{"id":112858,"date":"2012-12-12T00:40:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T05:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/myth-busters-dispelling-misconceptions-about-yellow-pages-2\/"},"modified":"2024-12-21T05:54:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T10:54:12","slug":"myth-busters-dispelling-misconceptions-about-yellow-pages-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/local-search\/myth-busters-dispelling-misconceptions-about-yellow-pages-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Myth Busters \u2013 Dispelling Misconceptions about Yellow Pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five years ago, at Microsoft\u2019s Strategic Advertising Summit, Bill Gates made the following prediction<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cYellow Page usage amongst people in their, say, below 50, will drop to zero, near zero over the next five years.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Five years later, I can assure you that his prediction did not come true. Not only is the industry still around, but usage (even by the under-50 crowd) is still solid. The print product is still drawing millions of leads, and the industry as a whole has continued to evolve within the modern marketplace. By adding digital elements (i.e., QR codes, unique URLs) to the print product and enhancing its suite of offerings with digital elements (Internet Yellow Pages listings and mobile placements), the Yellow Pages remain a relevant part of the purchase process.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are plenty of myths about the Yellow Pages out there, and today we\u2019re going to look at five in particular.<\/p>\n

Myth #1: No one uses the Yellow Pages<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This one is simply false. We have hundreds of tests and countless other pieces of research that prove otherwise. The top Yellow Pages heading, Restaurants, still receives nearly 700 million references annually, and seven other headings are estimated to be over 100 million references each year. Over 400 headings bring in at least 1 million references. That\u2019s a lot of people searching! In addition, across the 2,614 print Yellow Pages test lines that DAC tracked in the U.S. and Canada for the month of September, there were well over 36,000 calls\u2026which means that a lot of people are picking up the phone as well! The tracked lines represent a variety of headings, including Auto Repair, Appliance Repair, Carpet Cleaning, Plumbing Contractors, Bankruptcy, Insurance, Physicians, Pest Control, and many others. Those tests represent just a fraction of all the ads placed by DAC, let alone the thousands of other print advertisers out there.<\/p>\n

Myth #2: Only older people use the Yellow Pages<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While it\u2019s true that the internet is becoming a prime source of information and a ubiquitous presence in the lives of younger generations, DAC\u2019s 2011 Search Landscape Study in association with Kantar Media<\/a> showed that there is usage among younger age groups. Around one-fifth of those surveyed in the 18-24 age group mentioned Yellow Pages as one of the top three media that they reference when looking for business information to make a purchase. Among the 25-34 age group, 20% of U.S. respondents and 27% of Canadian respondents mentioned the Yellow Pages among their top three. Beyond that, as might be expected, older age groups did utilise the medium more often, but the results prove that usage is not limited to that group only. Keep in mind that much of Yellow Pages usage is driven by life events (marriage, divorce, children, home buying & maintenance, etc.), and those events tend to happen more often to older age groups. Young people tend to use it less because they don\u2019t have the same events driving usage.<\/p>\n

Myth #3 \u2013 Yellow Pages are a waste of paper<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It was big news in the industry recently when the U.S. 9th<\/sup> Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Seattle\u2019s law banning Yellow Pages delivery was unconstitutional because it violated the right to free speech. A big driver of the original legislation was that Yellow Pages are a waste of paper and other resources. However, the industry has gone to great lengths in recent years to reduce its impact on the environment. According to the Local Search Association<\/a>, many publishers have reduced directory sizes and use paper made from recycled products and leftover woodchips from the lumber industry. They also cite a report from the Paper Industry Association that 87% of Americans recycle their old directories. Most importantly, the industry has created a website, YellowPagesOptOut.com<\/a> that allows customers to choose which directories if any, they want delivered. This cuts down on the waste and litter produced by unwanted directories sitting on doorsteps or being dumped directly into the trash. All of these steps have reduced the amount of paper used by the industry by 50% since 2007.<\/p>\n

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