Is it social media? Is it an app? No it's a handy sized directory!

YELL Group, the UK directory publisher, has today announced the launch of a new handy-sized Yellow Pages directory that will fit through people’s letterboxes.

The company hails the new launch as “the most significant revamp of the UK directory in more than forty years since they were first produced”.

The change in size – a reduction of five centimetres in height and four centimetres in cover width – follows research amongst Yellow Pages users apparently suggesting that the handy-sized directory combined with other enhancements would increase usage by 12 per cent compared with the A4 format.

According to the company statement, an overwhelming number – 85 per cent – said they would prefer to receive the new format directory rather than a standard A4 size.

It does beg the question however, how much greater usage the business would have seen if it had enhanced its web offering or mobile apps – especially as location based mobile marketing now presents a radical new opportunity for local advertisers that is potentially much more sophisticated, much more measurable and is likely to deliver a much better return on the local advertiser’s investment.

Phil Johnson, head of printed product management at Yell, which publishes Yellow Pages directories, said: “This is a hugely important development for Yellow Pages, reflecting the preferences of our consumers when searching for local businesses in their area.

“Our research shows that households and businesses find a modern compact directory a very handy format and this offers the potential for driving further usage. This ensures too that we continue to provide strong value to our advertisers by helping generate sales leads for them, in turn making a substantial contribution to local economies.”

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