Elf Yourself

{{Short description|American interactive website}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Elf Yourself

| logo = Elf Yourself screenshot.jpg

| logocaption = Elf yourself early logo (pictured during JibJab's authorship)

| screenshot =

| caption =

| url = [http://www.ElfYourself.com Elf Yourself website]

| type = Christmas

| registration = none

| language = English

| num_users =

| content_license = free for users

| owner = Office Depot

| author = {{unbulleted list|Evolution Bureau (2006-2007)|"Toy. (2006-2007)|JibJab (2008-2011)|Oddcast (2012-present)}}

| editor = {{unbulleted list|JibJab (2009-2011)|Oddcast (2011-present)}}

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2006|12|df=yes}}{{cite web |title=Elf Yourself page snapshot |url=http://www.elfyourself.com/ |date=December 5, 2006 |publisher=Wayback Machine |access-date=May 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201000000/http://www.elfyourself.com/ |archive-date=1 December 2006 |url-status=dead}}

| revenue =

| current_status = Holiday season only

| footnotes =

}}

Elf Yourself is an American interactive website where visitors upload faces of themselves or their friends and have the option to post the created video to other sites or save it as a personalized mini-film.{{cite news|url=http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1692028/officemax-adds-social-element-elf-yourself-2009|title=OfficeMax Adds Social Element to Elf Yourself 2009|last=Quenqua|first=Douglas|date=November 19, 2009|newspaper=ClickZ|access-date=May 30, 2012}}{{cite book|last=Othmer|first=James P.|title=Adland |year=2009|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |isbn=978-0385524964|pages=243–250|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxlqaqRhUvwC&q=%22Elf+Yourself%22&pg=PA247}} Globally, over two billion elves have been created since the application was first introduced in 2006.{{Cite news |title=Office Depot, Inc. Elf Yourself® App Creates One Billion Elves and Adds New Themes to Spread Holiday Cheer |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151104005115/en/Office-Depot-Elf-Yourself%C2%AE-App-Creates-Billion |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241001033056/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151104005115/en/Office-Depot-Elf-Yourself%C2%AE-App-Creates-Billion |archive-date=2024-10-01 |access-date=2025-01-10 |language=en}} The video and website were created by Evolution Bureau (EVB), in collaboration with New York company "Toy." for Office Max's holiday season advertising campaign.{{cite news|url=http://creativity-online.com/news/jason-zada-leaves-evb/130544|title=Jason Zada Leaves EVB|last=Aditham|first=Kiran|date=August 26, 2008|newspaper=Creativity Magazine|access-date=May 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017064513/http://creativity-online.com/news/jason-zada-leaves-evb/130544|archive-date=October 17, 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1701853/dancing-elf-video-site-back-second-year|title=Dancing Elf Video Site Back for a Second Year|last=Nelson|first=Matthew G.|date=November 26, 2007|newspaper=ClickZ|access-date=May 29, 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/profile-jason-zada-95679|title=Jason Zada Profile|last=Parpis|first=Eleftheria|date=May 8, 2008|newspaper=Adweek|access-date=May 29, 2012}}

The Elf Yourself website and advertising campaign first launched for the Christmas holiday season in early December 12, 2006, and has returned each subsequent season. After being contracted by OfficeMax to create multiple websites for their holiday campaign, "Toy."{{cite news|last=Colleen Long Associated Press |title=Elf yourself with holiday eCards |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2006/12/elf-yourself-holiday-ecards |access-date=May 31, 2012 |newspaper=Virginian-Pilot |date=December 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017080849/http://hamptonroads.com/2006/12/elf-yourself-holiday-ecards |archive-date=October 17, 2013 }} contracted with Evolution Bureau to create a suitable holiday-themed website and application.{{cite news|last=Morrissey|first=Brian|title=Shops Strive for a New Formula|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/shops-strive-new-formula-96250#1|access-date=May 30, 2012|newspaper=Adweek|date=June 30, 2008}} Evolution Bureau then developed the Elf Yourself application for use with the OfficeMax holiday marketing campaign. The original release featured only one elf, portrayed by Danielle Bárcena, and received 200 hits a second. In later releases, additional elves were added to the application and viewers could upload different images for each elf. Still later, social media applications were added, included those allowing viewers to save and/or download the films they had created through visiting the website. In 2008, OfficeMax partnered with JibJab and added a registration requirement in order to use the site. Traffic dropped to 56 million. JibJab worked to "enhance the performance and distribution of the videos."{{cite news|last=Burns|first=Enid|title=Elves and Mistletoe Put Viral Campaigns in the Holiday Spirit|url=http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1698834/elves-mistletoe-put-viral-campaigns-holiday-spirit|access-date=May 30, 2012|newspaper=ClickZ|date=November 19, 2008}}

In 2009, the campaign being run by JibJab, the registration requirement was dropped, and social elements were added.{{cite news|last=Whitehead|first=Jennifer|title=Online elf craze is back, with added social networking goodness|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/965571/Online-elf-craze-back-added-social-networking-goodness/|access-date=May 30, 2012|newspaper=Brand Republic|date=November 10, 2009}} Also in 2009, to further promote the Elf Yourself website, OfficeMax contracted with Tribal DDB and Grand Central Marketing to create a flash mob of 400 dancers dressed in Elf Yourself costumes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.grandcentralmarketing.com/officemax-elf-yourself/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405042806/http://www.grandcentralmarketing.com/officemax-elf-yourself/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-04-05|title=OfficeMax "Elf Yourself" PR and Viral Video|date=2011-04-05|access-date=2018-12-02}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.grandcentralmarketing.com/officemax-elf-yourself/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409181653/http://www.grandcentralmarketing.com/officemax-elf-yourself/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-04-09|title=OfficeMax "Elf Yourself" PR and Viral Video|date=2012-04-09|access-date=2018-12-02}}