While the other telcos have divested their Yellow Pages unit, AT&T still maintains that there is real synergy in pursuing a 3 screen strategy. Rather than selling the YP unit and using the proceeds to build out its network, as Verizon did, AT&T is betting that there is a home field advantage in […]
Monthly Archives: December 2007
Merchant Circle’s Telemarketing Goes Positive (Sort of)
December 11, 2007 – 5:15 pm
Merchant Circle has apparently changed its tact for getting small businesses to sign up. In the past, there have been numerous reports that it autodialed SMBs and notified them they had to check out the company’s website to see their “bad review.” Now, the message is much more positive.
An acquaintance in New York City transcribed […]
Google Local Symposium: Listen Carefully, It is Google
December 8, 2007 – 12:45 am
Google is simultaneously the most open and most shut business I can think of. On one hand, it is amazingly transparent. You walk around the two campuses in Mountain View and you can walk right by Larry and Sergey’s offices. During my short time there, I even spied CEO Eric Schmidt casually […]
Google Local Symposium: Fresh Tidbits from Craigslist
December 6, 2007 – 11:57 pm
Google has been hosting a day- and- half local symposium here for local media and directory partners (and potential partners). Roughly 120 execs have come to the invite-only event – the glamour of the Google-plex campus, and excellent food and drink, making quite an impression. I spoke on a lively blogger panel with Perry Evans, […]
Yahoo! Re-orgs Local Markets and Commerce
December 5, 2007 – 4:13 pm
The way that Yahoo breaks up business segments is always instructive – something that we follow closely at The Kelsey Group as we do our best to sort out our Interactive Local Media, Marketplaces and Yellow Pages/Directional Advertising (“The Kelsey Report”) research programs.
Just as we’ve figured out what-goes-where — even borrowing Yahoo!s “Marketplaces” name for […]
Closing The Book on ILM:07
December 4, 2007 – 2:58 am
(Pic by Simon Heseltine)
It is hard for me to comprehend, but we are finally finished with ILM:07. We were grateful to have had 650 interesting and enthusiastic attendees from all over the world; 72 stimulating speakers; a full load of sponsors; and an excellent partnership with SES.
Our next conference, April 30-May 2 at the […]
ILM: 07 – RHDi’s Jake Winebaum Sees Verticalization, Simplified Sales
December 3, 2007 – 11:50 pm
A major benefit associated with RH Donnelley’s $345 million purchase of
Business.com in July was getting Business.com founder Jake Winebaum. RHD needed an Internet change agent, and Winebaum clearly fit the bill after having played that role at Disney and other firms.
At ILM:07 in LA last week, Winebaum gave his first major speech since taking RHDi’s […]