Archive for the ‘YPA Members’ Category

« Older Entries

Canadian Press: YPG Expects More Digital Growth

Thursday, August 12, 2010

There’s no shortage of news on this blog about Yellow Pages Group’s extensive push into digital this year.

YPG—which rebranded in March touting its “evolution into a performance media and marketing company”—has made several major moves, including purchasing online directories 411.ca and Canpages.ca and vertical websites RedFlagsDeals.com and CanadianDriver.com, integrating new Facebook social plugins on its flagship YellowPages.ca website, adding an iPad app, and other initiatives.

So I wasn’t surprised to read a Canadian Press article late last week discussing a pending addition to the company’s digital portfolio: website building for small and medium-sized businesses.

According to the president and CEO of Yellow Media (which owns YPG), Marc Tellier, the company will create a new website building offering that focuses on the functionality, not just the look and feel, of business sites.

“The aesthetic nature of your site has sweet nothing to do with how you are going to get indexed on one of the leading search engines,” Tellier said in an interview for the article.

Tellier predicted 25% growth in digital revenues for 2011, as the company continues to expand its portfolio. YPG’s outlook trends well with BIA/Kelsey’s recent prediction that digital YP revenues in the U.S. will grow at a 17.2% compound annual rate through 2014.

With the addition of website building, YPG is poised to become a one-stop destination for the digital needs of local businesses. YPG is a great model for Yellow Pages companies globally, demonstrating how to grow and adapt to today’s changing media environment. I look forward to seeing what is next in store for YPG’s local business clients and consumers.

August 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yellow Pages Group Acquires CanadianDriver.com

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Trader Group, a subsidiary of Canada’s Yellow Pages Group, expanded its portfolio of vertical websites this week with the acquisition of CanadianDriver.com, a popular online automotive magazine.

YPG’s purchase of the 11-year old website—which features more than 11,000 automotive articles including new car reviews, test drives and automotive news as well as other topics—is the latest example of a Yellow Pages company branching out to provide local businesses with new digital advertising opportunities to supplement their existing online directory marketing. Similar to other sites of its kind, CanadianDriver.com will help drive traffic to Trader Group’s existing automotive verticals, including AutoTrader.ca.

Focused on repositioning itself in the “new digital universe,” YPG has acquired several vertical websites since the beginning of the year, including Restaurantica.com, RedFlagDeals.com, Scarlett Lounge, and PriceCanada.com. This particular acquisition in the automotive category mirrors SuperMedia’s purchase of EveryCarListed.com, a side dedicated to car sales.

We’re excited to see YPG continue to add digital offerings that will provide value for both their advertisers and consumers alike.

July 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Google’s Android Jumps in Share; Smartphones Stay Hot

Friday, July 9, 2010

Over the past months, we’ve seen Yellow Pages companies launch apps for mobile devices for iPhone, Android and other wireless platforms that help local searchers find business information on the go.

It seems like much of the attention has been focused around the apps developed for iPhone and iPad.  But the buzz about Android continues to grow, suggesting that we can’t forget about other mobile operating systems.

Consider this new data from comScore I saw at fortune.com:  Android had some significant gains in market share between February and May of this year, moving from 9% to 13% of smartphone subscribers.  That’s the biggest jump of any platform – in fact, all the other mobile platforms (RIM, Apple, Microsoft, and Palm) lost some share during that some time period.

And according to the comScore numbers, mobile is hot all around.  By the end of May, 49.1 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones – that’s up 8.1% from the previous period.  Despite losing share to Google Android, most smartphone platforms continue to gain subscribers as the smartphone market overall continues to grow.

This growth presents plenty of opportunity to local search companies.  As we know, new features and hardware are constantly emerging that drive people to download the next great OS or purchase a new device.  We have to keep up with these trends, understand how consumers use mobile so that we continue to be the most trusted, most accurate, and most convenient source to find a local business when you need it.

July 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dex One’s Chairman & CEO Dave Swanson, Leader in the YP Industry, Retires

Monday, May 24, 2010

On Friday we received news that our long-time colleague and friend Dave Swanson, chairman and CEO at Dex One, is retiring after 25 years with the company.

According to Dave, he and the board concluded that the timing was right to transition leadership to a new executive after successfully guiding the firm through its recent financial restructuring.

We will sincerely miss Dave’s leadership and the great abilities he’s shown in transforming Dex One over the past eight years from, as he put it, “a small sales agent for telephone company yellow pages with just $75 million in annual revenue, to a multi-billion dollar market leader in print, online, and mobile business search and marketing services.”

We wish him the best in his retirement – lots of relaxation, and of course, golf—and hope that he will continue to provide his valuable insight into our industry from time to time.

May 24, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , , , ,

YPA and ADM Boards Vote Unanimously to Create Largest Local Search Trade Organization

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Our merger with the Association of Directory Marketing (ADM) crossed an important milestone yesterday with ADM’s board approval of the merger.  Our board gave its approval in a meeting last week, and now the proposal goes to a vote of our respective members.  I’m confident they will see the value in this effort.

Our industry is amidst a dramatic and exciting transformation.  For 130 years, we have changed and adapted to advertiser and consumer trends.  Today, our members are evolving from single-product to multi-platform advertising companies that help local and national businesses generate relevant sales leads across print, digital, mobile, social and other mediums.  With the changes in our industry, it only makes sense for us to also transform the associations that represent them.

With final approval of memberships, our combined association will become the largest local search trade organization in the world, representing 90% of the United States and Canadian Yellow Pages industry as well as key players in 29 countries worldwide.

As one association, we’ll speak with a stronger and more consistent voice that fully represents the point of view of all the participants in the Yellow Pages business; publishers, Yellow Pages agencies and suppliers.   YPA and ADM have worked together in a number of areas in the past, but I’m excited that we’ll soon be an integrated team with a common purpose and mission.

As you can expect with any integration of two organizations, a significant amount of planning and work has gone into this from both organizations.  I’d like to thank staff members at both YPA and ADM, our board members, and all of our members who’ve provided valuable input and assistance in making this happen.

The local search space is ripe with new opportunities.  With this merger, our industry is in a stronger position than ever has been to take advantage of them.

October 22, 2009 | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Change Keeps Coming and We’re Part of It … Join Us

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

transformers

Change has ripped through the advertising industry, tearing apart long-held assumptions about how to reach consumers. Change has swept away notions about “eyeballs” and “reach and frequency”. Change has blown apart into long-held beliefs about the best way to get your message to your specific audience, while reducing expenses.

And change is creating a startling transformation in the 2010 Yellow Pages Association Conference – Transformers, coming to the Paris! Hotel, April 17-20. We’re starting early this year – on Saturday, April 17 – to make sure you have enough time to get to all of our networking opportunities. We’ve swept away the Exhibit Hall to make room for Strategic Exchange Sessions (SES) – putting buyers with sellers in fast-paced, one-to-one, intimate settings .

We’ll make sure you are entertained by good music, comedy and get to spend time with the movers and shakers in our industry. And for those of you who’ve attended our Conferences in the past to get the best information on the direction of our industry, there will still be plenty of informational sessions and chances to expand your horizons.

All in the adult playground of dazzling Las Vegas. Four days of festivities, networking and fun! For publishers, CMRs and vendors alike.

Over the next few months you’ll be hearing more and more about our revolutionary Conference design and the numerous opportunities to participate as an attendee, sponsor or participant in the SES format. For now, get ready for a completely different experience – one that you won’t soon forget, so MARK YOUR CALENDAR!  Book your room now to reserve your special rate of $139 a night.

2010 Yellow Pages Association Conference
Saturday, April 17 through Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Paris! Hotel
Las Vegas

October 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

Superpages.com Brings Local Search to Twitter

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Idearc’s Superpages.com last week launched a local search tool for Twitter users, bringing an advanced solution for finding local businesses to the much-talked-about social networking site.

You can access the Superpages.com tool by following Superpages.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sp411.  Superpages.com will automatically follow you back.  Then, you’re ready to search.

To conduct a search, Tweet a direct message to sp411.  Here’s an example: “d sp411 pizza 75261″.

After that, five results are sent back as a direct message.  The direct message will provide the business name, address, phone number, and a link for more information that takes you to the Superpages.com profile for that business.

The feature also provides search capabilities for a host of other useful information:

  • Local Weather: “d sp411 weather Chicago”
  • Movies: “d sp411 movies (street) (city) (state) (zip)”
  • People: “d sp411 (last name, first name OR first name last name) (street) (city) (state) (zip)”
  • Reverse Phone Number Lookup: “d sp411 (phone number)”
  • Walking or Driving Directions: “d sp411 (walking directions OR directions) from (address 1) to (address 2)

It’s pretty easy and fun to use, and it integrates very nicely with existing Superpages.com information, which has everything from hours of operation to user reviews for businesses.

This announcement is a great example of the ongoing work at Yellow Pages companies to innovate new products that help businesses generate sales leads and diversify the mix of search tools available to consumers.  Until now, we’ve really only talked about Twitter’s potential role in local search but hadn’t seen any practical application of it.  Now, Yellow Pages companies have jumped on the opportunity that Twitter offers and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

September 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

Highlights of Upcoming Kelsey DMS ’09

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

While you were rushing through the summer, trying to cover for colleagues on vacation, trying to take a vacation, getting the kids back to school, we’ve been working with The Kelsey Group on Directional Media Strategies 09.

With over 300 attendees already signed up, this is turning out to be the biggest draw this fall. The list of speakers includes such luminaries as:

David Krantz, President, AT&T Interactive:  David Krantz leads the AT&T business unit responsible for developing, managing, and delivering online and mobile advertising products across all AT&T’s media platforms.

And there are panels on:

Building a Multiproduct Sales Foundation
Successful multiproduct and solution selling cannot function without a foundation of sophisticated systems and technology. Sales reps must be able to offer products with different production cycles, pricing models and value metrics in a seamless fashion. We’ve gathered systems experts to explain how technology can and will enable the future of successful selling

  • Eitan Ackerman, Global Executive Director of Marketing, Advertising & Media Division, Amdocs
  • Dean Hodges, Partner, American Directory Systems
  • Taylor Treese, President, COO and Cofounder, MediaTraks Global
  • MODERATOR: Bobbi Loy-Luster, VP, Senior Analyst and Director of Client Inquiry, The Kelsey Group

The Yellow Pages App Store: Securing a Mobile Future for Yellow Pages
iPhone mavens have consumed countless hours browsing the latest useful and whimsical apps for their beloved handhelds. At the useful end of this spectrum are the proliferating Yellow Pages and local search apps. We’ve asked several developers to show us around new iPhone apps that help consumers find local pharmacies, pizza joints and pest control services while on the go.

  • Dannie Francis, CEO, Cellcity
  • Erron Silverstein, CEO, YellowBot
  • Bryan Trussel, CEO and Cofounder, Glympse
  • MODERATOR: Michael Boland, Senior Analyst and Program Director, Mobile Local Media, The Kelsey Group

The Global Yellow Pages Leadership Forum: Answers to the Tough Questions
There has been perhaps no better time to gather the leaders of the global directory industry on one stage, Davos-style, to address the fundamental questions facing their businesses. Here, a who’s who of global industry leaders will tackle the pressing questions of the day.

  • John Kannapell, Senior VP, AOL Search & Directional Media
  • Geoff Kehoe, President, Wahlstrom Group
  • Scott Pomeroy, President and CEO, Local Insight Media
  • Jim Smith, Senior Advisor, Yellow Pages New Zealand
  • Mat Stover, CEO, Local Matters
  • Nick Veronis, Managing Director, Veronis Suhler Stevenson
  • MODERATORS: Neal Polachek, CEO, The Kelsey Group, and Charles Laughlin, Senior VP and Program Director, The Kelsey Report®, The Kelsey Group

Just to name a few.

If you haven’t signed up, there is still time. Get in on the conversation, network, listen to some great speakers, but don’t miss DMS 09!  Looking forward to seeing you there.

September 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Look Who’s Talking … at Kelsey DMS09: September 22 – 24, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Kelsey Directional Media Strategies 2009 (DMS ’09) conference in Orlando is rapidly approaching and the discounted rate for registration expires on Monday, August 31.

Kelsey meetings always feature great speakers.  In the past they’ve had leaders from Avis, ServiceMaster, AT&T, Yell Group, Idearc, Cox Enterprises, Yellow Pages Group and so many more. This year is no exception, the agenda is packed.

A short list includes:

And so many other speakers with experience who know the market and are re-imagining our industry. You really can’t afford to miss this, so register now, before August 31, to receive the discounted rate.

Hope to see you there!

August 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , ,

Catch a Flick With DexKnows.com

Monday, August 24, 2009

Internet Yellow Pages sites are continuing to identify ways to make local search more convenient. R.H. Donnelley announced today a new partnership with Tribune Media Services, Inc. to offer searchable movie data – including showtimes, theaters, ratings and reviews and more — on DexKnows.com.

In its news release, R.H. Donnelley said that the deal also brings advance movie ticket purchase functionality to DexKnows.com by way of Fandango, the nation’s leading movie ticketing destination.

Movie information and ticket purchasing is available on DexKnows.com as well as the mobile site (m.dexknows.com) and mobile app, available for download for the iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, and other smart phones.

Deborah Eldred at R.H. Donnelley compared the partnership to “mixing butter and popcorn.”

I gave the new feature a test run. I typed in “movie theaters” and a Las Vegas zip code in the search box.

DexKnows.com quickly generated a list of nearby theaters, indicating which it offered showtimes and which offered online ticketing. When I clicked on a show time of interest, it forwarded me quickly to Fandago to buy the ticket. It all worked together seamlessly.

Of course, there are a number of sites out there to find movie information, so the added power in incorporating this feature into DexKnows.com is that it further centralizes the local information consumers need. Instead of visiting one site to find a nearby restaurant, another to find a movie, and a third for an after movie dessert – you can locate it all in one spot.

For advertisers, this feature delivers added value and more sales leads – exactly what they need in a tough economy.

I give this deal five stars and a big thumbs up!

August 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , ,

« Older Entries