"Yellow Pages is the ultimate permission-based
advertising model. It puts the consumer first by
providing information when the consumer wants it
and at a time when the consumer is ready to buy.
Yellow Pages is one of the leading media in
terms of measurement and being able to estimate
ROI to a business."
Elizabeth
Gage, President PCM International Inc
usage
Yellow
Pages is a 14 billion dollar industry. There
are over 7,000 yellow page directories in
North America, available 365 days of the
year, used by 9 out of 10 adults, of which
86% follow-up with a phone call or visit. No
other medium is as effective at reaching
consumers when they are ready to buy then
Yellow Pages. No other medium has as high
follow-through percentage as Yellow Pages.
The most recent Industry Usage Study
conducted by Knowledge Networks concludes
that Yellow Pages usage is strong and
growing. Total references to hard copy
Yellow Pages last year was 15 billion which
is the same as it has been the last 5 years.
References to the
top 300 headings increased
by 3% over the previous year.
Yellow Pages value is high. The average
Yellow Pages advertiser gets $13 for every
dollar spent in yellow pages. With gross
margins averaging 33% for businesses in the
top headings this results in $4 of profit
for every $1 spent.
Yellow Pages usage is driven by life events.
Users spend 25% more than the average
consumer and are better educated earning
higher than average incomes.
demographics
The future
is bright for Yellow pages. Demographic
Trends over the next 10-15 years will
increase usage. The under 26 year olds
(generation Y) number 79 million and the
leading edge of this group 18-24 year olds
are showing higher than average usage of the
product. Baby Boomers will also increase
their usage as they experience life changes
which affects Yellow Pages usage.
consumer trends
Over the
last decade we have been inundated with
unwanted spam, telemarketing, guerrilla
marketing, and intrusive ads covering every
blank space in our world. In fact according
to a recent article in Ad Age the average
person in a large city is exposed to 2,000
media messages a day.
Consumers are saying 'enough is enough' and
are embracing technologies that put them in
control over how and when they are marketed
to. The traditional media have been the
hardest hit by the current consumer trends
showing losses in viewership, listenership
and readership. DVRs allow viewers to skip
television commercials. Radio listeners are
moving to radio alternatives that allow them
the opportunity to avoid advertising. They
are changing how they choose to receive
music, news and talk radio by turning to
portable music players like IPODs, streaming
audio off the internet, and satellite radio.
Newspapers have also taken a hit with a
steady decline in readership and circulation
as young people dislike the idea of old
newspapers piling up in their houses.
permission-based
marketing
We are in
the era of what marketers call
"Permission-based". This puts stress on
advertisers to come up with programs where
they are invited into consumers' homes and
lives. To be effective all advertising today
needs to consider an approach that respects
the privacy of the consumer.
Yellow
Pages is the perfect "Permission-based"
advertising medium. It puts the consumer in
control by providing information when the
consumer wants it. Consumers actively seek
out advertising information in the Yellow
Pages. Yellow Pages is the only medium that
can claim that 100% of its ads are seen by
consumers and have the full attention of the
consumer.
ROI measurement
Advertisers like consumers are impatient.
They are no longer content with spending
money on advertising for the sake of
"awareness". They want to see tangible,
measurable results. Half of media buys are
now driven by ROI criteria. It is no longer
sufficient to measure exposure to ads or
deal exclusively with CPMs or GRPs. All
media are being challenged to measure actual
response and follow-through to ads.
Through
the use of call measurement technology, the
Yellow Pages industry has developed a
database of over 76,000 ads with measurement
of consumer response to those ads. Yellow
Pages is one of the leading media in terms
of measurement and being able to estimate
ROI (Return on Investment) to a business.
new leads
n spite of
the daunting task an advertiser today is
confronted with, one thing is for certain,
every business must attract new customers or
it will decay. Research again proves that
Yellow Pages is an excellent media for
generating new leads for a business.
Are you getting the best return on your
directory advertising investment? For a
free
analysis contact PCM International
|
Leaders in National Yellow Pages Advertising and Internet Marketing
