Is the “End of Days” near for Print Yellow Pages?

It’s just a month into the New Year, and we’re already seeing major change sweeping our industry. We ended last year with the merger between YPA and ADM – a transformational step for us – and came back from the holidays with new announcements from member companies that promise to reshape our industry.

Recent headlines have been dominated by news that SuperMedia and Dex One have emerged from bankruptcy, signaling a fresh start and repositioning in the market. Across the board, many of our members are expressing renewed optimism about their clients’ desire to take advantage of our ability to put them squarely in the path of local leads – through our traditional products that deliver reliable performance as well as innovative new solutions that take advantage of digital/mobile technology and trends.

In the year ahead, I’m pleased to say that YPA will be launching new research that shows the continued strength of our products in comparison to other local search and advertising media. Calls for the end of the Yellow Pages industry certainly seem premature when you look at the facts. We continue to do best what we’ve always done best – help local businesses bring ready- to- buy customers in the door.

Of course, we cannot rest. The competition is stiffer than ever before. We must continue to look for creative ways to keep our clients’ messages where consumers are by continuing the transition to local media consultants with a suite of solutions customized for every business we touch. As we all know, success in our business comes from helping our clients win in the marketplace. I would encourage everyone to re-dedicate their efforts to give our existing and new clients a customer experience that is second to none.

With all this in mind, there’s no doubt that 2010 will be another exciting year – but not without its challenges. We will continue to watch legislation at both the state and municipal level that may affect our ability to deliver print products directly to the consumers who want to use them. It’s more important than ever that we demonstrate our commitment to responsible delivery and environmental sustainability in the communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Neg Norton, President, YPA

The print yellow page industry is dead only to those who have neglected to refine and adapt to consumer trends and needs. Consumers want information quickly which most yellow page directories have failed to provide.

Dex One among various other print media’s are a great example of Yellow Page’s trying to adapt, unfortunately their attempt to penetrate the local internet advertising arena which has proven to be an immense struggle.

The downfall to most print media providers is simple; most have old, outdated executives who are reluctant to  adapt to new market trends, most of which who’s entire careers we’re built around print publishing. These are the very same executives who think if they wait around long enough, print in its entirety will bounce back. These are the very same executives who would rather ’sit it out’ and watch their company fail rather than adapt new changes; it seems that their for some reason, afraid of the internet revolution and adaptation of new trends.

Sean H
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