End of an era as printing ceases for Yellow Pages
In a historic move, it has been announced that the iconic Yellow Pages will stop being printed in January 2019. The instantly recognisable directory has gradually shrunk in size over the years due to the increase in online advertising and customers choosing to use Google and other search engines in their hunt for a plumber/decorator/car garage etc or, more recently, using social media to ask friends for recommendations.
Advertisers are understanding more and more about the value of getting in front of their customers online, and on every device – from PCs, laptops, tablets and smart phones – and the ease of this for customers means the printed edition of the directory slowly became outdated.
Businesses have many options when it comes to online advertising, from Pay Per Click (PPC ads), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media integration, email marketing, Facebook advertising, and YouTube channels etc – the list just keeps on growing. Following online developments, the company launched their own web directory in 1996 which will continue to offer free listings to businesses.
Originally launched by the Post Office and now owned by Yell, the final edition of the historic directory will be published in Brighton, where it was first printed in 1966. There will be 23 million copies printed of the final editions which are expected to become collectors’ items.
Yell’s CEO, Richard Hanscott, commented: ‘‘After 51 years in production Yellow Pages is a household name and we’re proud to say that we still have customers who’ve been with us from the very first Yellow Pages edition in 1966. How many brands can say they’ve had customers with them for over 50 years?”
