Yellow Pages Remain Strong in US; 85% Used Print Directory in Last Year

A large majority (85%) of the US population has turned to the printed Yellow Pages in the last year and awareness remains strrong, with 78% of consumers contacting an average of two businesses after using a directory, according to a study by Knowledge Networks on behalf of the Association of Directory Publishers (ADP).

In terms of how consumers take action after referencing a directory, telephone contact (93%) is the most common way for people to connect with those listed. This is followed by in-person contact (31%), online contact (10%) and mail contact (1%).

The study also said that independent publishers (those not affiliated with local telephone companies) enjoyed a healthy share of this consumer usage, with 40% of overall Yellow Pages look-ups made in independent directories.

“The usage share number confirms that independent publishers still have growth opportunities in print as well as in their new media offerings,” said Larry Angove, ADP president & CEO. “We’ve heard more than a few predictions about the death of the printed directory in recent years,” said Angove. “The fact is that the preponderance of local transactions still come from print, which means that print is not only very much alive, it is a highly relevant segment of local advertising.”

About the study: The study was conducted between by Knowledge Networks via a nationally representative US sample of 4,352 persons 18+ using an online consumer panel based on a probability-based sample of the US population that includes offline households. Field dates were between November 1, 2007 and April 30, 2008.