Well, if there was ever a white flag of truce thrown up by an industry under fire, it is this one: the Yellow Pages industry has created an opt out of delivery site at http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/. Here is the home page:

There is a Canadian version as well, but the message there is not as glaring as the US site. Check it out here.

This move means several things regarding the state of the Yellow Pages print industry.

1. The industry is feeling pressure. If you have driven past or even dropped off Yellow Page books at the special dumpsters for them, there is a clear message that these directories are simply not wanted. Now YP groups will say those are just the old, out-dated versions being recycled, but I know I have thrown current versions in there just to get them out of the way from wherever they landed in my house (usually the garage).

These dumpsters are due to pressure from environmental groups and from people who simply don’t want the delivery to begin with. In other words, it’s better for the YP industry to police itself or have more situations like the one in Seattle, which levied a 14-cent fee per book delivered by Yellow Pages distributors.

2. The industry is changing. It wasn’t too long ago that an action like an Opt Out of the Yellow Pages delivery Web site would have been seen as an act of heresy. I suspect that there has been a realization that taking certain actions will be seen as positive moves to keep any wolves at bay, so rather than circle the wagons the YP industry will play the game.

3. The industry suspects that impact will be nominal. I don’t know how this site is being promoted, but I doubt there is much effort by the YP folks to draw a lot of attention to it. Personally, I tweeted it so my Twitter followers would be made aware. I suspect that the YP industry knows that beyond the highly technical crowd, the masses will likely never know this exists. Perhaps they are banking on that.

4. The industry is rattled. To sum up these points, it looks as if the Yellow Page industry is back on its heels. Bankruptcies (RH Donnelly) and overall trashing of the medium for sales tactics, coupled with an antiquated perception by consumers and marketers alike has the industry on the ropes. They need to look like they care about moving forward and adjusting to the new digital world order.

5. The industry needs to concentrate online. The online Yellow Pages are also struggling because Google has taken away some of their search bread and butter. Google’s changes in how the SERPs render local search results (the heart of any YP offering) has moved online directories down the pecking order of what is considered a good result for a searcher looking for services.

Of course, there are cries of foul play by Google (and maybe Bing, too, since they copy Google’s results!) but the fact of the matter is, that as a searcher myself, I hate being directed by Google to another directory that I have to maneuver through. That’s a bad search result. I want actual businesses that do something rather than a third party aggregator’s version, loaded with their advertising.

In the end, this move by the Yellow Pages industry is one that needs to be watched. We live in a world where the appearance of "taking care of business" is easy to create. Many of these kinds of efforts are by industries merely looking to avoid lawsuits—what I call "Wizard of Oz moves." "What’s that?" you ask? It’s simply creating something that looks like a huge gesture but when you pull back the curtain there’s more "show than go." In this case, I bet that the industry is making this look like a grand gesture and the hope is that no real large number of people will act on it.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where this kind of thing can be passed off as real action and the result is the ability of the Yellow Page industry to say "Look we are doing our part!" when they know full well that most people won’t even know the option exists.

Welcome to online America, home of the shallow. Where people can look like they are concerned and give any appearance they need to get by. Sorry for the cynicism but can you blame me?

Your thoughts on the subject?

Originally published at Biznology

The new website, Yellowpagesoptout.com, allows people to select which phone directories they receive, or stop deliveries entirely.

"Our industry is taking a giant leap forward today by launching a clearinghouse site for consumers to control the delivery of directories," said Neg Norton, president, YPA.

"The site, supported by directory publishers across the country, illustrates our ongoing commitment to not delivering a directory to someone who doesn’t want one."

Features of Yellowpagesoptout include:

*Images of directory front covers and information about deliveries, so people can decide which directories to include in an opt-out request.

*An email confirmation about the users’ selections.
 

"As mobile consumers increasingly rely on their mobile device to find and immediately use local information, we are focused on integrating new features to help users easily navigate their everyday lives," says David Williams, vice president of mobile product management at AT&T Interactive. "The addition of voice search complements the text-based local search experience by expanding the situations in which users can use the YPmobile App, making finding nearby businesses even easier."

In addition to Voice Search, the app also comes equipped with new map-based search functionality, and integration with Facebook and Twitter – users can broadcast their newly-discovered "hot spots." Given the popularity location sharing is attracting these days, some may go for this.

The app is available for free at Apple’s App Store.

Recently AT&T Interactive also made its Buzz.com social local search product available to the public. Read my interview with the company about that here.

Approximately 8 out of 10 Internet Yellow Pages searchers were from people who said they were ready to buy, with 36 percent reporting they had made a purchase after finding local business information at an online Yellow Pages site, and an additional 44 percent saying they intended to make a purchase.

"Our biggest value to local businesses is our ability to generate qualified leads from consumers who are ready to buy something," said Neg Norton, president, Yellow Pages Association.

"This means that advertisers see a high return on investment for their advertising spend, which on average, is about $15 for every $1 spent on local display advertising."

The Yellow Pages Association also found 65 percent of consumers said they referenced print and/or online Yellow Pages within the past month when looking for local business information.

Other key findings from the study include:

*40 percent of those who made a purchase said they found and made that purchase from a new company after reviewing local information on an Internet Yellow Pages site.

*Among searches made by people who use online Yellow Pages, 37 percent said they had no company name in mind when they started their search.

"Our products are more than a repository of business phone numbers and Web addresses," said Norton.

"Consumers consult print directories and Internet Yellow Pages sites when they need information to help them make a smart choice when deciding with whom they are going to do business."

The business video profiles are known to be found at YellowPages.com, and on the YellowPages.com YouTube channel, but were not before available on the iPhone app. Now they are.

Data from Nielsen suggests that 37% of iPhone owners watch video on their phones, and are six times as likely to view video compared to other wireless users.

The Pay Per Call Ads are simply displayed at the top of relevant business search results on the app.

"Our YPmobile App for iPhone and iPod touch continues to evolve as the flagship in our mobile local search line up," says AT&T Interactive Chief Marketing Officer Matt Crowley. "Enhancing usability and extending our online video ads and Pay Per Call distribution creates more advertiser value in a way that is not obtrusive and delivers valuable content for users."

"Our Pay Per Call advertising is a natural fit for the mobile search experience and appeals to the millions of businesses who want to drive phone calls across all types of media," he said. "It all comes together as part of AT&T Interactive’s ongoing mission to make discovery and connection, between consumers and the businesses they need, even easier when mobile."

AT&T Interactive reaches about 16.3 million wired broadband customers and 77 million wireless customers. YPMobile app has seen a 250% increase in mobile search through its mobile applications.

The study, conducted in July 2008 by TMP Directional Marketing, was a follow up to a similar study performed in May 2007 with the goal of understanding the value and use of online and offline local search sources including internet and print yellow pages and search sites. The results compared to the previous year, show a big shift in how consumers find local merchants:

Search Engines Now the Primary Information Source

In 2008, for the first time, search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN were the leading source of information for local customers. This means that more local customers are now using the internet to find local merchants and other businesses online. The report also revealed an increased usage frequency of online sources which are used at least once a week or more compared to less than once a week for print directory usage.

Local Searchers are Likely to Act

The survey also found that a large number of local searches take some type of action. This may come in the form of a phone call, an in-store visit or even an email. This highlights that local searchers are in the final stages of their purchase decision and are almost ready to make a purchase.

The breakdown of the percentage of searches that seek further information was high across all online search sites:

• Internet YP: 66 percent
• Local Search Sites: 72 percent
• General Search Sites: 66 percent

The message for local businesses is simple: You need to be found on the internet.

The days are gone where businesses could cover most of their market by simply advertising in the newspaper or print yellow pages, the internet needs to be considered. If you don’t know where to start to increase your local exposure, learn more about our G-Local Listing service, or download a free whitepaper on how PPC advertising can help you attract more local customers.

Comments

AOL’s Walletpop blog has created a list of the Top 25 Things Vanishing from America. They listed “The Yellow Pages” as item number 24, along with such things as outhouses, classified ads, dial-up internet access, phone landlines, VCRs, cameras that use film, and more.

I’ve written before about how print yellow pages usage is decreasing due to the internet and mobile phones, and even internet yellow pages usage may be dropping due to newer generations becoming less aware of what yellow pages are. Others such as Bill Gates have also predicted the end of the print yellow pages while analysts such as those with The Kelsey Group have only predicted a sharper decline in usage of print YP this year, compared with last.

So, when will print yellow pages ultimately go the way of the dinosaur?

It’s unclear since some analysts have predicted a 3% overall decline per year for printed YP income, while others have stated the rate could be accelerating, with print YPs dying off within about 10 years. Also, some claim the demise of the printed directories is greatly exaggerated, since come smaller and more-specialized directories have seen increases in business.

What is clear is that increasing access to alternative sources of information in the way of internet local search, 411 services, and search-enabled mobile phones are definitely eroding usage of print YPs by some degree.

Yellow pages would seem to have already moved past the tipping point — when people begin listing YP books nostalgically as icons of the past, and when consumers are demanding that YP companies stop dropping books on their doorsteps — it seems like the end may be drawing near. If it is an accelerating business trend, no amount of guerrilla marketing, nanotechnology, and possibly questionable YP usage statistics will prop up the larger companies dependent on this business model unless they diversify rapidly.

Comments

All things come to an end. That’s the great lesson of life, and a bittersweet one as well. Tomorrow, very simply, won’t be put off forever.

Classified Intelligence (CI) said in its latest client report that the shift to the Internet for information represents, perhaps, an end to the era of big printed books filled with everyone from auto mechanics to zydeco sellers. People have opted for the desktop and the mobile device; the advertisers who make yellow pages directories profitable have not missed this.

CI senior analyst Joe Michaud said the yellow pages model of once-a-year buys to keep pace with competitors left it vulnerable to innovators who could nimbly serve customers in a more favorable way. Michaud likened the situation to newspapers, watching helplessly as readers departed while online classifieds sites pulled in the ads people would have once paid the paper to run.

The choice became clear for competitors, in Michaud’s opinion. A little innovation, a little cost efficiency, some willingness to give up massive print revenue margins, and a drive to reach businesses whose operations are well-suited for mobile and online consumers to find, formed a model for delivering information and earning ad revenue with an Internet presence.

Several vendors like Planet Discover (owned by Gannett), Travidia, and Local.com’s Premiere Guide all want to cater to local media sites to deliver ads for those markets. They are giving people what they want when they visit a local TV or newspaper website, ads with local relevance.

It’s difficult to think that someday, those thick directories won’t be slamming onto porches and welcome mats on an annual basis. End of an era, but if my mobile phone can deliver the same information as a big book that doesn’t leave the house, it won’t be missed. Things change all the time.

quoted today

saying that the erosion in usage of print yellow pages is likely to fall off at a higher rate this year — by 10% this year, compared with only 2% to 3% erosion in recent years.

They state that a combination of factors such as more users going to internet yellow pages and local search engines combined with a recession are propelling the rapid erosion. Concerningly, one can extrapolate that if print YP usage is dropping, advertiser dollars might also follow the herd.

As Greg Sterling points out, The Kelsey Group has historically been a very staunch defender of the print YP industry, so this article is a bit of a gut-punch to people in the legacy print business, even though anyone watching the trends over the last few years won’t find it all that surprising.

One thing the Media Post article doesn’t mention is how a number of smaller, regional print yellow pages companies have had surprising growth in ad sales over the past year, likely at the expense of the larger yellow pages directory sales. As Greg further points out, some of the smaller, nimble companies like ReachLocal (who are frenemies with the yellow pages industry) may be poised to take over the small business advertiser base as those companies’ agencies of choice if the yellow pages industry cannot retain them. Yellow pages has held a home court advantage with small businesses for a long time, but there are a lot of hungry wolves nipping at their heels, and they will need to retain their advertisers while transitioning them over from print to online advertising in order to retain revenue over the long term.

I’ve suggested before that the concept of “yellow pages” itself might also be endangered in its online incarnation, since specialized directories and local search engines may now be obscuring the need for “traditional” yellow pages websites in the eyes of consumers. Indeed, I see a new generation of young consumers who barely seem to know what “yellow pages” is, and this could explain why fewer and fewer people seem to be trying to find yellow pages in Google:

(click to enlarge)

So, yellow pages companies have some multi-fold challenges to face. They must strive to transform themselves from being only print yellow pages into being a liked/trusted agency that small businesses perceive are vital/useful for getting their ads into multiple sites throughout the internet, and they simultaneously need to transform their traditional yellow pages directory websites into local information portals with broader appeal and compelling stickiness to attract and retain the newer generation of users.

The bigger yellow pages companies are aware of all this, and are not to be counted out of fight yet. Unlike the newspaper industry which has been a little late in adapting to the internet paradigm, yellow pages are adapting themselves to protect their competitiveness in the market, and the analyst warnings are only intensifying their attention and resolve.

Comments

This may even result in oddities like online editions for markets in which publishers never previously worked.  "In some cases this will lead to new print directories, but more often we expect to see publishers establishing a sales presence . . . with no intention of launching a print book," wrote The Kelsey Group.

As for those budget-trimming measures, it seems possible that stacks of unwanted Yellow Pages will no longer greet us on the front walkway.  The Kelsey Group stated, "More publishers operating in large metro markets will proactively institute opt-out plans for consumers to reduce distribution to the ones who really want the print directory."

That last idea is almost too bad – my workplace desk and computer monitor would be uncomfortably low to the ground if it weren’t for the boost given by seven such books.  Still, as the economy gets worse and budgets grow tighter, we may have to find other things to use as doorstops and levelers.

Tameka Kee notes that, all in all, The Kelsey Group "is pegging the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages to reach 10% this year – much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years."