The people that run the different yellow pages companies are not stupid. They know their business model is dying and going obsolete. So it looks like they’re starting to do something about it.
Mike Blumenthal had some interesting stats today showing that the print, local yellow pages book is starting to have more big, nationwide businesses advertising than local, small businesses.
The yellow pages is probably thinking that small businesses can’t afford to advertise in their print book without making money off the advertising, but big, nationwide companies just want the exposure. They don’t care so much about increased phone calls. They care more about brand awareness and it’s another place to advertise and be visible.
It’s a novel idea, to sprinkle the whole country with the same phone book with all these big companies in it. The problem remains that a very small amount of people still use the phone book.
I still predict the yellow pages to go the way of the dinosaurs. But at least this move has the potential to slow down their demise.