MUMBAI: As a part of its global It's Y!ou... brand campaign that began in late September, Yahoo! Inc. is inviting people to participate in the creation of the next generation Yahoo! yodel.

Yodel Studio will also kick-off today with one-day, live events in New York City, London and Mumbai, to create a synchronized, global musical exhibition  Professional recording studios will be opened at these locations with the backing of a live yodel Studio house band and each local extravaganza will involve celebrities and musical artists who will serve as in-studio coaches to help yodelers deliver the best performance possible.

In India, Shankar Mahadevan will be joining the â€?It's Y!ou' brand campaign and host the event along with celebrity participants VJ Nikhil Chinappa and Shaa'ir + Func on October 14, 2009 at High Street Phoenix Mill, Mumbai 

I believe music is the most personal form of self expression and yodel is one way to celebrate one's individuality. As Indians, we are well aware that word â€?Yahoo' itself resonates with a yodel. I am very excited to be a part of this unique initiative by Yahoo! which is fun-filled, lets people express their individuality and provide a chance to express themselves. I am looking forward to interact with large audiences and help them yodel at Yahoo! yodel Studio,... says singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan 

The best yodels will be featured on the Yahoo! Homepage. In addition, for every participant recording a yodel, Yahoo! will donate 100 INR to India's Child Relief and You (CRY) organization.

For the uninitiated, the Yahoo! yodel was established in 1996 as a mnemonic device to help people make the association with the brand and the euphoria of finding what they were looking for online. The classic yodel was created by yodeling cowboy Wylie Gustafson and aired at the end of Yahoo!'s first television commercial in May 1996. While the company's new campaign consists of myriad new yodels, including those sought by yodel Studio, the original will remain part of Yahoo!'s ongoing legacy.

The foundation of the �It's Y!ou' campaign is about making the web more personally relevant to each of our consumers, so it's important that we engage the world in the creation of our new yodel,... said Elisa Steele, Yahoo! executive vice president and chief marketing officer. It's essentially a unique form of user generated content that honors the millions of people who visit Yahoo! every day....

For more info: http://yodelstudio.yahoo.com.