ADP Launches “Power of Yellow” Campaign to Fight a “Virus of Misperception”
Posted on November 4, 2012 on YP Talk
In a packed meeting room on Friday in Chicago, the Association of Publishers rolled out a new multi-phase effort entitled the Power of Yellow™ to increase the factual understanding of advertisers, consumers, and the press about the continuing value of print Yellow Pages, and to immunize the industry against the “virus of misperception” that it believes it threatening the industry today.
The genesis of the campaign comes from a desire on the part by independent publishers to initiate a “Got Milk”-grass roots style of campaign for the Yellow Pages industry. Larry Angove, President of ADP, indicated that earlier efforts to work with the former Yellow Pages Publishers Association (YPPA) on a campaign were rebuffed.
This is the first coordinated industry marketing effort since the mid-90′s when the then named Yellow Pages Publishers Association (YPPA), tried a light bulb and the tagline in the “Get an idea”
Unable to achieve any significant traction with the new branding (traction that could be verified through higher sales) the “Get an Idea” campaign was abandoned two years later.
This new, multi-faceted program general first-phase components are being provided to all ADP members at no cost, and include templated adds that can used in a range of media
- Phased Media Releases
- Television Spots
- Radio Spots
- Print Media Ads
- Newspaper Op-Ed Articles
- Magazine Feature Articles
- Directory Filler Ads
- Sales Presentation Video
- Coordinated Sales Collateral
Support for the effort also includes:
- Placement Guidelines and Schedules
- Offensive Talking Points
- Defensive talking Points
- Advertiser Testimonials
- Data Source Documentation
A unique feature of this new program is the inclusion of four of the industry’s leading research experts to “star” in a series of 30-second television and 30-second radio spots proclaiming the Power of Yellow™ which publishers can then add their own product information to for local release. Featured in the spots are:
- Dr. Dennis Fromholzer, President, CRM Associates
- David Goddard, EVP, IMS Local Search Authority
- Paul Gordon, Vice President & General Manager, Catalyst Paper USA
- Steve Sitton, President & CEO, Market Authority, Inc.
In presentations at the kickoff event, each of these industry experts noted key aspects of the factual arguments this effort will present:
Dr. Dennis Fromholzer: “….the value of a lead from print yellow pages is 25X more valuable than a click to an online ad”
David Goddard: “….people we’re saying print was dead 10 years ago. We project the print/digital revenue mix will not reach 50/50 until 2018 at the earliest…”
Paul Gordon: “…the reality is the industry isn’t knocking down trees solely to make paper for its products”
Steve Sitton: “…print is not dying on schedule as many said it would. Our research has found that the migration to digital is slowing. That’s a very inconvenient truth”
At YP Talk, we have long advocated that the industry needs to begin to confront its many critics about print. As far back as 2005, we made several calls to action. As Goddard noted at the kickoff, if the Seattle and San Francisco opt-out ordinances had held up, they could have resulted in a $500+ million hit to the industry. In June, we advocated that the industry reconsider the use of the iconic walking fingers in its local marketing efforts (June article here). As a result, we are ecstatic to see this new initiative from ADP and will be supporting it fully as it rolls out.
As Sitton noted at the kickoff, it’s time to stop this “virus of misinformation”. Amen. But the industry needs your support. Do we have it??