Why do companies still advertise in the Telephone Directory in the age of Internet and Smartphones?
How many people are still keeping telephone
directories at homes? Not many.
How many companies are still keeping Telephone
books in their offices? Many.
In the age of Smartphones and internet, these
bulky yellow (or any other colors, not necessary the yellow pages) are sort of
redundant for many people nowadays, at least for the younger generation, that young crowd who find in their smartphone
screens whatever they wish to seek.
At the beginning of each year, the yellow
directories are dispatched to offices, distributed on tables, and by year end,
most of them are carried to dustbins brand new, untouched!
From late nineties to beginning of 2000's, I
happened to work for Yellow pages in one middle east country as a
translator/proofreader; Print was going on fine and sales where booming
(because for some companies, it is good to be there, not because of potential
clients or revenues; and thanks to some hell of sales people who were working
for the company), but then one day, our Managing director, who was a brainy
Canadian maverick who was a real genius and very much loved and respected,
figured out that it is a matter of time for the paper directory, so he
gradually focused his attention to CD's, maps, tourist area specific
directories, restaurant and medical/clinical directories..Etc, later on he
shifted the paradigm shift from print to online banners, listings,
affiliation..Etc, and that's what the sales hounds were after since then.
Directories are good and handy in offices in front
of the receptionist and serve as a good reference for names of government
authorities (for official correspondence), but for the rest of the world, it is
WWW and phone directory call center.
There are companies who are still advertising in
phone directories only because their competition is featuring there somewhere,
a center spread or the glossy back cover, a corner tab or even the spine, so
they don't want to be left out, they need to rub shoulders with the big players
and be visible also in this yellow arena!
Hence, Directories have not died out completely; It
is just their time has not come as yet; unless some brainy maverick figures out
an out-of-the-box idea to give it a life boost in a different promotional role.
Who knows?
PS: Special Thanks to Mr Steve @ Patenttranslator's Blog: https://patenttranslator.wordpress.com/
M.N
Translator/Copywriter
#Telephone_directories #Smartphones #advertising #Yellow_pages #listings #phone_directories #Directory_advertising
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