How The “Truth” Can Be Skewed Any Which Way You Want
In a recent YP Talk article titled “Now We Are “Paper Fetishists”, I cover just how far some of these anti-Yellow Pages people will go. I even quoted this jem:
“…Recycling isn’t the answer. Rather, phone books, like gas-guzzling cars and cheap air fares, are so last year. Now that over two-thirds of the country has access to the internet, people are surely using their paper directories less and less. I reckon that phone books are on the way out — so let them fade away gradually, and provide small numbers for the elderly, the unconnected and the paper fetishists. The rest of us are done….”
But what really set off some people was this list I presented which followed. The print Yellow Pages:
- Uses no additional energy all year long unlike the computer you are probably reading this on, which does use electricity continuously.
- It requires no batteries or power or connectivity to make it work
- It is made with recycled paper, is fully recyclable, and in the .3% of the landfill space it takes up, it does not pollute the landfill with the many toxins that all the electronic junk and batteries does.
- It is not made with plastics which requires petroleum (at some $135.00 or more per barrel) like the computers, PDA’s, IPODs, fantastically equipped cell phones, switching equipment, cable shielding, and all the related hardware does
- Is quicker in nearly every case I have seen to find the information you need
- Is often more complete and accurate than many electronic products
- Isn’t biased because of your age – with tattoos, sushi, and skateboards being some of the fastest growing headings, I doubt it is only being used by “the elderly”
Ok, we all acknowledge that the Internet will someday be the preferred source for information. But currently, it is far from perfect. And please don’t ask me to click away on my cell phone using some 2” screen to find what I need.
So next time you see comments like this in another post: “Of course, this doesn’t take the environmental costs of delivery, recycling transportation, recycling, or the 85% dumped-in-landfill costs into consideration.” be sure to ask them how their PC arrived — since I assume there was no environmental costs to produce, delivery, and landfill their machine.
It’s all in how you define the real “truth”.
on June 16, 2008 on 6:03 pm
Ken, there is a very significant issue with your PC comparison.
One of the products - PCs - are demanded by consumers to the point that they’ll pay for the product and put up with its associated environmental costs.
The other - phone books - are something people no longer want (30% of consumers use it at most once a year and 15% not at all by your own numbers) so even with a price point of free, it’s too expensive.
on June 17, 2008 on 12:29 pm
Yes, there is an issue Ed, and it is with your logic that the phone books are no longer wanted. 14 BILLION lookups a year at a point where people are ready to make a buying decision doesn’t sound like a product not being used.
You are also missing the very key point you actually raise — people don’t read the Yellow Pages, they don’t just go leisurely searching all over the place, they go to the print Yellow Pages when they need and are ready to make that purchase. My water heater doesn’t break every day. I’m not replacing a cracked windshield once a week. And I’m not looking for a local financial planner every month. Those may be once a year actions.
And I know that book will be readily available for me, consuming no power, requiring no special connections, a quick, easy source for the information needed to complete that local transaction.
When next year’s book arrives, I know I can have last years version recycled curbside, and not have to drive to the other side of town to recycle that old PC like I do now….
on June 17, 2008 on 4:17 pm
Ken, I’m not suggesting that nobody uses them. I pointed out that a large percentage of YP recipients don’t, so why send them books?
It seems like the best solution for the YP industry would be to send ONLY to people who specifically request them. That way advertisers will get more value for their ad dollar since the cost of manufacturing and deliverying 15% of the books would go away. Or, the YP industry could continue to charge the same amount to advertisers while producing and deliverying 15% less books. That sounds like a major win for the industry, YP advertisers, the people who no longer wish to receive the books, and the environment. A win-win-win-win.
on June 17, 2008 on 7:00 pm
My water heater breaks, I go online and find someone to fix it. That’s fine, we have different methods of getting the same information. I’m not going to say one is superior over the other, but, I don’t drop two computer monitors on your doorstep every six months without your consent, do I?
Why should the burden of recycling multiple phone books from multiple phone book companies be placed on my doorstep, when I do not want it in the first place?
Because you need to justify ad rates.
The phone book business is in trouble and its employing a slash and burn method until every last drop of revenue is squeezed from the lemon that is Yellow Pages.
on June 18, 2008 on 2:22 pm
Ed:
The facts don’t support your base assumption that a “large percentage of YP recipients don’t use them”.
To your point on not wanting books, I believe all of the major publishers have said they will honor direct requests (but not from 3rd parties) to not deliver you a book if you don’t want one.
Tom:
Your comment that the “phone book business is in trouble” shows your ignorance of the industry dynamics. Financial organizations are still interested in funding buyouts and expansions, millions of small businesses find these products invaluable to growing their business, and the industry employees some 50,000+ people. Those are not the signs of an industry looking to squeeze anything.
To your other ranting — it’s a phone book. Get over it. If you don’t want them, either contact the publisher in your area to request they not deliver them, or take all of maybe 30 seconds “every six months” to just put them in your recycling bin. I would hope you have more important things in your life to worry about than the FREE Yellow Pages which arrive at your door.
on June 19, 2008 on 7:16 pm
Ken, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree about whether 15% is a large percentage or not. If a typical CEO could save 15% of their manufacturing and shipping costs by not shipping their product to people who don’t want it, I think they’d get a substantial bonus.
Regarding your response to Tom: why should Tom have to unsubscribe or recycle something he never asked for in the first place? Do advertisers really want to spend money to reach someone who doesn’t want to be reached? Of course not.
on June 20, 2008 on 7:55 pm
You missed the point on my comments to Tom: How do advertisers know they will not reach him, and even more important, how does he know the book won’t be needed??
Yellow Pages is an episode based information source. You don’t read the Yellow Pages, you don’t surf them, you go to them when a need arises. The book is totally portable, doesn’t require ongoing electricity, doesn’t spoil after a week, requires no special connections — it is an all in one source that can be useful in all kinds of situations and emergencies.
That’s why he should still have a book…
on July 9, 2008 on 4:56 pm
Ken, advertisers don’t know who they’re not reaching since phone books are delivered to people who don’t want them. That’s the problem. Advertisers would see a bigger bang for their buck if they were only paying for the printing and distribution of phone books to people who find them valuable.
on July 9, 2008 on 9:37 pm
Ed:
Your comments don’t make really make sense. Advertisers do know that the print yellow pages make their phone ring with business. That’s why they buy the ads. Not everyone is going to need their services. Not everyone will use just a print Yellow Pages, But the ROI that advertisers want, demand, and get is based on the results they do get. And print Yellow Pages delivers that.
Because a few of you choose not get or use books isn’t relevant. Most likely they will also advertise online, or on billboards, or in newspapers. but they will get their message to you one way or the other.
it’s what keeps their business moving ahead and growing…
on July 22, 2008 on 6:36 pm
Ken,
I’ve irritated and offended that your industry would not honor third-party requests to stop the flow of unwanted yellow pages to my home. Why would you WANT to send a book to someone who had indicated, even to a third party, that he or she did not want to receive it? Yellow pages at my house (and there are MANY) go straight out of the bag (another waste) into the recycle bin, unopened. Tell me the logic in that. Print may be fine for my neighbor, but not for me.
on July 22, 2008 on 6:55 pm
Liz:
Would you allow an unapproved third party to contact your cell phone provider and disconnect your line on your behalf?? Why not allow someone other than your Internet service provider to accept requests to opt-out of your online service?? Probably not. There’s too much room for shenanigans in these cases.
That’s why some publishers may choose to not accept third party opt out requests. Most all of them I have talked to said that if you contact them directly, they will honor your request, but they will want some information to verify you are who you say you are.
Next time one of those “many” directories arrives, why not take a minute look inside before you recycle it. I think you will find a bunch of very usefull things inside….
on July 23, 2008 on 1:59 am
I happen to be one of those third parties and I have no problems having my clients names removed from the lists. I have talked to all of the major companies and for the most part they are very professional, courteous and knowledgeable. There is never a problem getting off the list, the problem is you get a book delivered anyway, just got mine this week and I have been off the list for the last 6 months.
I think there is a great value in the paper phone books and I have no problem with them being delivered, I just think the opt-out request should be more effective. If you do not want the book you just should not get one.
I think the argument on the computers vs the paper phone book is a stretch. Most people have a computer for 100’s of different reasons and looking up a number is just a benefit not the sole purpose. People would have a computer regardless if they can look up a number or not. The paper phone books sole purpose is the data inside. There is no other use.
on July 23, 2008 on 1:14 pm
Mennin:
As I have repeatedly said — if people contact the publishers, all of them I have talked to have said they will allow people to opt-out. But they are going to be less receptive to requests that come in from a third party.
Given that they deliver in some big markets millions of books, I have no doubt there could be issues on initial implementation.
My comments on computers vs. the print book is hardly a stretch. I love to hear all of these comments from supposed eco-oriented people who decry the arrival of a directory when the electrical power alone that all of their computers, cell phones, and other wired gadgets has resulted in significant increases in power consumption in the US. And yet they also protest building more power plants no matter what the fuel source is.
We can also debate it all day, but a print source is quicker than doing a search. For more see this recent blog posting: http://askmeaboutyp.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/the-future-of-print-yellow-pages-in-a-digitalonline-world/