Newsletter Archive - News U Can Use
News U Can Us - March 2010
03/11/2010 - These news items are brought to you by Kuk, Baldwin & Associates:
YELLOW PAGES DATA. In 2009, some 2.8 million US businesses advertised in the YP – and the 66% of US adults per month (average) who used the YP generated references for the year estimated at 14 billion. Also: (1) an average of 82% of print YP references and 68% of online YP references resulted in contact; (2) consumers who consulted the YP with one supplier’s name in mind looked at an average of four ads before making a contact; (3) local searches grew 58% in 2008, hitting 15.7 billion searches; and (4) online YP accounted for over 30% of those local searches (www.yellowpageexperts.com; ADP Extra, 2/3/10). WEDDED BLISS. Traditional US weddings are getting leaner, but they still average about $22,000, at least for first-time marriages. In 2008 there were 2.2 million marriages nationwide, averaging over 42,000 a week. If you work out the math, you come up with a ratio of one marriage a year per 50 households – so in an area of 80,000 households there are likely to be about 1600 marriages a year. But many will be second (or third) marriages, which typically involve much less expense. Still, even if only 30% of 1600 weddings are traditional first-timers, it’s a potential $10.5 million-a-year local market (Newsmax, 2/10). HOT WATER BOOST. Since 2005, the installation of solar hot water systems has at least quadrupled, with increases even in 2009. Part of the reason is improved technology, and the other part is resumption of tax credits for qualified installations. Now, there are nearly 100 companies listed online whose solar water equipment is certified by the non-profit Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (a must for federal tax credits). In terms of customer worth for the end-seller/installer, the range is $2000-$10,000 before tax credits. Meantime, there’s a new hybrid hot water heater available (www.eternalcondensed.com) that combines tank and tankless technology and claims 98%+ efficiency (Personal Journal, 1/28/10). |
Google Expected to Exceed $1 Billion Level for Display Ads
Google is keeping busy these days. In 2010 the company is projected to surpass the $1 billion mark in display-ad sales -- a jump of as much as 40% over last year, according to analysts. However, the search giant will still trail rival Yahoo!, whose 2009 sales of $6.5 billion mainly came from display ads.Olympics Viewers Got Ad Overload
(Source: BusinessWeek )
Additionally Google has announced that it intends to build ultra-fast broadband networks. Image what a pipe that big could do for a robust IYP offering...
(Source: http://wellsfargoadvisors.mworld.com/n.asp?410053161)
Was it just me or did it feel like the Olympics TV coverage was over the top with commercials? Well, indeed they were according to writer Stuart Elliott who indicated that NBC Universal was attempting to recoup losses with extra -- and extra-long -- commercial pods. Did you also notice that some of the Super Bowl ads were repurposed for the Games, while other marketers, such as Visa, brought out new ads to congratulate winning athletes by name.US Retail Industries Show Continued Positive Trends
(Source: The New York Times (free registration)
Finally, some good (better?) news: MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a macro-economic report tracking national retail and service sales, provided summary results for performance of specific US retail industries in February, 2010. Most retail sectors showed year-over-year growth, following a largely positive January.Real estate industry to cut online ad spending 4% this year
While severe snowstorms hurt apparel sales in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and North Central regions, easy year-over-year comparisons helped produce positive results in other sectors. Michael McNamara, Vice President, Research and Analysis for SpendingPulse, observes that pricing continues to remain strong. “Retailers seem not to have needed extreme discounting to drive traffic to their stores,” he said. “This may have been due to a much tighter inventory situation than what we saw last year.”
(Source: MasterCard)
Not all online spending continues to grow. While online real estate advertising remained relatively strong in 2009, falling just 1% to $7.5 billion, it could decline another 4% in 2010, according to Borrell Associates. The research firm expects overall real estate advertising to increase 3% this year, recovering from a 20% decline in 2009.Mobile B2B Ad Spending to Also Take A Hit
(Source: MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily)
According to a report from Outsell, B2B firms in 2010 will cut their mobile marketing budgets by 38% from $325 million last year to $202 million. The drop is being linked to a "first year post-recession effect" that is not expected to last beyond 2010, per Chuck Richard, vice president and lead analyst at Outsell. But these estimates have to be a bit of a surprise as mobile advertising was supposed to be the next big thing in media advertising.Maybe those that don’t believe in print Yellow Pages should take a look at these comments
(Source: ClickZ)
Despite the negative news you may read about the lack of value that print Yellow Pages brings in this wired, mobile, digital world, perhaps those naysayers should check out this small sampling of people that have nothing but praise for the value of the print media:
Use Yellow Pages to advertise effectively | Libervis.com
Advertising in the yellow pages is effective. The average business gets $6 in profit for every $1 invested, as reported by the Yellow Pages Association. ....
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By siamvervip
It's like going through the yellow pages trying to find burger restaurants. There are lots of them. Hopefully these tips will steer you in the right direction.Important factors in selecting a web hosting company include the percentage ...
Tenacity and Plans B, C, D … | The Write Solution
By Dawn
Grabbing the yellow pages I started dialing. I left a message at the first shop (has YET to call me back) and then called a shop advertising 24/7 service. I dialed 910.367.2365. After the second ring, a cheery “Paradox Computer ...
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The Epoch Times
Check the Yellow Pages, under Credit to find the numbers in your area. Colin McDougall is the editor of personal finance Web sites offering credit cards, ...