Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’

Independent Publishers Speak Out on Proposed California Legislation

Friday, May 14, 2010

Yesterday, Neg Norton wrote a post about why the Yellow Pages Association opposes legislation that puts the government in the middle of the small business advertising industry.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been talking to many small and independent publishers in California about this legislation.  Some of them publish listings oriented to Spanish-speaking, LGBT, and other specialized communities.  Others deliver directories that are very local in nature, which help consumers and small businesses in a very specific area connect with one another

What I keep hearing is that while there is a time and place for government regulation of certain industries, this is not one of them.  The Yellow Pages industry has existed for more than 100 years and will continue to exist as long as small businesses see value from the advertisements they place and consumers believe that our directories are a useful source of local business information.  California publishers feel their state government should not interfere with those natural market forces.

In California, the YPA and local publishers oppose Senate bill 920 introduced by state Sen. Leeland Yee of San Francisco.  Here’s why we think the bill is bad for Californians:

  • We already offer opt-out programs in California.  Anyone who would like to reduce or stop directory delivery can visit www.yellowpagesoptout.com to start that process.  The state’s government does not need to spend its very limited resources on creating new programs when they already exist.
  • Regulation puts our industry – and our advertisers – at a disadvantage.  We are part of the larger advertising industry that caters to small businesses, which includes radio, newspapers, and the Internet.  It is anticompetitive and unfair to legislate one form of advertising but not others.
  • The proposed legislation includes very specific language that regulates how information is displayed on our very own products.  Directory publishers have made phenomenal progress over the last year in making opt-out information more prominent and easily accessible in the directory and on covers.  But the directory cover remains a coveted place for advertisers and community groups, and the state government should not diminish the opportunities for them to secure space there.
  • Once someone opts out, how long should that address be on our do-not-deliver lists?  This bill says forever, and we disagree with that.  Given the turnover in real estate, we think it’s appropriate for a publisher to have an opportunity to re-deliver to an address after a certain number of years.  The opportunity for new residents to opt-out will always be available.
  • Sen. Yee represents urban San Francisco with a young, digitally-savvy population that may feel print directories are no longer useful.  But as research continues to show, this is an oversimplification of today’s fragmented media market.  Usage of print directories across many demographics is quite high, but especially among rural and suburban dwellers, older consumers (who have high disposable income), and for life events and certain emergency situations.
  • Yellow Pages publishers employ thousands of Californians and contribute significant taxes to the state budget.  Any legislation that puts that in jeopardy through unnecessary and anticompetitive regulation is bad for California.

The bill’s intentions may be good.  We understand the natural inclination to look for ways to help consumers and protect the environment.  That’s why our industry has done so much on these fronts already – the progress is real and tangible. But this bill presents risks and costs to the state, to small businesses, and to long-time California employers  that we simply cannot afford.

May 14, 2010 | 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Protecting California’s Local Businesses

Thursday, May 13, 2010

On Monday, May 17, the California Senate Appropriations Committee will consider a new bill designed to regulate the delivery of print directories in the Sunshine State, including Yellow Pages directories.

Currently, thousands of California businesses advertise in the Yellow Pages, generating a high level of new business leads and revenue across numerous industries from ready-to-buy consumers.

It’s clear that any effort to limit local businesses from reaching consumers not only hurts businesses, but negatively impacts the state economy. In times like these, we can’t afford to place an undue burden on local business owners trying to make ends meet.

These days, Californians  access local business information in a variety of new ways, including  online directories and mobile apps. But studies from both Burke and Simmons show that 70% of Californians continue to use print Yellow Pages to find neighborhood businesses.

Over the years, our industry has made concerted efforts to design consumer choice programs that let consumers manage their Yellow Pages experience, as well as introduced a variety of environmental initiatives that further limit our impact on the environment.

Last year, the Yellow Pages Association launched www.yellowpagesoptout.com, a one-stop destination for consumers across the country to reduce or stop directory delivery.

And through advancements in paper production, it is no longer necessary to use new trees to make directory paper. In fact, most publishers now use a mix of recycled directories and leftover woodchips from the lumber industry to create Yellow Pages paper. Read more about our sustainability programs.

Additionally, Yellow Pages companies are proud members of the California economy, employing thousands of local residents and paying local and state taxes.

We hope the California state legislature will take into account the value our industry brings to the State when considering this bill and the negative impact its passage will have on local businesses and publishers. In short, we believe the bill is unnecessary in light of industry programs that are in place, working well and getting better.

So far, a number of key constituents in the State are standing up against the bill, including small and large business publishers, LGBT and minority publishers, advertising agencies, and local and regional suppliers.

To let your voice be heard, contact any member of the California Senate Appropriations Committee by clicking here.

May 13, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yellow Pages Marks Earth Day With Sustainability Report Launch

Thursday, April 22, 2010

As you may already know, today marks an important day to encourage environmental awareness and appreciation of our natural surroundings.  Earth Day turns 40 today and we thought there was no better time to issue our first-ever Yellow Pages industry sustainability report.

Leading the development of this report has been a big, but rewarding job.  I am pleased to work with so many Yellow Pages companies that are making great progress on the sustainability front.  We’ve come a long way since we launched our environmental guidelines in 2007, but unfortunately many of the efforts aren’t widely known or publicized.  I’m hopeful this report helps us get the word out and clears up common misperceptions about our industry’s environmental impact.

Yellow Pages industry successes include:

  • Launch of consumer choice programs (www.yellowpagesoptout.com) to give consumers a choice to reduce or stop directory delivery.
  • Use of directory paper that contains recycled content and fiber derived from lumber byproducts – making it unnecessary to use new trees to produce Yellow Pages.
  • A 29% reduction in the use of directory paper since 2006, as a result of programs to reduce the size of directories, use of more efficient pagination systems, and expansion of digital and mobile search products.
  • Implementation of soy-based inks and nontoxic dyes that pose little threat to soil or groundwater supplies and adhesives in the binding process that are eco-friendly and non-toxic.
  • Support of recycling and up-cycling programs that ensure directories have a life after use.

Of course, this effort isn’t only about celebrating our progress but also setting the stage for where we need to go.  While we’ve made good progress, we must focus on continuous improvement and have outlined our vision and goals for the year ahead.

Click here to read the full 2010 Sustainability Report.

In the spirit of today, I would also encourage you to check out the Earth Day Action Center website to find out what green events are going on in your area.

April 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yellow Pages Association Co-Hosts Industry Environmental Webinar

Friday, September 18, 2009

Yellow Pages Association and the Association of Directory Publishers hosted last week an environmental webinar for members to discuss the importance of local consumer choice programs and the industry’s own yellowpagesoptout.com.

It was great to have so many industry representatives join the discussion. While the number of publishers that participate in consumer choice programs continues to grow, I believe the webinar was especially helpful in answering questions around the need for self-regulation and perceived impacts on advertising.

We know that delivering a directory to someone who doesn’t want one does not make much business sense. Providing people an opportunity to manage delivery is beneficial for both consumers and the environment. And given the dramatic growth in Internet Yellow Pages usage and our other digital tools, a consumer who opts-out of a printed directory still has plenty of access to the local information that we provide.

We’ve seen a number of announcements this year from large Yellow Pages companies announcing consumer choice programs. Idearc recently unveiled its program, which includes printing a toll-free number with opt-out information on all Verizon Yellow Pages’ covers. Idearc is also in the process of developing an online sitelet for consumer choice. Consumers will see a new, clearly marked tab on idearc.com by the end of this year for stopping delivery of printed directories.

In case you missed the webinar, you can view the slides.

September 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Yellow Pages Industry Launches Yellowpagesoptout.com

Thursday, August 13, 2009

I hope you saw our news release today in conjunction with the Association of Directory Publishers (ADP) announcing our official launch of yellowpagesoptout.com, to help consumers simply and effectively stop directory delivery or adjust the number of directories they receive.

Yellowpagesoptout.com aggregates delivery information for Yellow Pages publishers in one place. Users type in their zip code and receive a list of local publishers with the appropriate steps to stop delivery or adjust the number of directory products they receive. We had a soft launch of the site in January. Since then, we have been making improvements to the interface and further building out the publisher database.

The launch of this site is an important step forward in our effort to meet consumer interest in customizing what gets delivered to their doorsteps. Our research shows that the vast majority of households want to receive at least one print directory – no surprise, since print usage is still strong. With that in mind, a critical objective of yellowpagesoptout.com is to let consumers decide to continue receiving all directory products available in their area, keep some but not others, or stop all directory deliveries.

Over the past year or so, a number of third-party Web sites not affiliated with Yellow Pages or telephone companies have begun offering to add consumers to do not deliver lists on their behalf. We suggest using caution when providing personal information to these Web sites. Consumers should work directly with publishers to stop delivery of print directories, and yellowpagesoptout.com is an easy starting point in that process.

On a related note, we also recently reorganized our environmental Web site. It’s critical that we tell our sustainability story better. There is too much misconception among consumers about how print directories are made. It’s important that people know that directory production is done in a sustainable way and that no trees are cut down for the sole purpose of publishing directories. In addition to our site, Yellow Pages companies also offer on their sites good data on the sustainable production process.

Even with the launch of yellowpagesoptout.com, our work is not done. The site will evolve – we will continue adding publisher information and new features over time. We will also continue to work with publishers to ensure that stop delivery requests are consistently honored. There’s more to do, but I’m very excited by the progress we’re making.

August 13, 2009 | 1 Comment
Tags: , , , , ,