AT&T dials up 'daily deals' to beef up the US Yellow Pages
Once Yellow Pages were the big thing in local advertising . But like every other kind of print media, things have been getting tougher out there. So now they're taking a leaf out of the opposition's book- with daily deals.
So why is AT&T copycatting the hottest thing in local advertising? "To slow the 16.7% decline last year in its very sizeable yellow-page ad business, " says AdAge.
As America's largest yellow-pages publisher, "AT&T needs some serious reinvention to hold on to its remaining $4 billion in revenue from yellow-pages print and digital advertising," says the mag.
At the moment the market for group buying discounts is dominated by Groupon and LivingSocial.
The YP Deal of the Day service will officially start next month, but consumers can sign up for the offers on YP.com, the Yellow Pages website that AT&T owns.
A spokeswoman said AT&T was offering $10 toward a user's first Deal of the Day purchase. In line with other Groupon lookalikes, YP.com will make available local discounts tied to group buying.
Like Groupon, the offers depend on a minimum number of buyers committing to them. If not enough step forward, the offer expires.
"We'll email you real deals for your real-life needs," YP.com says on the Deal of the Day registration page. "Relevant, local savings that help you live better, smarter, happier -- whether it's going out to dinner or dry-cleaning your power-suit."The initial rollout will include offers in Atlanta and Los Angeles, as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth area where AT&T is based.