The demand is definitely growing for new communications services which strategically enhance customer service and build a competitive edge.

Last May 6, Innovectra, an online advertising technology pioneer and the first company to publish an integrated electronic Yellow-and-White pages directory, announced a new speech technology partnership with Audiopoint to enhance Innovectra’s ActivImpact offering.

 This new partnership is designed to extend and enhance revenue generation activities for the company’s Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) partners and the millions of advertisers they represent. The new voice service will be marketed under ActivImpact as Activ411.

“Audiopoint’s R&D continues to push innovative speech technology making our partnership a perfect fit. Their speech platform seamlessly complements and enhances our digital advertising platform and offers consumers another easy way to find the local products and services they need,” said Thomas C. Lewis, CEO of Innovectra. “Offering our IYP partners another channel for consumers to reach their local advertisers is a powerful platform extension.”

With Activ411, Innovectra will provide simple voice based access to all of its web-based publisher’s IYP directory data and services through the use of the standard telephone and mobile cell phone. All the user needs to do is speak.

ActivImpact, announced last January 2008, was designed to impact and improve the performance of IYP’s online search properties. In addition to the newly announced Activ411 technology, the other features of ActivImpact include SEO, SEM, Mobile, Widgets, LeadSites, Video ads and Dynamic Couponing.

Here’s something that could quickly invade the Yellow Pages. Michael Taylor of The Kelsey Group reported that a new “quick response” bar code technology, called QR Codes (created in Japan by Denso-Wave) was introduced in Singapore last March.

“Branded as ZapCodes, the two-dimensional bar codes enable mobile phones equipped with cameras and special software to download information or link users to Web sites for more information,” Taylor wrote.

According to the Singapore-based Straits Times, “ZapCodes add an interactive element, a new dimension to 2-D advertising. They pack more value into your print advertisements…ZapCode allows users to simply point their mobile phone cameras at a ZapCode icon and click. When installed on a mobile phone or PDA, the software reads and deciphers the ZapCode and triggers the sending of data back to the mobile device. The data, in the form of a WAP (URL) site, may contain extra information and pictures, vouchers, music and even videos.”

Taylor believes the technology has the potential to drive traffic and usage to both the online and print versions of the Yellow Pages. “One of the executives I was working with needed information about a restaurant and saw the directory ad had a QR code. With a snapshot from his mobile phone camera, he was able to quickly download the pertinent contact information and store it in his address book.”

In the US, the technology has been used for product data, replacing outdated simple bar code technology. Japan and Singapore, however, clearly recognize its wider marketing potential. According to eMarketer, more than 60 percent of U.S. mobile phones have built-in cameras, providing a solid base of potential customers who could use the QR code technology.

“If a critical mass of QR codes could be driven into Yellow Page directories, it would represent the largest collection of QR codes in one place, adding another level of relevance and usefulness to the print directory,” Taylor added. “Utilizing QR codes in the print book would drive traffic to Internet Yellow Pages and profile pages that provide more information, online coupons and video, thus driving consumer interest in contacting and purchasing products and services.”

Yellowbook recently launched their new integrated marketing campaign entitled “Say Yellow to the Future.” The campaign includes a full branding makeover with a new streamlined logo and a name conversion to one word (formerly Yellow Book), new television commercials by Oscar-nominated Hollywood director Vadim Perelman, and newly-designed print directories that present the company as “a forward-thinking, innovative digital force of the future.”

The newly condensed name and fresh typeface give Yellowbook a sleeker, more digitally-focused feel. Part of the new logo depicts an evolution of the traditional industry-wide walking fingers icon. The book is removed and the fingers could now pass for walking or running through pages, pointing or clicking – an adaption to reflect the growing versatility of Yellowbook’s search options.

“Local businesses have relied on Yellowbook for more than 75 years to drive and support their client base,” said Gordon Henry, Yellowbook’s chief marketing officer. “While 87 percent of Americans use traditional yellow pages, there’s been exceptional growth online. Yellowbook.com has seen explosive growth in unique visitors, and our search engine advertising product, WebReach, has gained tremendous momentum. This campaign is part of our commitment to continued innovation and, importantly, to helping consumers find what they’re really looking for—wherever they search.”

The new “Say Yellow to the Future” campaign represents a natural evolution of Yellowbook’s brand and its goal to help local business remain visible and accessible in an e-commerce society.

In one of the new television spots, set in the future, a bullied boy with an extreme wedgie returns from school. He turns to Yellowbook on his touch-screen and a holographic sensei leaps from the screen into his living room – transforming the boy into a martial arts whiz, brimming with self-confidence. A second TV spot, also set in the future, features Blanca Soto, former Miss Mexico World, as a bride-to-be who needs an embarrassing tattoo removed before her wedding. Her interactive Yellowbook guide helps her on her quest for a clean slate.

“The TV executions are fairly simple storylines, but the subtext of the spots is that Yellowbook will not only help you find a local business, but a higher order emotional benefit like self-confidence or a fresh start,” said Michael Jordan, creative director for Gotham, Inc.

The last scene in each ad showcases and directs viewers to visit yellowbook.com. The site’s consumer interface was recently redesigned, offering an enhanced overall user experience and greater relevancy in search results as well as advanced interactive mapping. The new campaign follows on the heels of the Yellowbook Network being named the top-gaining web property in the United States in March of this year, according to comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world.

Yellowbook’s multi-media advertising campaign will launch on national TV and cable networks and national print publications. In addition, Yellowbook is expanding its marketing campaign to include online digital display.

Yellowbook developed the campaign in partnership with the New York City-based ad agency Gotham Inc. The television spots were shot by Vadim Perelman, acclaimed director of “The House of Sand and Fog” and the newly released “The Life Before Her Eyes.”

“Small businesses today are very conscientious about spending, but advertising is an important operating investment because businesses always need reliable ways to attract new customers and increase sales,” said Neg Norton, president of the Yellow Pages Association (YPA). “The most important thing small businesses can do is have the proper resources in place to handle all the inquiries generated from their advertising programs.”

Indeed, both print and Internet Yellow Pages are a valuable source for generating sales leads from new customers. According to the 2008 Yellow Pages Usage Study conducted by Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research, Inc. (KN/SRI), among those consumers making a purchase after referencing the print Yellow Pages, 39% were new customers to the business they chose. Internet Yellow Pages usage shows that 51% of purchasers were new customers to the business.

The YPA offers small businesses the following tips for making the most of new business leads:

1.  Answer the Phone & Return Messages Promptly

As many small businesses are understaffed, it is important to dedicate someone who is qualified to respond to phone calls and voice messages as these inquiries are coming from customers who are ready to buy. This is especially important for service businesses, as the majority of these potential customers make a phone inquiry. Examples of headings for which consumers are more likely to make a phone call include: Contractors, Movers, Financial Services, Karate & Martial Arts Instruction, Dancing Instruction, Home Health Services, and Kennels.

2.  Check Email Frequently

As more and more consumers use the Internet to search for businesses, it is essential that your ads contain your email address. Again, customers who take the time to contact you are ready to buy. Some headings that are more likely to generate online inquiries include: Banquet Facilities, Limousine Service, Photographers-Portrait, Employment Agencies, Health & Fitness Club/Gym, Burglar Alarm Systems and Travel Agencies.

3.  Track Leads

Make sure every customer is asked about where they found your business so you can better track lead generation and measure the

performance of your advertising programs. Most Yellow Pages publishers offer metered ad programs that allow advertisers to insert a unique telephone number in their ad, so they can quantify the number of leads the ad is generating. While almost 9 out of 10 Yellow Pages users intend to make a purchase, certain headings have an increased tie from inquiry to sale, for example Mattresses, Bowling, Photo Finishing-Retail, Spas & Hot Tubs, Bridal Shops, Florists, among others.

First they spurned the Microsoft merger, and now Yahoo! is ready to throw some glue. According to a report on CyberMedia News last May 8, Yahoo! India launched a new search experience named Glue Pages Beta (check out www.yahoo.in) which collates and integrates the most relevant information from across the web onto a single “visual” search results page.

Glue Pages Beta, which aggregates text, images, and video content, is available for select search terms across categories such as health, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, and finance. It is designed to save time by offering a new way to find answers quickly. Glue Pages Beta is ideal for topics with broad coverage across a variety of information sources.

For example, a search for “diabetes” combines results from HowStuffWorks, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Health, Yahoo! Answers, and blogs. Results will be displayed alongside classic Yahoo! India Search results. Consumers will also find links for other Glue Pages on topics related to their query.

“Searching on Glue Pages Beta will result in an experience that promises more than just web links. Users will receive more relevant, visually appealing search results from across the web in one topical page. This demonstrates our commitment to provide a compelling online search experience,” said Gopal Krishna, Head of Audience, Yahoo! India.

“Glue Pages Beta limits guesswork for the user by providing the best of web, all onto one ‘at-a-glance’ page. Over time, Glue Pages Beta will be made available to more categories that are relevant to users in India. We hope to work with a wider ecosystem of consumers, publishers, developers and advertisers in the future,” said Sandeep Shrivastava, director, search, Yahoo! India.