Dex Blows

Some people may not see this as a branding decision, but I find it really irritating that the Yellow Pages--or "Dex"--continues to send out phone books to everyone possible--sometimes two per household! I just walked down the street and must have seen 30 or so piled up along the sidewalk...just on one block!

I realize the majority of Americans don't have access to the internet and do actually use the physical book, but I do have the internet and I don't need five pounds of paper delivered to me from Yellow Pages every year, or, really, ever again. Honestly, I would imagine there are thousands, maybe millions of others who feel the same way. If I need to know where something is, I Google it, or I use Yelp! or I use the F-ing YELLOW PAGES App on my phone!

I'm no genius, but I would think it would be fairly simple to buy a list from Comcast or AT&T or any other internet provider and basically take those residents OFF the mailing list. Is it more complicated than that, Dex? Would this process really cost more than what you now pay for paper, manufacturing, delivery, etc? I really doubt it.

Yellow Pages has done very little in terms of brand building or reputation management, but this has to be one of the biggest no-brainers I've ever witnessed. You cut down on paper consumption and costs, you reduce your manufacturing impact and costs, and you decrease your delivery impact and costs. It would be such an easy shift and it would all be so easy to measure and report. There is absolutely zero downside. Does anyone understand the hold up?

Clutter Busters?

Rob Walker pointed out a interesting AdWeek article today that mentions Wal-Mart's upcoming in-store video display system which they are claiming will help REDUCE advertisement clutter and offer a more seamless shopping experience...

Stephen Quinn, CMO of Wal-Mart Stores U.S., says that the only clutter-proof medium he’s aware of is the one that the company created itself, the Walmart Smart Network….

When it’s fully rolled out next year, it will include some 27,000 in-store video screens in 2,700 stores. The content includes both infomercials and advertisements from Wal-Mart suppliers, and the schedules are customized to individual stores and shopping occasions.

Perhaps I don't fully understand how Wal-Mart envisions this program working, but it sounds more like a clutter-MULTIPLIER than any sort of simplifier. Do they really think this will enhance their customer's in-store experience? Customers are already surrounded by thousands of products vying for their attention, and Wal-Mart thinks adding video screens that bark out offers while they stroll down the aisles will reduce clutter?!

As Walker mentions, Wal-Mart is clearly very excited about the ability to eliminate "non-Wal-Mart sactioned" brands, but they are completely neglecting how this will affect the Wal-Mart brand experience. Sure, this may be an attractive opportunity for many of the brands housed inside Wal-Mart, but I suspect, in the long term, everyone's brand will end up suffering from such a short-sighted strategy.

"Don't fight it, Embrace it"

The iPhone's impact--the way it has completely revolutionized how the world thinks about mobile--can no longer be challenged. If you are still trying to debate this, you're an idiot. Period. So, with that in mind, this story in the WSJ struck me as a bit nutty...

Basically, a few small interest groups and mobile providers are bummed they weren't invited to the "Mobile 2.0-Party" and feel like they might never be able to hang out with the cool kids and the movement they've created as a result. In order to "promote competition" these smaller companies and interest groups want Apple to lift its exclusive agreement with AT&T so they can have the option of offering the device too. Although the primary target is Apple, the case for banning exclusivity would extend to other major providers who have done the same, such as: Verizon with Blackberry's "Storm," T-Mobile with Google's "G1," and Sprint with Palm's upcoming "Pre." Business Week says,

"The Consumers Union, the New America Foundation, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as well as software provider Mozilla and small wireless carriers MetroPCS (PCS) and Leap Wireless International (LEAP), are lining up in opposition not only to the Apple-AT&T partnership, but to all manner of arrangements whereby mobile phones are tethered exclusively to a single wireless service provider."

Now, I completely understand how not being one of the "pioneers" shaping Mobile 2.0 would leave you feeling pretty helpless, but, to me, fighting technological exclusivity is contradictory to the shift that the mobile market (phone manufacturers, service providers and consumers) is currently undergoing. The way I see it, AT&T's brand and the iPhone are synonymous. If you bought-in to the iPhone and Apple's AppStore platform, you've bought-in to the AT&T brand, too. If you're a Blackberry guy or girl, and have started to sync up to their marketplace, you've bought-in to Verizon. G1 users? You've bought-in to the Google brand, but you've become a T-Mobile follower as well. These unique phones and their corresponding web-based platforms have become an essential element of the service provider's brand.

More and more, individuals are choosing their mobile device based on the phone's interface and the "marketplace" or platform it is tethered to. Every "platform" has its own unique features and functions (the technical pluses and minus), but they also have their own unique personality that the consumer associates with. This is a good thing and will eventually be the basis for competition.

If you are one of the smaller service providers that "wants in," why don't you start by creating your own? Don't fight it, embrace it. Carve out your own niche in the already established, increasingly solidified, Mobile 2.0 market. Tech companies all over the world are developing their own "iPhone" or "G1" and are finding ways of tethering them to proprietary, web-based platforms. Find one of 'em! Choose a device and platform you want to represent your brand and start competing.

AT&T, who is obviously in the most fortunate position of the bunch, says...

"Exclusive arrangements are an important form of competition...The popularity of the iPhone and its innovative features and applications have provoked a strong competitive response, accelerating not only handset innovation but also the pace of wireless broadband investment and applications development."

I couldn't agree more. Get on board. Stop whining about not being invited to their party, create your own and invite your own friends.