Marc Tellier, the CEO of Yellow Pages Group recently said in the Globe and Mail that the fastest growing heading in his Yellow Pages for several years in a row now is “Tatoo Parlours”. Isn’t that remarkable? I would have no reason to reference that heading but you see everyone has a different use for this product including, Mr Tellier.

When you want to teach a dog a new trick you need lots of wieners in your pocket. At the Kelsey Group’s 30th Yellow Pages Conference in Orlando industry masters of the Yellow Pages Industry gathered to lick their wounds.

“Putting the customer in the centre of all we do is why we have been successful” says Carol Johnson, COO of Sensis Yellow Pages. And success is indeed the case. Telstra has just announced 8.4% growth for Sensis, Australia’s Yellow and White Pages.

 
 
The keywords and phrases people use when searching over the internet can be fascinating to observe. Recently though, one searcher caught my attention. They had typed into Google the following: “Selling Yellow Pages is getting harder”. Pausing to imagine the person behind the search I envisioned a veteran yellow pages sales representative facing sales rejection [...]

 
The Yellow Pages Industry, long ruled by an elite class, used to regular golf and 65% plus profit margins, needs to come to a new reality. The viability of the product is very much part of the new age but only if they listen to the needs of their customers, rather than driving them out of business [...]

 
Everyone thought Yellow Pages was dead, but Sensis believed that print never loses its touch. The recent financial success of ‘Australia’s Search Engine’ has actually proved that, in order to succeed, good management and determination are the most important factors. Taking a cue from the success of online search engines and Yellow Pages, the Sensis [...]

 
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 [...]

 
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 [...]

 
 
“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 [...]

Yes, the Yellow Pages industry has weathered all sorts of business climates in the past, but it has always managed not only to survive, but also evolve to meet current and future needs.

That is not a biased statement, by any account. Recent research data from the 2008 Yellow Pages Association Industry Usage Study conducted [...]

When deciding whether to spend advertising dollars on the Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) or on Search Engine Marketing you might want to consider the pros and cons along with these four main factors:
1. Ease of Use
Some of the challenges of SEM is the learning curve. This factor is especially relevant for small to medium enterprises [...]

The Yellow Pages are definitely not dead in Egypt and the same goes for Portugal, apparently. According to Armando Alves of the A Source of Inspiration blog (www.asourceofinspiration.com), they better not be.
Craigslist has just opened their Portuguese version and Google is starting to take local search and location based services more seriously in Portugal.
PAI (Portuguese [...]

While Sensis is based in Australia you can no longer say they are down-under. Their brilliant turn around had over 650 Yellow Pages industry executives gathered in LasVegas April 6-9 for the YPA Association Annual Conference, captivated. How did Sensis revitalize the print yellow pages and see up to 10% usage growth in urban centres?
Sensis [...]

Last March 17, Yellowpages.com announced a multiyear distribution deal with Microsoft. This month, Yellowpages.com’s local listings and advertisers will begin appearing across Microsoft properties, including, MSN Yellowpages, MSN Search, Live Search and Maps.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, according to a Kelsey Group report. Typically, however, these distribution deals involve a minimum guaranteed [...]

Here’s a bit of amusing Yellow Pages news from another corner of the world. Egypt Yellow Pages the official publisher of Yellow Pages branded products in Egypt announced last March 31 that it had nearly exhausted its entire current print run of its 2007/08 Yellow Pages print directories, the Cairo, Alexandria, Industrial Areas, Delta & [...]

Someone has been following in the giant’s foot steps. Yell.com, the UK equivalent of Yellow Pages, recently launched netReach, which is quite similar to Google AdSense. Their advertising syndication product is aimed at online media owners and Yell.coms advertiser base.
The services combines Yell.coms content with filtering techniques, and is designed to prevent inappropriate adverts being [...]

Strategic partnerships between companies seem to be paying for the Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), as proven by the significant and noteworthy increases in seach traffic throughout the nation. This was the result of a recently concluded study by research firm ComScore, DMNews.com reported at the end of last month.
According to ComScore, Yellowpages.com Network forged a [...]

Matchpoint.com had some interesting thoughts on the Yellow Pages industry. Like the Kelsey Groups March 13 report, they believe that the Yellow Pages are, essentially, all about leads since small businesses consider it such a dominant component of their local advertising efforts.
According to YPA usage data, print usage was stable at 13.4 billion and IYP [...]

It may not be that noticeable, but local search and search engine marketing are undergoing rapid change. What was once a one-dimensional, text-only environment is now full of other forms of media, including, most significantly, video.
According to RealSEO.com, a lot of search engines and directory publishers are currently paying close attention to video and seem [...]

Free online phone directory TelephoneNumber.com seems to have succumbed to the fun side, at least with their new audio feature. Just two months after officially re-launching their website with a host of new features, founder Mike McManigal already has something new and engaging up his sleeves.
Last Feb. 26, he announced a new feature, the Phone [...]

The annual Ocean Tomo Live IP Auction usually brings together hundreds of key decision-makers in the intellectual property and investment communities. During the Auction that will be held on April 2 at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, there will be an interesting patent for sale.
Clarke-Boler Technologies revealed that they will be offering Lot #51a (comprised [...]

Industry naysayers and pessimistic analysts can eat their words over this one. According to two recent studies conducted by comScore and the KN/SRI Industry Usage Study, the 2007 Yellow Pages usage grew to 17.2 billion searches in 2007, up from 16.7 billion in 2006. The findings are encouraging, to say the least.
The reports, which were [...]

The British Computer Society (BCS) recently reported on a Wiki business directory that was launched in the UK this month: Brownbook (www.brownbook.net).
It was named after one of its founders, Jerry Brown, an ex-directory industry executive who saw the potential of creating a ‘user-created’ local directory. Taking their cue from Wikipedia, they set about building Brownbook [...]

I received a very inspiring and impassioned letter from Dennis Fromholzer, President of CRM Associates, and someone who as an independent researcher has provided third party research to the yellow pages industry. Despite some negative forecasts, he believes the yellow pages has great potential and will continue to deliver products of great value.
He has every [...]

The Yellow Pages have gone virtual, in terms of mapping technology at least. Late last month, Microsoft Canada and the Yellow Pages Group (YPG) announced that the innovative imaging and location capabilities of Microsoft Virtual Earth mapping software is now available on YellowPages.ca, Canada’s leading online directory.
The addition of Virtual Earth technology to YellowPages.ca will [...]

Online videos are slowly becoming essential components of many directory sites, Canada’s Yellow Pages Group (YPG) included.
On January 16, YPG introduced its brand-new Profile Plus multimedia service an enhanced business profile web page on yellowpages.ca that will be launched this spring. It will now include video clips, photo galleries, and other useful information about merchants. [...]

Yellow Pages will survive the shift but some immediate changes must be made. On January 10, the analyst firm Kelsey Group released a report that identified what they termed as “Key Local Media Trends” to watch out for in the year ahead. The report touched on local search, interactive local media, vertical directories, classified media [...]

A recent press release from AT&T (Yellow Pages) revealed some interesting information for local businesses, the Local Advertising Journal reported last December 18. Here are some interesting statistics from the survey they conducted using 1,000 small businesses across the U.S.:
* twice as many small businesses use the Yellow Pages as opposed to other forms of [...]

According to The Local Onliner (the blog of veteran local-search industry analyst Peter Krasilovsky), YellowPages.com will see $1.5 billion across 3 AT&T screens by the year 2010.
While the other telcos have divested their Yellow Pages unit, AT&T still maintains that there is real synergy in pursuing a 3 screen strategy,  Krasilovsky wrote last December 12.
Rather [...]

Instant messaging is crucial component of workplace communication these days, and it’s growing in a rapid, exponential pace. With over 100 million users of instant messaging (and growing), InternetLabz.com has launched a new service by which instant messaging users specifically those that use AOL and MSN can look up a business phone number or address [...]

Last week, during the Kelsey Group’s well-attended Interactive Local Media 2007 conference in Los Angeles, SearchEngineWatch.com announced that the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) launched a new mobile section to its Local Search Guide.
The Local Search Guide (located on the web at www.localsearchguide.org) provides information on Internet Yellow Pages, search engines, search tools, vertical directories, and [...]

Last week, the new YellowPages.travel was finally launched. The new travel-savvy search site allows users to search leading travel websites such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, Kayak, HotWire, SideStep, TravelZoo and other major travel websites side-by-side (and on one screen) without having to search each website individually.

YellowPages.travel has found the solution for travelers that are [...]

There has been lots of discussion about value-based pricing models in the directory industry but for the most part it has been just that, talk. One of the first companies in North America to go whole hog and test a new pricing model is a new entrant to the world of yellow pages publishing, CanWest [...]

Amid predictions that ad-sponsored directory assistance through mobile phones will grow from 270 million calls in 2007 to 2.1 billion calls in 2012, the competition for mobile marketing and local search is quickly heating up.
There is Google and their 877-520-FIND, followed by 800-GOOG411. Then there is Microsoft, which acquired mobile directory service Tellme. As of [...]

As many insiders have trumpeted over the years, the future of the Internet is Local. It was precisely that long-standing belief that HelloMetro.com owes their current success to.
HelloMetro.com offers users the opportunity to get to know a city through local history, attractions, real estate, jobs, Yellow Pages, local resources and other partner sites that provide [...]

Over 500 industry representatives gathered this September in Reston, Virginia to hear the latest research and participate in discussions on current industry issues and trends. The DDC 2007 State of the Industry conference was opened by John Kelsey who provided a market overview of the Global Yellow Pages industry. He indicated that while the print [...]

Leadership and managing energy in a way are joined at the hip. Without one the other doesn’t exist. For me managing my energy is key to feeling balanced and to handling the day to day myriad of difficult issues surrounding the management of an exploding business. I have found that exercise is the means to [...]

In an age when search particularly local search is increasingly becoming the preferred solution by which consumers can find a specific product or service, it’s good to know that the Internet Yellow Pages still hold the advantage.
It may be hard to imagine how even the strongest and most established IYP brands can compete, given the [...]

According to a recent article by Michael Taylor (When Will Yellow Pages Come to the Social?) in the Kelsey Group blog, Yellow Pages publishers could be the drivers of creating Social Local Media (or SoLo, as they coined it).
Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), such yellowpages.ca, could be the drivers of localized social media verticals on lifestyle [...]

Last July 25, Yellow Book USA, one of the leading independent publisher of print and online yellow pages, announced that they have partnered with cable operator Charter Communications in a distribution and marketing deal.
Charter and Yellow Book will co-market products and services through a variety of sales and marketing channels, including each company’s advertising products [...]

The Financial Post reported that with the Yellow Pages Income Fund solid second quarter results, analyst Barbara Gray reaffirmed her “buy” rating and $15.50 price target. But Gray warned that her optimistic recommendation could be negatively affected as credit and private equity markets take a downward turn.
“Our $15.50 target includes a $2 leveraged buyout takeout [...]

Yellow Pages publisher R.H. Donnelley purchases Business.com

A few industry pundits poked fun at Business.com when the business-focused search engine payed a record $7.5 million for their domain name in 1999.
But since the company morphed from a business news portal into a business ad network five years ago, Business.com has become a veritable powerhouse. They now [...]

Two weeks ago, AT&T has announced the launch of a new directory assistance service available throughout California. The service, AT&T 1-800-YellowPages, gives consumers free access to business listings while providing advertisers the opportunity to reach buyers at a critical moment in their purchasing decisions.
“[The service] works like an audio Yellow Pages to give callers free [...]

Success with new media (which was the catchphrase of IBM’s recent report on the Media Divide) is all about tapping into the decidedly consumer-centric Web 2.0 medium, where content is user-generated and accessed through open platforms.
Take the popular Web 2.0 company, Yelp, for example. The San Francisco-based social networking and user review website hosts an [...]

The death of the printed medium is a contentious topic these days, as the online components of many publishers are enjoying increasing ad revenues.
But as a recent article, Rupert Murdoch shows that news isn’t dead, on ZDNet.com suggests, traditional publishing is still a good and highly profitable business
.
A case in point: Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corporation [...]

The Salt Lake Tribune carried an interesting story on how traditional telephone directories are slowly exploring the niche segments of the market.
After surveying his advertising options among the well-known yellow pages publishers, plumbing business owner Howard Uriarte decided to take the road less traveled. Instead of advertising his business through Dex (the official directory for [...]

Trade magazine Adweek recently reported that the competition in the Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) arena is heating up. This growing demand for more local search advertising options has triggered AT&T’s Yellowpages.com and other leading Web publishers to beef up their respective sites with new offerings, improved design, and better user experience.)
SuperPages.com announced a new list [...]

Going back to Bill Gates well-publicized speech (which, as you know, contained some bold predictions on the death of traditional media), STLtoday.com recently carried a story on Denny Payne President and Chief Executive Officer of SBC Directory Operations, and Chairman of the Yellow Pages Association a man who strongly believes the Yellow Pages will continue [...]

The new beta version of Yellowpages.com boasts many functional changes and improvements that will definitely appeal to a wide cross-section of users. Though Yellowpages.com is already positioned well in the local search world thanks to its strong brand presence, sales channel assets, and mobile and video initiatives they recently revamped the site and added key [...]

According to John Kelsey’s blog (blog.kelseygroup.com), the Yellow Pages is enjoying an optimistic wind blowing from Europe. He was referring to this year’s annual European Association of Directory Publishers (EADP) conference in Barcelona, in which Directories 2.0 was at the forefront of discussions.
Attended by 240 participants from 29 countries, the interactive program included topics such [...]

Thanks to YouTube, whose astonishing surge in popularity has welcomed online videos into the mainstream, small businesses now have a plethora of cost-effective options for online video advertising.
According to a recent report by the Kelsey Group, the emerging medium has reached a local level with an ecosystem beginning to form around the affordable production of [...]

In a recent article by the Seattle Times, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates predicted that the advertising business model for traditional media will slowly decline as web-based advertising comes to the fore.
The same article stated that advertisers will spend about $445.5 billion globally in 2007, according to a forecast by ZenithOptimedia. Of that, online is expected [...]

PCM International was recently honored at the 2006 Industry Excellence Awards of Yellow Pages Association, which was held on May 1 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Tony Vicich, the awards gala coincided with YPA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition: Masters of Transformation. PCM was a participant [...]

Recently I attended the 2006 Annual Yellow Pages Publishers Conference in Orlando, FL. There were 650 attendees from North America, Europe, and Australia.
The conference began with an overview on the state of the advertising industry. We are in an area of Permission Based Marketing. Consumers, who have been inundated with some 2,000 advertising messages a [...]

The recently published Yellow Pages 2006 Facts and Media Guide prepared by the Yellow Pages Association points to continued revenue growth for the $14.2 billion dollar Yellow Pages Industry.
There are several reasons why Yellow Pages continue to be successful when the other media have had a struggle to maintain market share.
But first, here is a [...]