Flyer says white pages “available upon request”.
I got an AT&T Austin phone book in the mail the other day. It was addressed to a new limited liability company I recently formed. Never mind that I already received a couple phone books this year and didn’t request another one.
But a flyer on top of the phone book caught my eye. It basically said we aren’t sending you a printed white pages (residential) and you should access white page listings through an enclosed CD-ROM or online. If I really want a white pages I can request one.
In other words: we know that you don’t really look up people in the white pages, and we don’t make much money from them.
Alas, I still got a printed Yellow Pages. The company makes a lot of money printing and shipping these things. But if there ever was an admission that even the print yellow pages are on there way out, this is it.
It’s in the interests of the yellow pages industry to keep the print directories going as long as possible. Yellow pages are very profitable. Although print publications also sell online advertising, print ads still sell for more. I believe the reason people are willing to pay more for print ads (not just in phone books) than online is because they can’t measure the results easily. They don’t know that online ads are more economical.
Every time I write about the yellow pages, industry stalwarts come out and say the industry is just as good as ever. Baby boomers are entering their peak spending years and still use the phone book.
Maybe, but that’s not a long term value proposition.
John McGarvey says
It’s about time. I live in a block of flats (I’m in the UK – you’d probably call them apartments).
The Yellow Pages people delivered the latest edition to us about two weeks back. Of the six copies left for the six flats in my block, four haven’t moved from the doorstep.
If that’s representative of how many people use the printed Yellow Pages these days, then it’s about time they started making them available on request, not as standard.
Patrick McDermott says
It’s not just the Internet that is causing the death of the White Pages.
There are many households that either have abandoned their landline phone or never got one to begin with.
Many households just use a cellphone as their only tel #.
Some also use VOIP and it seems those tel #s are not shared with the telephone company and it’s easy upon sign up to select the unlisted Privacy option.
SHobbs says
Actually, there is a difference between WP and YP usage. The decline in WP usage is the result of a number of factors, many mentioned above. The YP on the other hand, are frequently used by millions of consumers. In 2008, US consumers referenced the YP over 13 billion times – basically 8 of out 10 consumers still use it.
YP publishers don’t want to deliver books to those who don’t want to receive them, so if you’d like to reduce the number of books you get or eliminate delivery, simply go to: http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com and follow the instructions. This is the best way to opt-out, since many publishers won’t take the information provided by third-party lists for privacy reasons.
Full disclosure, I work for the Yellow Pages Association and for additional information on the impact of our products on the environment, go to http://www.ypassociation.org.
Andrew Allemann says
SHobbs – thanks for your comments and for identifying yourself.
I went to the site. It’s unfortunate that AT&T wants you to call them to opt-out rather than fill out an online form.
Why can’t AT&T accept directory opt-out requests from Alabama and Mississippi? Is there some sort of law?
Johnny says
@SHobbs…..I just simply don’t believe it is 8 out of 10 still use YP.
I don’t use it, my friends don’t use it, and my parents don’t use it.
I’d believe more like five in ten.
SHobbs says
AT&T provides a toll-free number because they want to ensure that anyone can call in and opt-out. And to Johnny’s point, we have over 30 years of research experience. Our surveys are conducted by third-party companies with valid credentials and deep expertise. We stand by our results.
Most folks use the books without even thinking about it and we know that millions still do. And if you’re searching local content through Google or Yahoo, you’re probably getting results that have been provided by SuperPages.com or Yellowpages.com, since they have distribution deals with most of the search companies. We’re also available on your cell phone, especially if you’re an iPhone user.
YP continues to be the best way for a small business to reach new customers and maintain their existing customer base, a tough thing to do in these difficult times. And an advertiser can get measurable results, so they can tell what they’re getting for their money. Most consumers want information where and when they need it and we’re always there!
Andrew Allemann says
@ Shobbs – so the 8 out of 10 includes online listings at SuperPages/YellowPages.com? I’d believe that. I think most of us differentiate the two. To us it’s the paper books that will disappear, not online listings.
Hans Gruber says
The days of the yellow and white pages are over.
The newest development is the .tel platform which allows Iphone and Blackberry users to type an address in like Pizza.tel or Taxi.tel then tap the number on their Iphone.
There is the Telpages.com directory and soon everyone will be typing in each others names instead of remembering numbers! what a concept!
to review the .tel domain names goto http://www.telnic.org
I am not a paid sponsor or spammer, just letting everyone in on it.
Thanks Hans
Andrew Allemann says
Thanks Hans. I don’t think .tel will make in impact. At least under its current market structure.
Steve says
@Andrew Allemann
I think the growing group of dot-tel developers at:
Telsters.com
Would disagree 😉
Andrew Allemann says
Steve – I’m sure they would 🙂
Mike says
Can anyone tell me the difference between WP directory listings and the online listing sites? Do they use the same database / data or are they seperate? In other words, if I see my listing in whitepages.com should I expect to see it in the printed WP too?
Pete Allision says
Wake up you neanderthal’s NO ONE USES YELLOW PAGES