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Classified Entries were the forerunner of Yellow Pages and Thomson Directories which have become the centre of today's business world. |
Classified directories first appeared in the 1930s, printed on yellow paper but, were not widely produced. Combined Alpha/Classified directories were tried in Northern Ireland, Stoke-on-Trent and Reading.
In July1965 all this was to change as the Post Office signed a 10 year contract with Thomson Directories Ltd for the right to sell advertising space.
In June 1966 the Brighton Area directory was produced as a combined Alpha/Classified book. The classified listing of business customers was printed on bright yellow coloured pages and the section was preceded by an index of classifications printed on pink paper.
A widespread publicity campaign followed to encourage subscribers to understand the directory and to make full use of the classified section. The "Yellow Pages" quickly expanded to 64 volumes to cover the whole country.
By the mid-Seventies, the number of telephone subscribers was increasing and "Yellow Pages" was a recognised trade mark in its own right. Due to the massive growth in advertising, the combined volumes were becoming too bulky and thus the "Yellow Pages" were produced separately from the alpha listings.
| If you don't know
who you want, but you do know
what you want... ...just look up the right classification in Yellow Pages at the back of the book. |
Let your fingers do the walking.
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'Let your fingers do the walking' quickly became the symbol for Yellow Pages. Take a closer look at the campaign... |
The Eighties saw the launch (in 1983) of the 'Not Just For The Nasty Things In Life' advertising campaign, produced by Abbott Mead Vickers and included the memorable 'Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley'. Joss Ackland did the voice over 'Good Old Yellow Pages - We're not just there for the nasty things in Life'. How many of these ads can you remember?
Play a compilation of Yellow Pages adverts. |
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'Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley' The music for the ad was a specially commissioned piece, by Dick Walter from The Music Production Company. The book was published in 1991 via Stanley Paul, but had no other connection with Yellow Pages. There was also a second volume, 'J.R. Hartley Casts Again'. ISBN 0-09-175192-6 and 0-09 177437-3 respectively. |
The Tube Train
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The Yellow Pages Tube Train was introduced on 12th February 1998 and ran for a year on the Circle Line, in London, as one of the 47 trains in regular use on the Underground. |
In April 2000 the Yellow Pages division of BT became Yell.
In June 2001 BT sold Yell (its Yellow Pages) for £2.14 billion to Apax Partners & Co. Ventures Limited and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst.
On 7th July 2003, Yellow Pages 118 24 7 was launched.
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