I walk by a couple of El stops on my way to and from work every day, and I’ve noticed a new set of ads up for… the phone book.
Just ten years ago, the Yellow Pages were a fairly easy sell, don’t you think? All of your local businesses in one book. Now, the combination of the internet, cell phones, car nav devices, and donuts has pretty much made the Yellow Pages obsolete. The only people I can see still using the Yellow Pages are people who choose not to use the internet, or people who are temporarily without access to the internet… and that number is getting smaller, I’d guess.
So how do you sell the phone book? I know the current ads are basically promoting how easy they are to use and, without the internet as an option, I suppose that’s true. And I know that as a kid I used to pore over the maps, because I love maps. So maybe those maps should be… really spiffy ones? With easy-to-read type and lots of icons?
I admit, when I started this Ping I thought I’d come out of the gate with a ton of options for AT&T, obviously a company that’s hurting for money and ideas. (Well, maybe just the latter.) But I’m a bit unsure. How do you sell a phone book in 2006?
Posted in Everyday Life