I’ve just come off the road from numerous meetings with national and regional advertisers. One common area of interest among advertisers seems to be: how to best communicate to the online audience.

Should a company focus on building their messaging around their brand image, or on driving direct response via their Web site and online media? At the risk of annoying my SEO department, who are happy to pack a keyword into every section of a Web site (no doubt necessary), the answer is both. Branding and direct response messaging can co-exist online, as both are vitally important to short- and long-term sales creation.
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 Yellowbook, the leading independent publisher of print and online yellow pages directories nationwide announced yesterday the launch of a new integrated marketing campaign entitled “Say Yellow to the Future.”  This campaign includes a new streamlined logo, a more condensed name to one word (formerly Yellow Book), new television commercials, and newly designed print directories that present the company as forward-thinking.

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When consumers need a phone number and don’t have the print yellow pages or a computer handy they often turn to 411 as a solution. The biggest problem with 411, especially for mobile phone users is that it costs money. In most cases as much as $1.50 to $2.50 per use. U.S. Directory assistance generated around $6.5 billion in revenue last year, mainly because consumers weren’t aware of an alternative. Now that alternative has arrived. Free 411. That’s right, I said free! 

Free 411 provides consumers with a ”no cost” solution to finding a much needed phone number. It also provides advertisers with a new media aimed at reaching consumers at the point of purchase.  This new marketing platform is being categorized under a different type of search. Voice Search. Consumers dial 1-800-Free-411 to obtain listing information and before they receive the requested information, the caller hears one or two short advertisements from competing or complimentary companies. Mobile phone users have the additional option to receive this information via text message. To ensure relevancy, the ads are specifically targeted to the the consumer’s request.

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