It’s hard to believe, but a year has passed since YP officially announced its launch as an independent company. The former AT&T Interactive and AT&T Advertising Solutions units broke off to form YP Holdings LLC on May 9, 2012, forming a new identity as North America’s largest local search, media and advertising company with more than $3 billion in annual revenues. YP is majority-owned by Cerberus Capital Management.
YP’s progress over the past year has been remarkable. Here are some notable highlights we’ve captured here on the blog along the way:
Last March, YP announced that it was the second largest company in the U.S. mobile advertising industry in 2012, with more than $350 million in revenue attributable to mobile, according to IDC. YP said its mobile apps referred nearly 100 million calls to local businesses in 2012, and that click-through rates on the company’s paid mobile listings grew by 100% over the year. YP also ranked among the top 40 mobile web domains in the U.S. by comScore.
Last February, YP appointed former AOL executive David Lebow as senior vice president and general manager of its newly created National Markets Group, based in New York. The new group was created to provide a dedicated focus on developing and activating digital solutions for national advertisers looking to generate local leads.
Last December, YP released its end-of-the-year Local Insights Digital Report, which showed 2.2 billion searches across YP’s online and mobile offerings in 2012. Local search volume via YP offerings continued to grow, with users making an average of 350,000 more local searches on a given day in 2012 than they did in 2011. YP searches via iPads were up 233% year-over-year, while searches on Android devices were up 205%.
Last September, YP announced that Jonathan Miller, one of the world’s most respected digital media executives, would become the company’s first announced Board member.
Last July, YP announced a new offering called Dynamic Store Locator. The feature, a part of its Local Mobile Display Network, allows local businesses to advertise to consumers within a specific radius of storefronts or given geo-fence. The program can potentially reach more than 100 million location-enabled smartphones in the U.S.
Last June, YP launched its “Gas Guru” mobile app, which helps users to find the closest and cheapest gas in their area.
Recently, YP CEO David Krantz spoke to MediaPost about his company’s print to digital transformation, efforts to ramp up in new markets where it doesn’t have a strong presence, activities to leverage growth in mobile, and approach to working with small businesses. The full interview can be found here.
Congratulations to everyone at YP on a great first year. We look forward to seeing what you have in store for year two!
In today’s increasingly digital world, print directories still play an integral role in a comprehensive local media strategy, according to our expert panel.
Emil Morales, senior vice president at TNS and panel moderator, kicked off the session by showcasing TNS study results indicating print Yellow Pages extends the reach of other local media. The data show consumers use print Yellow Pages in conjunction with all other types of local media prior to and following the decision to buy – a clear opportunity for our industry to bundle print and digital products.
“There’s a lot of great news to share about the print Yellow Pages story,” according to Matt Centofanti, director National Marketing at YP. “[Print] is not dying on schedule.”
Matt discussed the strong volume of call counts and the high return on investment advertisers receive from print directories. Matt said ROI for print ads is 13:1 and that call volumes are up 8% year-over-year, generating 35% more calls for existing customers, according to CRM Associates’ latest study.
Matt also talked about the significance of knowing your ideal customer, stressing that formany traditional Yellow Pages categories with desirable demographics like baby boomers and seniors, print Yellow Pages is still driving leads.
Eric Webb, president of Marquette Group, focused on the importance of “a print and” strategy, noting that advertisers should consider print along with other media options. Eric said demonstrating media value based on population alone is insufficient given that deeper demographic variations may exist among markets.
Dave Wolf, managing partner at Linkmedia 360, said the challenge facing print is the fragmented media environment with numerous competing products and platforms available for advertisers to reach consumers. Dave talked about opportunities to supplement a digital advertising plan with print Yellow Pages rather than print being the primary medium.
An expert panel on mobile advertising discussed what’s working in the mobile space. Represented on the panel were Tim Garcia from Moasis, Dan Hight from xAd, Tae Kim from Google and Michael Rubin from YP.
The group agreed that the best way to measure mobile performance is to not just look at click through rates but also look at what’s happening after a click. “Advertisers that are focused on offline type of conversations are working very well,” Dan from xAd said.
Dan went on to say that national agencies need to help clients measure and track performance beyond clicks. “This is where the agencies still have to progress … For most of the traditional agencies, if it doesn’t take place online, they think it doesn’t really take place.”
Google’s Tae believes it’s important to look at mobile as part of a holistic advertising strategy, not as a separate strategy. “Simplify your strategy. Mobile doesn’t have to be just another thing you have to work out.”
Tae said the lines are blurring between devices. “Phones are getting bigger and tablets are getting smaller” making it harder to target desktop vs. various devices.
Michaels at YP said the mobile is delivering results for its advertisers, with 40% of tracked calls and clicks coming from mobile.
With demand in the mobile space building, Tim from Moasis said it’s all about educating the small businesses so that they will look at directing their advertising spend into mobile vs. other offline channels that may not work as well.
We gathered for a lively reception last evening to announce the winners of our 2013 Industry Excellence Awards. The annual awards recognize local search publishers, agencies and suppliers for outstanding achievements in the local advertising business.
Our 2013 winners developed cutting-edge campaigns in mobile, search marketing, social marketing, innovation and community service that enhanced the ways the local search industry serves its clients, consumers and communities.
Our team did a great job pulling together a classic black & white silent movie, “A Night in Black in White,” to announce this year’s winners! It’s really great – you can view it here.
Here is the full list of 2013 Industry Excellence Awards winners:
Earlier today, Borrell Associates released the findings of its new “Local Online Media: 2012 Revenue Survey.” The survey analyzed 6,284 local online operations in the U.S. and Canada and online ad-spending forecasts in 513 U.S. digital marketing regions (DMRs). Borrell found that traditional local media companies are rapidly making the jump to digital and are seeing a growing share of their revenue come from digital ventures, with local search organizations heading the pack.
Digital ‘Morph’ Rates
Local search companies are leading traditional local media organizations in growing their shares of total gross revenues from digital sales. Yellow Media, YP, hibu, Dex One, and SuperMedia represent five of the top ten traditional media companies with the greatest shares of digital to total revenue.
Borrell notes that if current trends continue, digital ventures could contribute half of company profits to these traditional media companies within the next five years.
Changing Behaviors
The study found that consumers are increasingly willing to pay for online content, including directory information. We’ve seen the pay model adopted recently by newspaper websites (notably the New York Times and the Washington Post), but Borrell found that online directories like Angie’s List are experiencing success with charging customers to access listings and reviews as well.
Angie’s List saw a 66% increase in paid subscriptions for 2012, with 250,000 new subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2012 alone.
Local Search Ranks High, But Challenges Remain
Borrell also ranked the top local online marketing companies in terms of 2012 revenue. Local search companies dominated the list of top performers with YP, Yellow Media, CityGrid Media, Dex One, Hibu and SuperMedia all placing in the top 20.
But traditional media local search companies still face obstacles to overall growth. While Yellow Pages directory companies are growing at a strong rate in digital, as a whole, many are growing at a slower rate than industry average given the decline in print revenues.
The biggest opportunity the report found for future local online ad revenue was in the loyalty space. Borrell found that while local businesses are ramping up promotions focused on attracting new customers and driving traffic, they aren’t doing much to retain those customers for the long-term. Borrell suggests local marketing companies help businesses create tailored programs to keep customers coming back.
The Borrell report offers a vast array of fascinating insights on the local advertising industry and how traditional media is adapting to changing consumer behaviors. To access the full survey, visit Borrell’s website.
In addition to all the great speakers and workshops, our conference is a great opportunity to network with decision makers from some of the most influential companies in local search. We offer a variety of networking events ranging from formal, informal and everything in between. The events planned are as follows:
Conference Golf Tournament (Sunday, April 14)
Sponsored by Yellow Pages Group This year’s conference golf tournament will be held at the beautiful Arroyo Golf Club nestled alongside the breathtaking Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas. Make some new connections and enjoy a nice relaxing round of golf on a course designed by Arnold Palmer himself. For just $250, you get 18 holes of golf, breakfast, transportation from the hotel and a chance to win some great prizes! You can sign up for golf when you register for our conference.
Women’s Round Table Event (Sunday, April 14) Sponsored by Ponytale Talk and Global Business Therapy Come and hear from Kimberli Lewis, President of the European Association of Data Base, Search and Directory Publishers (EASDP), for her talk titled, “10 Problems Women Face in the Workplace and their Similarity to Hot Dogs.” Yes, we know it sounds strange, but Kimberli offers some great insight into the topic.
Night in Black and White (Sunday, April 14)
Sponsored by YP Join us for a “Night in Black and White” as we honor the most innovative and creative work in local search during the Industry Excellence Awards. Watch a brief silent film that highlights all of our winners and stick around for drinks and networking after the show. (black & white business casual attire)
Viva Las Local Cocktail Party (Monday, April 15) Sponsored by Local Market Launch Before the “Viva Las Local” dinner, join us for cocktail hour just above the casino floor on the mezzanine level. This casual setting is a great opportunity to unwind after a packed day of great speakers and presentations. Talk business or anything but, and make some connections that are sure to continue after conference.
Viva Las Local Dinner (Monday, April 15) Sponsored by SuperMedia – Celebrity look-alikes sponsored by hibu
After cocktail hour, the party continues during the “Viva Las Local” dinner. Join us for food and drinks at The London Club. And Vegas just wouldn’t be Vegas without some celebrities. Get pictures with some special guests and take advantage of even more opportunities to network.
We’re excited that our agenda for next month’s LSA annual conference, “Search Starts Here,” includes so many names from YP, including Matt Centofanti, Director National Marketing; Michael Rubin, Executive Director Business Development, Mobile; and Onil Gunawardana, Executive Director, National Product & Marketing. For more information and to register, visit our conference homepage.
I left New Jersey on an early Sunday morning flight to attend the Southeast Recycling Conference (SERC) & Trade Show that started later that afternoon in Destin, Florida. Joining me again is the successful crew from the Keep America Beautiful conference that was held in January: Yellowbook’s Matt Krug and YP’s Felicia Smith, flying from Iowa and Georgia respectively.
I’m losing an hour from Daylight Savings Time but I’m gaining an hour for crossing into the Central Time Zone. I’m calling it an even trade!
Hundreds of attendees from the recycling industry in twelve southeastern states are converging on the Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle from March 10-13. The agenda is packed full with fantastic speakers and we’re happy to be talking with attendees about our industry’s great strides in sustainability and consumer choice.
(L-R) LSA’s Gene Wilk, Ray Laughter (Environmental Services Manager of DeSoto County, Mississippi), Matt Krug (Yellowbook) and Felicia Smith (YP).
LSA’s Gene Wilk (center) with Alice Smith (left) and Lisa Ruffe (right) who came to SERC from Brevard County, Florida. Alice is the Recycling & Sustainable Acquisition Program Manager for NASA at its John F. Kennedy Space Center.
YP recently shared some exciting news: the company was the second largest in the U.S. mobile advertising industry in 2012, with more than $350 million in advertising revenue attributable to mobile, according to analyst firm International Data Corporation. Given that the mobile advertising space grew by an astounding 70% in 2012 alone, this is an impressive achievement by the recently formed company.
YP is capitalizing on the continuing shift of consumers to local mobile search with strong results:
YP’s mobile apps referred nearly 100 million calls to local businesses in 2012.
Click through rates on the company’s paid mobile listings grew by 100% during the year.
YP was ranked among the top 40 mobile web domains in the U.S. by comScore.
The company will continue to focus on mobile in 2013 with new products including its recently launched Dynamic Store Locator, which alerts customers to nearby stores using geo-fencing. Tools like these grab customers at their most ready-to-buy moment.
We’ll have a chance to hear directly from YP about its mobile efforts during our annual Search Starts Here Conference in April. YP’s Execuitive Director of Mobile Business Development, Michael Rubin, will be joining panelists from Google, xAd, and Moasis to talk about what’s ahead in the mobile space.
If you haven’t already, head over to our conference website for more information and to register!
The speakers and panelists coming to our 2013 “Search Starts Here” Conference in Las Vegas include experts, veterans and thought leaders from all areas of the local search space. The biggest names in digital, mobile, social and print media will discuss many strategic and tactical topics that are driving the local search industry forward.
In addition to the great keynote speakers from Solocal Group (formerly PagesJaunes Groupe), Facebook and CityGrid, here are some more exciting subjects and speakers you can’t afford to miss:
SMB State of the Union Greg Sterling (Opus Research) Neal Polachek (Industry Observer)
Making Transformation Happen Paul Plant (Radicle Consulting)
What’s Working in Mobile Tim Garcia (Moasis)
Dan Hight (xAd)
Tae Kim (Google)
Michael Rubin (YP)
State of the Industry Bill Dinan (Telmetrics)
Neg Norton (Local Search Association)
Print Directories in a Multi-Platform World Matt Centofanti (YP)
Eric Webb (Marquette Group)
Dave Wolf (Linkmedia 360)
Emil Morales (TNS)
Sales Differentiation in a HYPER Competitive Selling Environment Bob Sanders (AXIOM)
Building the “Local Commerce Operating System” Ethan Anderson (MyTime)
Dave Gilbertson (Constant Contact)
Sean Harper (Groupon)
Bob Gregerson (hibu)
Finally, as announced earlier, we also have some great workshops and breakout sessions with Yelp, Yext, edō, Supermedia and many more.
The workshops and break-out sessions scheduled for our conference are great opportunities to hear from industry leaders about the most current trends that are impacting the local search industry. The subject matter and panelists for this year’s workshops are particularly relevant. We are really looking forward to learning about the latest and greatest technologies and innovations that are driving the industry forward in areas such as mobile, SEO, social media and more.
The workshops will be led by high ranking officials from many influential organizations. Here is a list of all the workshops scheduled at this time:
What To Know about Local SEO Bryson Meunier (Resolution Media)
Will Scott (Search Influence)
Andrew Shotland (LocalSEO Guide)
Clicks, Calls & Leads: The Evolving Local Business Model
Dylan Swift (Yelp)
Bill Dinan (Telmetrics)
Debi Hensley (SuperMedia)
Hynek Stehno (Local Spectrum)
Scaling Social: Can It Be Done Cost Effectively? Brendan King (VendAsta)
Justin Sanger (SupportLocal)
Trevor Sumner (LocalVox Media)
Shiri Yitzhaki (Amdocs)
Mobile Offers and Loyalty in the Marketing Mix Jeff Fagel (edo Interactive)
Christopher Folmar (SuperMedia)
Blair Swedeen (Placecast)
Winning the Hispanic Market Azim Tejani (YaSabe.com)
Automating Local Marketing for Efficiency at Scale Howard Lerman (Yext)
Ben Gibson (The Search Agency, Inc.)
Pete Gombert (Balihoo)
Paul Wicker (Kenshoo Local)
YP announced last week that media veteran David Lebow has joined the company as senior vice president and general manager of its newly created National Markets Group, based in New York. According to the press release, the new group will have a dedicated focus on developing and activating digital solutions for national advertisers looking to generate local leads.
David has more than 25 years of experience in the media and digital industry, and has held key leadership roles at well-known advertising and technology companies, driving audience growth, advertising and e-commerce revenue. Previously, he held executive positions at AOL, AMFM Radio (now Clear Channel), Internet Broadcasting, and Group Commerce.
“National brands are actively seeking ways to have a stronger local presence, especially through mobile advertising, as more consumers use mobile devices to connect with merchants in their communities,” said David. “YP’s tremendous assets allow us to capitalize on the growing digital advertising needs of the world’s most notable brands. This is an exciting time to be a part of YP as we pursue new and broader markets.”
We welcome David to the local search industry and look forward to seeing the results of his work!
We had a great day spreading the word on our industry’s efforts in consumer choice and sustainability at the 60th annual Keep America Beautiful conference in D.C. Here are some photos of just a few of the folks we spoke with yesterday!
(L-R) YP’s Felicia Smith, Dan Powell, Planner with Greenville County, South Carolina and Yellobook’s Matt Krug
Marcia Lintz (left) of Keep Moline (Illinois) Beautiful with Matt Krug of Yellowbook
Edie Younge (left) of Keep Forest Park (Georgia) Beautiful with YP’s Felicia Smith
LSA’s Gene Wilk (left) with Phil Homerski of Keep Hamilton Ontario Beautiful
Felicia Smith of YP (right) & Gene Wilk of LSA (center) met exhibit hall neighbor, Michael Mackesy (left) from Mackesy Plastics Corporation in Mission Viejo, California. Mackesy said that one of the first things he did when opening his business was get a Yellow Pages ad.
(L-R) Allison Teeters of Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Felicia Smith of YP and Charlene DeSha of Keep Blount Beautiful
Christi Cakiroglu of Keep Truckee Meadows (Reno, Nevada) Beautiful with YP’s Felicia Smith
YP’s Felicia Smith with Brenda Dent-Russell of Keep Birmingham Beautiful Commission
I’m traveling from New Jersey by train today to attend the 60th annual Keep America Beautiful conference in Washington, DC. Joining me are Yellowbook’s Matt Krug and YP’s Felicia Smith, flying from Iowa and Georgia respectively.
For these next three days, the Omni Shoreham Hotel in DC’s Woodley Park neighborhood will be home to hundreds of local leaders from throughout the United States and Canada. These community advocates work hard all year long to promote recycling, sustainability and anti-littering. I’m sure they’re going to be pleased to learn more about our industry’s good efforts with consumer choice and sustainability.
Keep America Beautiful has been an important partner to the Local Search Association, most notably, having its logo featured in the lower-right corner of YellowPagesOptOut.com. This past November, KAB featured an LSA “toolkit” for America Recycles Day that helped event organizers show people how they can select the directories they want delivered by using YellowPagesOptOut.com.
This conference is the first of many stops on LSA’s 2013 conference collaborative where we’ll be reaching out to state and local leaders.
Keep checking the blog because I’ll be updating it with more news direct from the conference.
The report, based on more than 2.2 billion searches across YP’s online and mobile offerings in 2012, demonstrated a great year for YP. Local search volume via YP offerings continued to grow this year, with users making an average of 350,000 more local searches everyday than last year. Mobile searches via YP offerings were up 25% year-over-year. YP searches via iPads were up 233%, while searches on Android devices were up 205%.
Other highlights from the report include:
Medical and health care related searches are growing, with consumers searching 61% more this past year in related categories.
Restaurants continue to dominate local search, comprising 17% of mobile searches on YP’s network and 10% of all searches.
New York City was the “Local Search City Capital” of the year for YP, narrowing edging out Houston and Los Angeles with the most searches made in a city.
YP’s report is good news for the company and the industry as a whole. It shows that our digital and mobile products continue to be widely adopted by consumers as their search habits expand to new platforms.
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