It’s time to list our own achievements

Internationally, directory publishing is going through a fascinating phase of consolidation, with a sharper focus on new technology and key business drivers. It all adds up to an increasingly competitive market, where winning and keeping customers demands world-class products and service.

Our vision is to be the best business information bridge between buyers and sellers, regardless of channel, time or location. And our strategy is to be channel-neutral, so we have a strong presence across different media: the book – Yellow Pages; the phone – Talking Pages; and the Net – Yell.com, the UK’s leading classified online directory.

With Yellow Pages, we have built a UK product that is used more than 100 million times a month, clearly demonstrating the success of our approach. Being the best there is at putting buyers in touch with sellers has been the philosophy at the heart of Yellow Pages’ evolution since the first directory in Brighton in 1966. And that philosophy is as relevant and potent as ever for new technologies.

To maintain our position at the forefront of the industry, we need to continue attracting new advertisers and to ensure we retain them year after year. That means delivering advertisement programmes that really work for them.

We’re good at that, and we’re good at using innovation to keep pace with changing needs – offering pricing and discount initiatives alongside new product packages such as full-colour advertising – and we’re good at making Yell easy to do business with.

Our approach is to help advertisers to develop their businesses in ways that suit them and meet their objectives. We work with them, building an understanding of their businesses and markets, and developing long-term relationships that bring mutual benefit.

It’s the same with users of our products. Our aim is to make Yellow Pages as simple, convenient and relevant as possible. There’s a constant process of product development, including the overhaul of classification headings and expansion of local and general information for users – all backed by regular and extensive research and supported by award-winning advertising.

The industry isn’t standing still and neither are we.