A late post, to say the least, but after having read the more thought out comments in this article, I think I'm more likely to go to the yellowpages phone book as a backup than I would have before. With search engines I often find that there's often too many listings that aren't relevant (too far away) and not enough that are relevant. At least with the book, I know that the businesses listed are nearby, and there's usually more of them listed. It's something that I've forgotten, but I've been in enough situations where I can't get a connection while traveling. Google text messages have been invaluable as well, but not everyone has texts to throw away. All of this costs money in some form or another. Have to buy a computer, or a phone, pay for service, and so on. For someone who can't afford it, it becomes a choice of going to the library or to one of the (rare) internet cafes that provide computers to use, or getting that phone book out of the cabinet.

I worry that we're becoming shortsighted in the digital age, and that we're slowly setting ourselves up for greater class inequalities. The Digital Divide isn't just in Africa, after all.

Because its not about the books being useful.. its about the ads that are in them being displayed to customers.. Yellow page ads cost THOUSANDS of dollars to place and considering how many ads are in one book, you can see just how much money these people make. They dont care if they murder a billion trees a second and not a single soul ever opens a single page of it, as long as they keep getting their money they will keep sending them out in masses. Every book delivered is a potential ad view to their customers..

Amazing point! I couldn't agree with you more. I know of companies who spend thousands of dollars each month, yet I wonder how much it truly helps their business. The thing I don't like about these ads is that there's really no way to track them...unless of course you're just asking people "How did you find out about us?"...that's why I'm a big fan of digital marketing...it's so much easier to track and to see what initiatives worked the best, which didn't work, etc...a flaw with print is that it's a little harder to know for sure if it worked.

Actually, Nicole, the tracking is the best part of print advertising...you see, companies like Yellowbook (NOT Idearc, and I'm not sure about other publishers like Dex) include complete, transparent tracking for all of their advertisers - it's done using Tracking telephone numbers (Similar to when you set a phone to forward all calls) - the advertisers and their sales reps have 24/7 access to the call records, and even have the option of having all incoming calls recorded.

I know what you're thinking - but that means they have to chang their phone number?!

....If your first concern was that nobody was going to look at the advertisement, would it matter if the number was different? Nope. The reality is, in the 5 years I've been in the industry, I have had nearly 200 clients track their advertisements - I don't honestly remember a single advertiser that had fewer than 150 calls from a directory over the course of a year. I currently have a pizza restaurant that receives over 1200 calls per month - each of those calls is recorded to further prove that they are people calling to place orders, not simply 1200 of my closest friends calling a pizza restaurant to inflate the numbers.

For the last 5 or so years these fancy phone book people have been placing tracking numbers in the phone book. These numbers are referred to as R.C.F. or remote call forwarding numbers. These numbers are unique to that phone book only and it actually makes YP advertising very transparent as far as a return goes. These reports contain data such as unique calling numbers, zip code, call duration, and so on. I have to say I dont understand why people are anti-phonebook or any other type of media that drives traffic to local business. Does everyone use them? Are they wasteful? These questions can be asked to many various media ( placemats, airplane banners, direct mail, refrigerator magnets). I think all media has its ups and downs including the all powerful INTERNET!! I love the WWW but you have to remember not everyone does so keep giving the YP companies a shot. Generally it is much less expensive than other media and can be completely transparent. Lets face it its not going to be around that much longer so enjoy it, it will be something you can tell your grandchildren about.

DP,

I'm still slightly confused by how this number works. What are the odds that Consumer X goes into Business Y and says they were referred by phonebook 1754284? So you might have to explain a little bit more to prove to me that really translates into results tracking.

Numerous times I've signed up for something and am asked "How did you hear of us?" and often the phone book is listed. However, I sometimes find that I don't exactly remember how I found something...or I've heard of it from numerous outlets...so that question is hard to answer. Which then means it's hard for a company to find out which of their marketing initiatives worked and which didn't. Yet, I do still think that asking this questions does help a little.

I agree with you that the questions I've asked of the phone book can be asked of other mediums such as placemats, direct mail, etc. And I agree that sometimes these work for certain companies and sometimes the phone book works for certain companies. Yet, I still think some companies would be wise to put their money elsewhere.

In addition, I don't think advertising in the phone book is less expensive than other mediums. I know of a company who spends thousands a month with YellowBook. I opened the book expecting to see some extravagant ad and I was disappointed and confused by how and why those ads are that expensive. While I don't think the internet is all powerful, I do think that it is usually more cost-effective...especially for companies on a limited budget. Plus, it's HIGHLY trackable.

As far as the number goes it is a phone number. Every time that the number is used it is tracked and the client would get a report with all of the people that had contacted them on it. The only place the phone number is ever shown is in that phone book. I also don't know how many companies you represent and what products that we are speaking about when we are using a general term like "internet". If clients are spending thousands of dollars on a local search medium like Yellowbook then I would hope that they would have a significant program that would have trackable results or they need to find a new PR person. Most of the companies that I deal with honestly do both print and internet depending on the type and size of business and what the search reference look like in the dempgraphic that they service. I am just saying to say the any one medium is completely worthless is wrong and makes that person sound ignorant. All things are best done in moderation and spending too much money in any medium is a bad idea.

Thanks for clarifying, that actually makes it look MUCH better in my mind.

I actually don't represent the company that I know of that's spending thousands per month...I just know of it.

I didn't say the phone book was completely worthless. I agree with you...it does work for some businesses. I've said that all along. I also agree that spending too much in one place is bad. However, I do believe the phone book is a dying medium because there are more efficient ways for people to find numbers and companies now. And like you said, it might not be around for much longer for that reason...

I will quote your original blog:

And who are you conning into giving you money for ads still?! I wish I could show these people the light! What a waste!

Anyway, YellowBook, your wasteful ways are no longer working for me in this tech-savvy world! Please evaluate your business plan!

Just saying that with you being a professional in the world of marketing I would hope that you could see how this might be a little overboard. Phonebooks still are used and still provide a service for a great many people. I think that you overgeneralized the issue without having any first hand knowledge of the facts. I like your blogs and I will continue to read them but I think that before posting something like this or consulting any of your clients you should know a little more on the topic before you throw anyone under the proverbial bus. Thanks

Thanks for reminding me...I almost forgot the original post because of all the comments ;)

I agree that the statement was a bit overboard in my initial post. I actually never thought this would cause such a debate so I really just wrote my initial thoughts when the YellowBook landed on my door...so thanks for all the great debate and keeping me more informed!

I really appreciate your thoughts and hearing the other side of the story :) Glad you like the blog! Hope to see comments on more of my posts!

Dear Amy/Mike,

That was very rude and I don't think Nicole is in any way a "lazy generation "me" behind" sort of person. Have you read her blog? Goodness, I do believe this is a case of pot calling the kettle black because if you knew anything about Nicole or her blog you would see otherwise.

I challenge you to come up with a solution, rather than criticizing. By using words such as "princess," "stupid" and "lazy" -- you sound exactly the way you accused Nicole of behaving. Try to be more professional, especially to someone who hasn't gone out of their way to insult you.

On that same note, Amy/Mike, I do agree with you that the calling card idea is as wasteful -- however, an idea is an idea, and a suggestion is better than none at all. In my opinion, I think it would be great if there was an online form you could fill out to REQUEST that you wanted one. Then the YellowBooks would only be sent to those people.

I don't think YellowBooks should be sent out in the mass quantity that Nicole describes because, while yes, they are recycled materials, they are most of the time, wasted recycled materials that will not get recycled again. To me, that IS a larger problem.

I think there should be a toll free phone number -- call the company and them you want it or you don't want it. An online form is a great way to cut out paper as well.

Just because someone goes online and looks for information, doesn't mean they are a geek. It means they are resourceful and looking for alternative means to find the information they seek.

Instead of harassing Nicole, for making a statement on her blog, her personal space, I think you should be suggesting solutions to the problem(s) at hand: a) not wasting recycled materials b) effective ways to recycle once recycled materials and c) how to save paper.

I see someone else on here, Bob, mentioned texting to Google. I've done this countless time and it's truly been a great help!

He also mentioned the fact that a lot of times these YellowBooks are left without covering and in 'open' spaces where the rain can get to them. Another issue that can be resolved with a "sent to:" list.


Best wishes,
Sasha

here is the link to opt out of receiving a phone book every year...

http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/

I got mine last week and it went straight to recycling. I did keep the magnet in front so it can hold up pictures on my fridge.

Wow! Who knew the phone book would evoke such a response!

I was on board with the post thinking that i wish they would stop giving me these massive paper weights. The last few I received were either placed in a closet and forgotten or promptly put in the trash with the wrapper still on.

The internet make finding names and numbers so much easier. Frankly, if you don't have a website I am probably not going to do business with you. Seriously, I would wonder how backward a business would be to not have an online listing.

And on a final note, more and more people are using their cell phone numbers for their phone and those aren't even listed in the book. It just keeps getting more and more useless.

Next year I wish they would skip my house. Oh well, AOL stopped mailing me CDs and I didn't have to call them- maybe the phone book people will get the hint as well.

PS I'm around Amy's age and didn't count myself in the older generation. :)

I have been in marketing and advertising now for a little over ten years. I have worked for radio, tv, and newspaper. I currently work with the yellowpages as a new media rep selling solely internet products, but I can tell you that for certain industries the print yellowpages still work very well. Not everyone is using the internet 100% of the time and to generalize like that is ridiculous. I think for any business you need to be marketed 360 degrees meaning that you are using all of the available media to its potential. You have to remember most people that still advertise in the yellowpages are only using about 1% of their total ad budget on print. To stick all of your eggs in any one basket is a huge mistake and a small investment in print yellowpages can sometimes land a huge ROI. That is what we are all after!

DP,

Thanks for the comment. I agree that there are some industries that the phone book could (and does) still work for. However, I've seen a lot of companies put too many of their eggs in that basket, and that's not a good thing. Like you, I believe a good marketing plan is a mix of numerous outlets, so we're definitely on the same page there! I wasn't over generalizing and saying the internet was the end-all-be-all. I do think other outlets work as well and should be used as necessary. However, I also think the internet presents new marketing opportunities and often is a less expensive way to get more ROI. All in all, marketing is not one size fits all, so it really depends on the company.

Thanks for the comment! Like I said, I love healthy debate :)

I am as pro internet as any one out there I will tell you that it is what puts food on my table. Please let the people on you blog know that they are more than welcome to opt out of receiving the phone book by simply going to the website and filling out the form. The more people that do this that are not interested will save everyone time money and maybe even a little bit of a carbon footprint.

dp, I understand that you have no control of yellowbook's overall business practices, but the way I and many others see it (including the author of this blog), is that your company's product is nothing more than spam marketing. It's nice to know that yellowbook has an opt out policy, but you of all people must know how buried this option is inyour website. The navigation to get to that form you speak of is ridiculous: www.yellowbook.com > Yellowbook Products > Print > Directory Options...not very intuitive at ALL if you ask me...but I suppose when you're company is into spam marketing, you really don't want people who actually put a half-assed attempt into canceling your "service" from opting out.

SOOOOOOO...for all those looking to opt out of yellowbook, go here:

http://corporate.yellowbook.com/products/direct...

Spam = unsolicited mail. If your company weren't spam, you have an opt-IN policy, and you know that as well as the rest of us.

I understand all of this, though I, like "dp" also work as an account executive for a Yellowpages publisher, and completely agree that the majority of my clients see a massive ROI from their advertising. At this point, close to 80% of my clients track their advertisements through the use of Unique telephone numbers which record call data as well as produce an mp3 file of every call that is generated from their ads. In listening to many of the calls (There have been hundreds of thousands of calls to my 150+ clients alone in 2009), I hear folks from all walks of life using the directory. Some are calling the dentist because they recently got free dental insurance from the state, others are calling in a group order from an office, to a pizza restaurant that has an amazingly simple ONLINE ORDERING PROCESS on their website - these people find it easier to look at the menu in the phone book and place the order. Just last week, I listened in on a call from a 23-year old male who needed to have teeth extracted - I knew his age because he told the secretary his D.O.B. in the call - he was calling from a housing project - where food barely exists, let alone a computer or internet access. Next up was an older gentleman calling the same dentist from a high-end, newly developed housing subdivision, because his wife needed teeth extracted also. So, while I agree that the internet is coming, it is still extremely difficult to find useful information for many types of businesses. Not every business is listed on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. and many of their listings are incomplete - at the same time, there are tens of thousands of websites out there claiming to be the best source for this or that, but only one or two telephone directories in each market. If I'm searching online for a roofing contractor in my hometown, RIGHT NOW - THIS VERY MOMENT, The closest result I find is a roofing contractor that is 17 miles away because it's the only roofing contractor in the area with a relevant website (I live in a highly populated suburb of Hartford, CT) The same is true for so many businesses. While I can see the point of not distributing directories unless they are requested, it would cripple a nearly $15Billion Industry (Yes, Billion with a B).

Nicole, as a marketing professional, you must recognize that in order for any particular advertising vehicle to be successful, it must be accessible to the masses. Please make note that the folks who found this blog, commented on this blog, and participated in the survey above are from a crowd who is "Internet Savvy". This blog (& your survey as well) is BROKEN & biased because it doesn't reach the majority of people who DO use a print directory - why doesn't it reach them? Because THEY DONT USE THE INTERNET! I'd love to talk with you about this more, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

On a side note, you mentioned that Yellowbook should evaluate their business plan. I can tell you directly, that they have, and in a number of ways, you will see major changes from Yellowbook in the upcoming year, and hopefully a great deal of competition, as the company has entered many partnerships with digital media companies, Designing extremely functional & findable websites for every one of our clients, as well as entering into the $150Billion dollar realm of creative advertising through Internet Video, Broadcast Television, Cable Television, Radio, Internet Radio, Internet Display Advertising, etc. Best of luck...and to the folks above who claimed it was difficult to navigate a website to figure out how to opt-out of receiving a directory, maybe the internet is not that easy afterall....to opt out of receiving a directory, call Yellowbook at 800-929-3556. Listen to the prompts, select "To Opt ouf of receiving a directory press..."

Thank you!!!

...for providing a factual and thought-provoking comment in a professional way :)

No more debating from my end. Frankly, at this point, I see both sides of the argument and while I personally feel like the book is useless (to me), I recently got in a small debate with my parents because they still use it. IMO, as time passes and Gen X's & Y's grow older & the Internet fully reaches the masses, the book will fade...but for now, I do see that some people still use it.

Just because you are an online geek does not mean that you should deprive me of this free information source. It is still the easiest and cheapest way for me to find a phone #. I am not to keen on going into another room, turning on my computer, waiting for it to get where it needs to be for me to find a local window cleaner or my local restaurant (and not Pizza Hut) Go online and try to find that great little family owned restaurant.
Stop bitching- bt the way if look inside the book they show you how they do not kill one tree. They use the waste pulp from saw mills and on the other side they plant trees across the globe. Also, it says they use soy based ink so that is green also. Give it up already bitching about something you get for free. Hang in ther, soon with our new president and his speaker of the house you will not get anything free. Get a life and leave us that like them alone

Funny thing is - all the people attacking me have the same IP address. Please get a life. I write my blog as a labor of love and I don't appreciate being attacked...as I'm sure no other blogger does. If you have a real, PROFESSIONAL opinion...I encourage you to share it! If you're just coming on here to bash me, I'd love for you to spend your time elsewhere.

Also to note - just did a WHOIS lookup...my unprofessional attacker is someone who works at YellowBook. I understand they might be annoyed by my opinion, but please be professional about it or you just make yourself look bad.

All you have to do is opt out of delivery on the web site of the manufacturer of the book you receive. I do sometimes find it useful to have a hard copy of things in case of emergency, but if you dont appreciate it opt out. Being as tech savvy as you claim to be I am surprised that you dont know this.

I will definitely do that! Thanks for the tip :)

Dear Nicole -

Before posting such a witty and thought-provoking tid-bit, it is always wise for one to do their research.

Did you know that trees are not cut down specifically to print phonebooks? In fact, the left over remnants from wasteful furniture and papermaking companies is collected and this is the raw material for the paper that the books are printed on. In fact, these remnants would most likely BE WASTED if they were not used in this manner.

Additionally, your card idea is just as damning to the environment as you claim the phonebooks are. You propose that it would be wiser to print more paper and then have to use gas once to deliver the card...and then AGAIN when a person wanted to get the book delivered. This seems like it would be just as wasteful as you claim the books to be - no?

Here's a couple of ideas. Turn on your magical computer. Look up the number for all the phone book companies. Get off your lazy generation "me" behind, call them and ask to be removed from their delivery list. It's an amazing concept and you don't have to 'waste' anything to make it happen. I am 30 years old, part of the, “older generation” as you call us, and I managed to figure it out. Then, you can blog about doing your part for the environment, Princess.

Now, go hug a tree and educate yourself in the future. You sound really stupid.

Amy/Mike,

I'm not even going to get into how your lack of professionalism makes your argument meaningless, or the fact that you sound like a 13 year old kid that is angry at your mom and taking it out on someone else. Instead, I'll just rebuke the claims that you are making, which is the point of this blog, in case you missed that.

The fact that the phonebook companies are not personally cutting down trees is fine, just because they are using the scraps doesn't mean that it isn't still happening. And while the fact that they are planting trees all over the world is fantastic, I'm sure it is a smart PR move rather than an attempt to replace trees that they "aren't cutting down" in the first place. Go ahead, call me a tree-hugger. That's an argument for another time and another venue.

This also doesn't change the fact that I end up with a 10 pound book on my door-step every year, and every year I have to find something to do with it. Call me lazy all you want, but I don't think that I should personally have to call up all of the phone companies to tell them not to send me something that I didn't ask for in the first place, I am busy enough keeping up with all of the things I have to do for my real life and my real job. I think the card idea is great, it is easy and doesn't require me to change anything about my daily routine.

The internet is the way of the future. Get on board or get left behind. There is a reason why newspapers, libraries, and the like are struggling, nobody needs hard copies anymore. You can get everything you want with a simple google/bing/yahoo search. And while you are calling everyone else lazy, if it is too much trouble for you to turn your computer on to look up a phone number, you can always send a text message to google with the name of the company and immediately get a text back with phone numbers and addresses of all of your options. And you'd be pleasantly surprised by how many local non-chain restaurants have their own websites, or are listed and reviewed on other websites.

- Tree-hugging Princess

"Additionally, your card idea is just as damning to the environment as you claim the phonebooks are. You propose that it would be wiser to print more paper and then have to use gas once to deliver the card...and then AGAIN when a person wanted to get the book delivered."

What a load of crock!! This is the most foolish counter argument I've heard all day.


ANYWAY...for all those looking to opt-out of their spambook, just go here:

http://corporate.yellowbook.com/products/direct...

Great points, Harmon! Thanks for having my back :)

Amy,

This actually was not meant to be me bitching about anything. I just received a phone book on my door this afternoon, and this was the first thing to come to mind -- which is why this is a witty open letter and not a research report/case study/etc. It is interesting, however, that they use recycled furniture. Thanks for that tid-bit. That's very nice to know!

Keep in mind - I work in marketing, so I see YellowBook from that prospective - a little outdated and not the best allocation of resources (particularly in this economy when businesses need to be bit wiser about how they spend their money)...so when thinking about it landing on my doorstep, I had those same thoughts in mind.

Not sure about everyone else, but the mailman comes to my house everyday...so if there's an additional post card in with my mail one day that says "would you like a phone book?" I don't actually think any more gas is being wasted. We would actually SAVE gas because I bet at least 50% of people don't need the phone book - that's 50% of houses the YellowBook delivery guy doesn't need to drive to! Do you agree?

Here's a few ideas for you - while I like that you corrected my wrong thoughts about YellowBook being wasteful, it actually makes you look bad to use words like "lazy," "stupid" and "princess"...so let's be a little more professional here. In addition, you should do your research on people before calling names. I don't know of one person that will tell you I'm lazy! In fact, I'm quite the opposite.

Anyway, thanks for posting these comments anonymously...but this is my blog and I'm proud to say it is. For that reason, I'm also happy to report that these are my opinions here and I stand behind them (with my name and all). So thanks for the comment. Maybe next time you'll stand behind it enough to put your full identity.

PS: When I was talking about the "older" generation, I was thinking more along the lines of my grandparents (who do in fact still use the phone book). I have 30+ year old friends, so I wasn't insinuating you were old. Please don't put words in my mouth.

maybe they could be used to start a fire?

Hmmm...I do have a fire pit :)

Nicole - I feel your pain. One of our clients was spending a large chunk of their marketing budget on the Yellow Pages. My boss tried to tell them the reality of the situation: how the only use for Yellow Book in his house was duck taping two together to create a booster seat for his 7-year-old. PR today should certainly be a mix of new media and traditional but this is beyond outdated.

Thanks, Amanda! I couldn't agree with you more. We also had a client who spent quite a bit on YellowBook and I just don't understand it. Honestly, I wonder what voodoo magic the YellowBook reps do in their sales pitches ;) Hehe...

The YP sales reps have an amazing amount of training, able to come back with a response to any block you put in front of them. They really play up their relationship with Google Local Listings - to a layperson, stating you need to pay for YP to be in Google search results is almost always a sale.

The other day I needed a phone number, sent a text to Google, and got the reply within seconds. And only had to click on the number in the reply. All while walking down the street (multitasking!). So I totally agree with you here.

On top of that, a couple of years ago they left one in the pouring rain. So not only was it a waste of their time, but even if I did want to use it, the book was ruined. Double FAIL.

Thanks for the comment, Bob! I agree it's just wayyy too easy to find numbers using our phones/the internet/etc.