MONTREAL & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canada’s Yellow Pages Group (YPG) (TSX: YLO) is turning online searches for businesses into calls for businesses with a deal inked with Marchex, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHX) the leading call advertising company that helps manage, operate and sell Click & Call Advertising with Skype. Through this YPG-Marchex agreement, the phone numbers of YPG’s Canadian advertisers listed on the web will be a free call to users of Skype 4.0 for Windows, beginning in April.
This agreement now makes it simpler than ever for Skype users to connect − for free − with the business of their choice through this growing communications channel.
This offering will allow users of Skype for Windows with the Skype Toolbar plug-in enabled to make unlimited free calls to approximately 370,000 businesses advertising with YPG with one simple click.
Businesses advertising with YPG will enjoy increased visibility as their contact phone number will be automatically highlighted where it appears on the Internet. YPG will be providing this offering to all of its advertisers free of charge.
“As Canada’s #1 Internet company, we continue to make it even simpler for businesses to connect with customers through our constantly expanding digital network,” said Stephane Marceau, Chief Marketing Officer at Yellow Pages Group. “We use a multiplatform approach to drive leads to our advertisers across mobile, online and print sources. We’re now expanding our reach to include Skype users.”
“As leaders in the call advertising space, we’re excited to see YPG evolving their business solution, giving businesses a performance based channel to drive qualified calls and connect with customers,” said Pete Christothoulou, Chief Operating Officer at Marchex. “Today, we are seeing a shift in the way customers find and place phone calls, and YPG is proving they are not only attentive to these market changes, but also agile as they deliver innovations for their customers, who value calls more than any other type of lead.”
“With their online leadership and unique relationship with hundreds of thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses in Canada, we’re pleased to have Yellow Pages Group work with Marchex to help enhance the offering provided to Canadians who use Skype to contact local businesses for free with one-click ease and convenience,” concluded Andy Sims, Skype’s Director of Global Advertising.
Click & Call Advertising with Skype highlights participating advertisers’ phone numbers with a blue Free Call button where those numbers are displayed on the Internet to users of Skype for Windows with the Skype Toolbar plug-in enabled. When the call button is clicked, the Skype software launches and the call is connected – at no cost to the caller.
About Yellow Pages Group
Yellow Pages Group (YPG) is Canada’s leading performance media and marketing solutions company. The Company serves approximately 370,000 local businesses through its nation-wide sales force of over 1,200 media consultants. YPG also caters to the country’s largest national agencies and advertisers through Mediative, its digital advertising and marketing solutions division. YPG is held by Yellow Media Inc. (TSX: YLO) which owns and operates some of Canada’s leading properties and publications including Yellow Pages™ directories, YellowPages.ca™, Canada411.ca™, AutoTrader.ca, LesPAC.com, and RedFlagDeals.com. The Yellow Media Inc. network of online properties reaches over 11M unique visitors monthly. For more information: www.ypg.com.
About Marchex
Marchex’s mission is to unlock local commerce globally by helping advertisers reach customers wherever they may be – in mobile, offline and online channels, including on our own local and category websites. Our performance-based call advertising products, the Marchex Pay-For-Call Exchange and Marchex Call Analytics, are reinventing how businesses acquire new customers through the phone. Our award-winning Small Business Marketing products empower local businesses to efficiently monitor their online presence, communicate with their customers, and acquire new ones. Every day, our products support tens of thousands of advertisers and partners, ranging from global enterprises to local businesses.
For more information about Marchex (NASDAQ: MCHX), please visit www.marchex.com.
About Skype
Skype is a communications platform provider whose purpose is to break down barriers to communication. With an Internet-connected device, families, friends and colleagues can get together for free with messaging, voice and video. At low cost, they can also call landlines or mobiles virtually anywhere in the world. Skype has recently introduced group video, allowing groups of more than two people to do things together whenever they're apart. Skype was founded in 2003 and is based in Luxembourg. Skype can be downloaded onto computers, mobile phones and other connected devices for free at www.skype.com.