Yellow Page Road Kill
So I was driving to work this morning and this is what I see. Yellow page road kill in the middle of the road.Now some people have talked about the fact that yellow page advertising is not as effective as it use to be. And with more and more people moving their advertising dollars online, the people still advertising in the yellow pages are paying higher and higher prices.
But today I literally saw yellow page advertising dead in the streets.
It is sad and graphic, and to get these pictures I was almost late to work.
Now, I could talk about the statistics of yellow page advertising, or about how I myself have not used a yellow page in over 2 years, but instead I think I will share the other possible headlines I came up with for this blog post.
The runners up:
1. Where the Yellow Pages are now.
2. Your Yellow Page ad hard at work
3. What people do with the Yellow Pages
4. It is 9 o’clock, do you know where your Yellow Page add is?
5. Will anyone save the Yellow Page
6. Does it pay to advertise on Road kill?
7. Where oh where is my yellow page ad?
8. The day the yellow page book never came home
And just so you know, this is not the only occurrence of yellow page road kill I have seen. This is not a one off case. I do not have any statistics about how many domestic yellow page wonder out into the wild and become road kill but I am sure it is more than you every considered.
So , if you see some yellow page road kill, feel free to post it and share your comments with the rest of us.
Until next time, Marie
On January 18, 2008 @ 3:32 am jerry
said
Hi Marie
Hehe, I love this, its characteristic of the falling fortunes of the printed yellow pages, and testament to the change in user behaviors towards online yp (IYP). I’m involved in a project that goes a step further, its a peer-produced yellow pages, http://www.brownbook.net. Right now it has about 2.2million UK businesses (thats about 90% of all known UK businesses and directly comparable to the UK’s ‘official’ yellow pages), and its launching in the US with 26million businesses this quarter. Take a look, try adding some businesses in your area, and keep an eye out.
Thanks for the entertaining post.
J
On January 18, 2008 @ 2:03 pm Nathanael Campbell
said
Marie,
Great post! I love this example, way to go…I think i’ll us this to show some of my clients how their dollars are being spent!
On January 24, 2008 @ 7:38 pm Robert Alexander
said
I know one very good use … I have put those pages into production and it works.
Every time I send a donation to Church or charity through the mail, I wrap my cash up in a nicely printed (usually color) sheet of YP paper so as to disguise the cash, and it works, its free and a lot cheaper than having to add the cost of security envelopes.
Just my frugal 2 cents worth.
On February 5, 2008 @ 5:31 pm Audra Jackson
said
I’m remembering a story that my 8th grade teacher relayed to me many years ago. She grew up in the Chicago area which had, at the time, the thickest Yellow Page book you’ve ever seen and it weighed about 10 pounds. My teacher was a pretty short lady and she had trouble seeing over the steering wheel of her car when she was in college… Enter The Yellow Pages: yep, you guessed it–she used the super large Chicagoland book as a booster seat so that she didn’t get in a wreck (or create road kill) while she was driving around town. I wonder if YP will charge you extra for that?
On March 8, 2008 @ 9:39 pm Julie Power
said
Hi, just found your post, and thought, “Snap.” I’d written something similar back in Feb, prompted by the wave of people I know who are now cell only and aren’t getting home phones connected. That means they aren’t getting phone books delivered to their homes. So where do they go to find something and someone? Online.
The best use of old phone books I know is the outside “loo” (toilet) of my childhood in Australia. There was always an old phone book hanging from a hook ready for service. Those were the days, and I don’t want to sound as old as the hills, when two ply extra cottonelle tissue with pattern and perfume was but a dream…
Thanks
On April 5, 2008 @ 6:06 pm Kevin Dean
said
Of course I love it Here are the top uses of the yellow pages that I found.
http://byteorgetbitten.com/2008/03/10/top-10-uses-of-the-yellowbook
Like I always say byte or get bitten!
On October 28, 2009 @ 4:20 am kacy
said
I don't believe that internet yellow pages show a comprehensive list of local services. I do believe that phone books do. There is also usually multiple sites that pop up when searching for any given service provider or product. Also, if you're going to criticize the phone directory industry for littering or wasting advertising dollars by taking some pictures of a couple of phone books on the road, you also need to look around for discarded newspapers. And while your at it, ask the television networks how many of their commercials are fast forwarded through via DVR's and TiVos. As a matter of fact, you can make a case that any given marketing medium has waste. The internet is obviously a revolutionary institution. The right marketing campaign for certain businesses, if not many businesses, would certainly enhance growth via internet advertising. But some are simply easier to find in the phone book. If I lock my keys in my car and need a locksmith, I'm looking them up in the yellow pages.