YP Grabs Major Mobile Marketshare; Annual Ad Revenue Attributed to Mobile Surpasses $350 Million

ATLANTA --(Business Wire)--

In 2012, YP had over $350 million in advertising revenue attributable to mobile, making it the number two company in the U.S. mobile advertising industry, according to analyst firm IDC (News - Alert) (International Data Corporation)¹. Overall digital ad revenue in 2012 reached nearly $1 billion. Mobile searches across YPmobile® apps and YP.com exceeded 40 percent of total local searches across YP properties in 2012 underscoring YP's ongoing business shift to mobile.

Formed in May 2012 as a multi-billion dollar local search, media and advertising company, YP brings together one of the industry's most successful digital companies, the largest local ad network and a cross-country sales presence of thousands of media consultants, as it expands its leadership in the mobile local ad market. The company was named among the top 50 digital media companies in the world by Paidcontent.org.

"YP has firmly established itself as the number two company in the U.S. mobile advertising industry in 2012. And that puts YP in a great position going forward," said Karsten Weide, Program VP, Digital Media and Entertainment at IDC. "For one, mobile advertising continues to grow rapidly. Last year the segment grew by more than 70 percent, and we think it will grow by another 60 percent this year. And also, with consumers checking for nearby information on the road, and with YP providing this data, they will see their business grow rapidly, too."

"Since launching in May of last year, we've aggressively leveraged our core business assets to accelerate our position as the digital leader in local search, media and advertising," said David Krantz, CEO of YP. "In 2013, we expect mobile to continue to fuel our growth as we expand relationships with 50+ million consumers using YP digital products on a monthly basis and extend mobile reach across our Local Ad Network of over 300+ digital publishers."

The Shift toward Mobile to Connect Consumers and Merchants

Directional media - cross-plaform solutions designed to seamlessly connect local merchants with potential customers, is the key focus of YP's business. Helping to expedite the consumer buying process from the initial search to the end transaction, directional media fuels local commerce on a dynamic and on-demand basis, especially through mobile.

In 2012, local businesses received nearly 100 million calls from consumers who selected their business on YP's top-rated local search app. On average, that's three phone calls every second. Moving beyond browsing content like reviews or spending time "checking in" to a business, the YPmobile® portfolio of apps help users make a quick decision that leads to a connection with a merchant. Clicks on paid listings accessed on mobile devices grew by 100 percent in 2012.

Dynamic Store Locator, a mobile ad unit supported by the YP Local Mobile Display Network, launched in July 2012 expanding YP's reach across the mobile ad platform. The Local Mobile Display Network serves Dynamic Store Locator ads within a specific radius of storefronts or desired geo-fence, potentially reaching more than 100 million location-enabled smartphone users in the US.

Millions of Consumers Trust YPmobile® When Selecting a Business

In 2012, YP.com was consistently ranked among the top 40 mobile web domains in the US by comScore (News - Alert). YP also became the first local search app to work with Constant Contact's SinglePlatform to add menus for hundreds of thousands of restaurants, leading to nearly two million menu views by iPhone and Android (News - Alert) device users each month. While overall mobile searches grew by triple digits, consumers on iPads and Android devices contributed to over 200 percent search growth, alluding to the growing mobile advertising opportunity across platforms.

About YP

YP is North America's largest local search, media and advertising company. Its mission is to help small businesses and communities grow. Millions of searches occur daily using YP products to find, compare and select local merchants. The company's flagship consumer brands include the YP.com?, a top 40 U.S. Web domain, the highly rated YP? app and the YP Real Yellow Pages? directory, the largest Yellow Pages directory in the world by revenue.

The company's wide range of print and digital advertising products are designed to address the evolving local search needs of consumers and help advertisers grow their business. The YP? Local Ad Network provides advertisers with an opportunity to reach more than 180 million monthly users across more than 300 affiliated online and mobile publishers. Through customized campaigns designed by expert advisors, YP provides local businesses with one of the most cost effective sources for consumer leads.

YP products and service are backed by thousands of media consultants and customer service professionals in local markets across the US with relationships spanning over 600,000 businesses. An affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., one of the world's leading private investment firms, recently acquired a controlling interest in YP from AT&T (News - Alert).

Keep tabs on YP? updates on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/YP or by following @YP on Twitter (News - Alert).

¹ Source: IDC New Media Market Model 2H-2012