The National Pest Control Association has invested a considerable amount of time and effort supporting the mission of the Industry Awareness Council (IAC). As you know, the IAC has been given the task of enhancing the industry’s image and growing the market for professional pest control services through a broad-based public relations initiative, the cost of which will be underwritten by voluntary contributions from PCOs, distributors and industry product suppliers.
It’s an ambitious effort, but will it work? Similar public awareness campaigns by beef and milk producers have met with mixed results, but PCOs may need to look no further than their local Yellow Pages directory to understand just how much time and money it takes to change long-entrenched public attitudes about an industry. Earlier this year, the Yellow Pages Publishers Association (YPPA) launched a $24 million ad campaign designed to change the way the public perceives the Yellow Pages. It seems Yellow Pages advertising has been stagnant in recent years, with a growing number of directories going after a relatively static market universe. Sound familiar? To grow its market share — while enhancing the public profile of the Yellow Pages — the YPPA created an innovative ad campaign featuring nationally known comedian Jon Lovitz. “The focus of the campaign is to increase usage by repositioning how consumers think about the Yellow Pages,” says Heidi Brown, a representative of an ad agency promoting the campaign. “The shift is revolutionary: no longer are directories simply convenient listings of phone numbers and addresses. They are, in fact, an indispensable source of information and creativity, a place where consumers can turn to get new ideas.”
While the verdict is still out on the effectiveness of the campaign, PCOs would do well to keep an eye on the YPPA’s efforts. Their strategy of using a nationally known entertainer to get the public to think differently about the Yellow Pages isn’t that different from the strategy outlined, in part, by the Industry Awareness Council.
Speaking of the Yellow Pages, Tom Roberts, director of advertising for Cook’s Pest Control, was kind enough to send PCT a copy of his company’s Yellow Pages ad for our feature “Standing Out In The Crowd” (page 62). Ac-companying the ad was the following note: “I asked a friend to figure out what a half-acre of land would cost if you bought it at the same cost per-square-inch as the Atlanta Yellow Pages. He calculated that that one-half acre would cost $1,452,436,599. Yes, that’s a billion.”
Finally, I’d like to take a moment to wish Eddie Martin and his staff at Terminix Service, Metairie, La., the best of luck in rebuilding their business after a fire destroyed the company’s building. Martin is a universally respected PCO and one of the industry’s true goodwill ambassadors who will land on his feet despite this recent setback. Our mission at PCT magazine is to be a positive contributor to the growth and development of the pest control industry. If we’re serious about our long-term commitment to the market, it’s a mission we all should share.
Explore the June 1999 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
Latest from Pest Control Technology
- TAP Showcases Unique EPA-Registered Insulation Solution
- Atticus' Growing Pest Management Product Portfolio
- Bobby Jenkins Named the 2025 Crown Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
- Abell Pest Control Marks Five Years of ‘12 Days of Giving’
- Built-by-Owner Home? Look for Surprises
- The Pest Rangers Acquires O.C.E. Pest & Termite Control
- The Professional Pest Management Alliance Expands Investor Network
- Big Blue Bug Solutions’ Holiday Lighting Event Sets New Viewership Record
