• April 15, 2004

According to a newly released study by Knowledge Networks/SRI, an independent consumer market research company, annual references to the Top 300 Headings in the print Yellow Pages exceeded 15 billion for the third year in a row. While total references to the Top 300 Headings remained consistently strong, references to the top 210 headings increased 3.2 percent, from 11.8 billion to 12.3 billion in 2003. More than half of these headings experienced an increase.

In addition to print references, Internet Yellow Pages references were approximately 1.6 billion in 2003. The study, done for the Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association, also found that 62 percent of users looked at more than one ad and that 86 percent of users made a purchase or intended to make a purchase after consulting the Yellow Pages.

The most-referenced Yellow Pages headings include:

1. Restaurants (Fast Food and other) - .34 billion
2. Physicians & Surgeons (Specialist and Non-Spec.) - 1.16 billion
3. Automobile Parts New & Used - 601 million
4. Automobile Repairing & Service - 496 million
5. Pizza - 418 million

The fastest-growing Yellow Pages headings include: Attorneys/Lawyers, Cable Television, Carpet & Rug Cleaners, Cellular Telephone Equipment & Supplies, Child Care/Day Care Centers, Contractors, Electric Contractors, Employment Agencies, Hearing Aids, Motels, and Mortgages.