After a major rebranding operation that began in 2013, YP is kicking off the next phase of their incredible transformation.
YP, formerly Yellow Pages, has always had a laser focus on local businesses. For many years that of course meant phone books in homes, but a few years ago the company shifted its focus from paper to digital. Late in 2013, YP announced a partnership with Havas Media and enrolled BarretSF to help create their new ads.
After landing a new CMO in January and acquiring a mobile ad firm, YP is carving out its own space as a titan in small business marketing. “We’re the largest digital media company that most people have not heard of,” Mr. Krantz recently told the Wall Street Journal. Indeed, YP currently gets a mind-blowing 70 million unique monthly viewers – and around half of those come from mobile. Their local ad network also boasts 40 billion annual impressions.
YP is offering some stellar new takes on old services. With a newly redone app, users can not only connect with millions of local businesses, but find invaluable information like the cheapest gas, and even create a “My Book” with preferred businesses. In an effort to compete with companies like Yelp and Google, YP aims to make the user experience as seamless as possible.
YP’s angle, “from to-do…to done” puts an emphasis on consumer productivity, such as their sports radio spot:
It’s time to find out how to get it done this week,” one of the new tailored sports radio spots announced. The sponsored segment delivers useful sports news and stats to listeners, and reminds users at its close “If you need help getting it done, download the YP app right now” to gain access to over 18 million businesses.
That initial campaign run “saw lifts in aided brand awareness as high as 32% and 37% in key markets during the new brand campaign’s initial run.”
From crushing a weekend to-do list to helping people achieve their biggest dreams, the campaign showcases how YP can help people do practically anything their hearts desire. For example, in a TV spot launching in late May, YP shows how it can even help people get to the moon.
“The more you use YP, the more you realize what a powerful tool it can be,” says Jamie Barrett, Creative Director at BarrettSF. “Virtually anything you want to do, YP can help you do it. We wanted to put that claim to the ultimate test. Plus, we’ve always wanted to shoot a commercial on the moon!”