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AGENDA
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008
8:30 am – 8:40 am
Conference Welcome
8:40 am – 9:15 am
The Future of Yellow Pages
The past year has been one of the most challenging in Yellow Pages’ history. Yet many in the industry insist the underlying business model for directories has been underestimated, despite clear online migration of users and advertisers. The Kelsey Group will present its candid view of the state of print and online Yellow Pages, establishing an agenda for Directory Driven Commerce 2008.
Charles Laughlin, Senior VP and Program Director, The Kelsey Group
9:15 am – 10:00 am
Featured Speaker: David Benjamin, Chief Executive Officer, BT Directories
David Benjamin brings a broad media background to the challenge of transforming BT’s directory publishing operation into a truly multi-channel operation in the highly competitive United Kingdom market.
10:00 am – 10:45 am
Mending Major Markets
Large metro markets are a widely acknowledged problem area for print Yellow Pages. At DDC2007, The Kelsey Group challenged publishers to take a focused approach to sales and marketing in large metropolitan markets. In the past year, some exciting experimentation has taken place. This panel will look at some of the recent strategies publishers have adopted and some early indications of success.
Bottom-Line Questions:Can publishers reverse the negative print growth trend in the most troubled major metropolitan markets? Is better execution enough to solve the problem? Or is radical restructuring needed to fix Yellow Pages in major markets?
10:45 am – 11:15 am
Refreshment Break
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Featured Speaker: Marc Tellier, President and CEO, Yellow Pages Group (Canada)
Marc Tellier runs the highly regarded Yellow Pages Group, Canada’s largest directory publisher. He will offer his take on the events of the past year and how the directory industry can adapt and prosper in the future.
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Lunch in Exhibit Hall
Breakout Sessions I
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Session A: Building Online Vertical Experiences
Increasingly, highly focused vertical search properties are building a complete consumer experience that horizontal online directories and search engines cannot replicate. To what degree is the emerging category a threat or an opportunity for directory publishers?
Bottom-Line Questions:Which categories are critical for publishers to defend through building, buying or partnering with vertical search sites? What is the best way for directory publishers to compete with emerging vertical search sites? What assets are needed to effectively build an online vertical search experience?
Session B: Reconstructing Print Yellow Pages
With the value of the print product under increasing scrutiny, publishers are becoming more aggressive in experimenting with new formats and content to improve the print product’s value and utility and to reach new users and advertisers. This panel will examine some of the best recent print product innovations and explore the near-term future of print product development.
Bottom-Line Questions: What kinds of print product innovations hold the most promise to reverse or at least stabilize the negative revenue trend? How can publishers manage the risk of over-innovation and avoid destroying the core product in an effort to save it?
Mike Brugman, VP, Marketing, Local Insight Media
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Transition Break
Breakout Sessions II
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
Session A: Selling in a Down Economy
In past economic downturns, Yellow Pages has actually gained market share against other media. This panel will examine how publishers can adapt to the current downturn.
Bottom-Line Questions:Are call tracking and other ROI-based data making it easier to maintain and grow the pool of Yellow Pages advertisers? Can the industry do more to sell its value to SMBs? Is the current soft economy an opportunity for the medium to gain share? How does the ability to offer performance-based advertising change the equation for this downturn?
Kathy Geiger-Schwab, Chief Strategy Officer, Local Insight Media
Session B:
Free DA – Pass or Play?
Everything old is new again. A case in point is the recent reemergence of free directory assistance services with a decidedly advertiser-centric revenue model. This session will deconstruct the free DA business model, and similar product approaches, while also looking at the broader implications for the directory industry.
Bottom-Line Questions:Can this new variation create another dependable revenue stream for directory publishers? Should directory publishers be in this business?
4:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Transition Break
Breakout Sessions III
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Session A:
The Shift to Strategic Pricing
Many publishers have been working to converge their pricing structures (print, online, voice and so on) into a single rate program, with some linkage to proof of performance through call monitoring. This panel will explain the complex issues surrounding this strategic shift in how publishers view pricing programs, and examine how these models are being conveyed to SMBs.
Bottom-Line Questions:Is a single rate approach right for all SMBs or just a segment of the market? Could this approach strengthen print by shifting the sales message away from the declining value of print to the growing value of multi-channel?
John Joninas,
Director, Pricing, AT&T Advertising & Publishing
Karen Payne, VP, Strategic Marketing, Local Insigt Media
Session B:
Dealing With the Opt-Out Movement
Publishers are beginning to proactively offer opt-out as an option for consumers who don’t want to receive a print directory in order to stave off more draconian restrictions. In Norway and the United Kingdom, opt-out has been actively promoted, yet only about 5 percent of the population has actually opted out of home delivery.
Bottom-Line Questions: What is Yellow Pages’ real impact on the environment? How should publishers respond to this movement? What are the prospects for mandated opt-out or opt-in programs around the world?
Ken Clark, Publisher, YP Talk
Amy Healy, Director, Public Policy, Yellow Pages Association
Peter Rand, Operations Director, Link Direct
5:05 pm - 5:30 pm
Executive Interview: Speaker TBA
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Reception
Additional Speakers To Be Announced
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
To register by phone, call (609) 921-7200 x10.
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