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The Yellow Pages has looked to move into the digital era with a rebranding and launch of a new app and search platform. Previously, the Yellow Pages was owned by Trudon, but after extensive research, the company has decided to embrace its 68 year local heritage of the brand and make it all-encompassing platform. 

As of 1 April 2018, Yellow Pages will be the Go-to-Market Brand, the Employer Brand and the Master Brand. While Trudon will remain the holding company, it will no longer be market facing. This is a result of months of market research which showed that there is a high affinity to the Yellow Pages brand, which has been in our lives for over 50 years. 

Trudon notes that many South Africans remember Yellow Pages books, but an issue arose. In an increasingly digital world, these books, while remembered with fondness, made searching for information digitally is fast becoming the new norm. 

Itumeleng Matlaila, GM: Marketing and Business Intelligence says, “The Yellow Pages is a heritage brand in South Africa and in moving with the times, we made a decision to keep the element of familiarity but further invest in digital search platforms. The changing face of consumers has led us to reconsider how they consume the information we provide. By relaunching, we aim to remain relevant in the market.”

As of April the Yellow Pages will have a new look and feel, including a new logo, new brand positioning, and most importantly. They also note that a new strategy to increase their foot print with younger and digitally savvy audience will be implemented. This includes existing clients, with offerings of bundled digital products and potential customers with offerings of self-registration and the greater opportunity to be found. 

As part of this, the Yellow Pages is also re-launching its app which will eventually see over 100 000 small and medium businesses registered. The Yellow Pages App, like the book, is a database of local service providers you could possibly need in your day to day life – from plumbers to electricians and restaurants and financial institutions. 

The app features a chat function which allows consumers to interact directly to potential suppliers in real time. The app also allows a consumer to see average costs as well as ratings and reviews of previous work done. All of these features are said to enhance the platform's search functionality and should yield a result without users having to scroll through numerous pages.

“The Yellow Pages is a media company that our customers use as a platform to get found. We are now using technology to amplify their visibility and help the end user find them,” concludes Matlaila.