Time to fight back!!!
April 27, 2008
Contrary to what you may be hearing and reading, the print Yellow Pages are NOT dead. Far from it.
It’s time for the 50,000+ people who make their living from this industry — publishers, agencies, and suppliers, to start to fight back. Now.
We’re going to use this site to provide you with the facts, the tools, and the links to confront and challenge anyone that doesn’t get it.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: yellow page, yellow pages.
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1.
Patti Spirko | May 9, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I just subscribed to your blog. You are absolutely right. If we are to have any staying power we must continually make a conscious effort to educate the public about the usefulness and value of the Yellow Pages.
2.
KenC | May 9, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Thanks Patti. Welcome aboard.
One way I plan to do that is to ask people to post or send me their real life experiences on how the Yellow Pages, especially the print versions, have been so important in their day to day life situations.
More to follow….
3.
guest | July 22, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I don’t see the harm is allowing people to ‘unsubscribe’ from receiving phone books. I haven’t used one since I started using the internet in 1996. Not to mention, being able to call 1 800 goog411 totally negates the ‘but what if you don’t have internet’ argument.
4.
KenC | July 22, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Hello “guest”
No one has said there is any harm if people want to unsubscribe. What this blog responds to are the many mistakes, inaccuracies, and down right lies that are being spread through hyperspace.
And I’m not sure mobile is the the solution you think it is. I travel frequently and have found the same experience in nearly every market that I have in the Raleigh, NC area –> you can’t drive around the city’s major belt line without losing the cell signal. This is the solution to a product that uses no energy, requires no special conditions, and is totally free???
Your print Yellow Pages is the original search engine. You should check it out.
5.
guest | July 22, 2008 at 6:51 pm
well, if i were driving around the Raleigh NC area, I most likely would not have a yellow book on me … so I’d be screwed regardless.
6.
KenC | July 22, 2008 at 6:58 pm
That’s where you are missing an opportunity — I have one of the smaller trim size books in the rear seat pocket for exactly that situation.
Did you know many have money saving coupons inside??? Could help you offset the price of the gas you are using…
7.
guest | July 22, 2008 at 7:05 pm
If you travel frequently, what good is a book of phone numbers and addresses of businesses where you live?
8.
guest2 | July 22, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I’m one of the people who takes the Yellow Pages delivered on my doorstep directly to the recycling center. I have not opened a phone book in years, and I think if you’re ignoring the request of people like me to unsubscribe then you’re doing a grave disservice to your brand.
I realize that you have ads to sell, but perhaps it’s time to change the way you do business based on the wishes of the consumer. My wish is to not receive pounds of paper annually that I’ll just toss in the recycling. I’m more the type of person who will use the YP iPhone application, if it’s good.
Ignoring what consumers are asking for is a dangerous way to do business.
9.
KenC | July 22, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Guest:
Traveling frequently doesn’t mean I don’t shop locally. When home, in a pinch, the book has far more information in the ads, maps, coupons, etc. than trying to navigate some 2″ big mobile screen.
You really should check it out. You don’t know what you are missing…
10.
KenC | July 22, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Guest2:
Thanks for the lecture, but you are really being a little obtuse. If you haven’t looked at the books, how would you know what’s in them?? Those printed books you say you never ever use are consistently changed based on the input of consumers.
And I’m happy you are enjoying your iPhone application — but where do you think all that great content is coming from? It is those same Yellow Page representatives working with small to midsized businesses to help them get their information where ever consumers may need it — in print, online, and yes, even on mobile devices.
11.
CraigW | July 23, 2008 at 12:33 am
I too would like the opportunity to unsubscribe from receiving phone books. I don’t have time to find a recycler, so they just go in trash and that’s a sad waste of a resource. Why can’t the publishers set up a system to opt-out or even better select what we want to receive?
KenC – Nice spin on not looking at the books, but with the arcane headings it’s just too time consuming to figure out where something might be. At lest on-line you can keep guessing and quickly see the results are right or wrong.
I’m sorry that some might loose their jobs, but how is this annoying annual ritual any different than what those telemarketers went through when it was finally clear to the industry (albeit forced by government regulation) that they weren’t wanted?
12.
KenC | July 23, 2008 at 1:27 pm
CraigW:
Your local government doesn’t have some type of curbside recycling?? Now that’s a true waste. Perhaps your angst would be focused on working with your local government to set one up instead of seeing everything headed to the landfill.
It’s not a spin that print is quicker than online. Am willing to challenge you on that anytime. My eye can scan and process multiple pages of a book faster than trying to wade through some million plus possible sites that a local search returns (unless of course you are using one of the Internet Yellow Page sites like SuperPages or Dexknows or YellowPages.com). The print ads also provide me with a perspective on the advertiser — a half page ad tells me a lot more about the company on a subjective basis than a nice looking website.
The industry may lose jobs on the print side, but they will gain them as more online products are added to the product mix. The purpose behind this blog was to provide the people that do work in the industry with an understand of what the print atheists are spewing erroneously across hyperspace.