unlock the opportunity to win various prizes such as JBL Pulse, Fitbit Flex and a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. The game involved using a phone as a controller for a game on a tablet.
Students generally had a good reaction to Yahoo’s display in the Brickyard, but some were confused about what purpose it served.
“I was confused at first. I didn’t know what they were doing, and I didn’t know who Charli XCX was either,” said Sharon Pymento, a junior in biology. “I then realized she is actually the writer of ‘Boom Clap,’ which is a pretty popular song, and I think it’s awesome what they are doing. It’s a free concert if you are part of the first 700.”
Seating at the Charli XCX concert will be available on a first-come first-serve basis.
According to a Yahoo employee, part of the purpose of the program is to engage with students and educate them about new products from Verizon and Yahoo, such as the Yahoo Screen App, a free music and video streaming service.
This is the second year Yahoo has done the On the Road tour, but it is the first year it has visited college campuses. According to Yahoo, NC State is the second-to-last stop on the East Coast tour. A similar tour is running on the West Coast.
“It’s harmless, but not that interesting,” said Adam Rogers, an emerging technologies services librarian at NC State libraries. “I guess the game with the phone and the tablet was kind of interesting, but it was not clear on how it worked. But, like everyone, I like free stuff.”
Other attendees saw the tour as a fun experience. The event ran until 5 p.m. each day, after which the daily prize winners were texted.
“I think it’s good. I think it’s run well, and it’s organized,” said Noah Chomsky, a freshman intending to major in environmental engineering. “I like it. The people are friendly; they explained what you have to do well. It makes for a really good experience.”
