Two quick questions...
Can you think of an ad that you consider to be great advertising?
Can you name all
advertising media in which advertisers spend more than $14 billion?
Chances are that
you mentioned a television or Internet ad as an example of a great ad
and that you mentioned television, radio or newspaper as media in which
advertisers spend more than $14 billion. (All of those media do attract
more than $14 billion.)
Chances are quite
high that the yellow pages never came to mind. This is not unexpected,
but it is nevertheless the case that the yellow pages do contain some
remarkable ads. And, in 2007, advertisers' expenditures in print and online
yellow pages directories are expected to exceed $14 billion - more advertising
dollars than magazines.
This online monograph, Understanding Yellow Pages, is presented to help you better understand the dynamics of the yellow pages industry and yellow pages advertising. When you are done reading the monograph you will see how a broad range of national and local advertisers take advantage of the numerous advertising options in both print and online yellow pages directories to successfully influence key members of their target audiences.
Section Overview
Each of Understanding Yellow Pages' five sections addresses a different aspect of the yellow pages.
Section 1: Industry Overview will familiarize you with the characteristics and dynamics of both print and Internet yellow pages by answering questions such as:
- How extensively do advertisers use print and Internet yellow pages?
- What options do advertisers have with regard to where their ads appear in print and Internet yellow pages directories?
- How are ads placed within print and Internet directories?
- What is the relationship between print and Internet yellow pages?
Section 2: Media Promotion discusses how all media, including the yellow pages, compete for advertisers' expenditures and the specific techniques each medium uses to position itself against competitive media. The discussion then shifts to intra-medium promotion, that is, how different vehicles within a medium (for example, competitive magazines, yellow pages directories or radio stations) attempt to demonstrate their relatively higher value to advertisers who have decided that the medium, in general, is an appropriate way to reach their target audience.
Section 3: Advertiser Options provides an in-depth view of the range of advertising placement and format options for print and Internet yellow pages directories. This section provides detailed examples of how print and online yellow pages have evolved (i.e., increased advertisers' options with regard to core product offerings) and innovated (i.e., moved beyond its core product to provide advertisers with new and distinctly different advertising opportunities).
Section 4: Creative Development places the development of yellow pages advertising in the broader context of general advertising creative planning. First, the overall creative considerations of target audience characteristics, key copy points and advertising tone/approach are addressed. Next, specific creative guidelines for the development of print yellow pages advertising are presented.
Section 5: Consumer Dynamics addresses three key areas: the type of audience attracted and delivered to advertisers by print and Internet directories, the reasons why individuals use print and Internet directories, and how consumers perceive and respond to directory advertising.
About the Author
Understanding
Yellow Pages was written by Dr. Joel Davis, Professor in the School
of Journalism & Media Studies at San Diego State University. Dr. Davis'
areas of specialization are advertising research, strategic planning and
ethics. He has published extensively in these areas in journals such as
Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Consumer Behavior,
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journal of Business Ethics,
and Journal of Health Communication. He is currently a member of
the Editorial Board of the Journal of Health Communication.
Please feel free to e-mail comments and suggestions.
| Note: This web site is sponsored by the Yellow Pages Association. Reproduction and distribution of any of the materials found on this site for nonprofit, educational use is granted without the need to obtain prior permission as long as this note remains intact and part of any distributed document. Reproduction and distribution for other purposes is prohibited without prior permission. For permission and other related questions contact Yellow Pages Association at 908-286-2380. |
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