Phonebooks: Are they still relevant?

For some, it’s an unwelcome guest on their doorstep, while others look forward to their new copy each year: the phonebook.

“I got it and threw it in the garbage. I haven’t ever used one in my entire life,” Lisa O’Connor said.

“I’m one who looks through it. I look through our local town and see who’s new in town,” Mary McGonigal said.

SaskTel delivers more than 580,000 phonebooks across the province each year.

“The phonebook has a ton of information in it that you may not find quickly elsewhere,” SaskTel Communications Manager Greg Jacobs said.

“It’s a powerful marketing tool for our small and medium-sized businesses. They put menus in there, they put coupons in there, but also you have a ton of contact information for municipal, provincial and federal levels of government.”

The cost of the phonebooks couldn’t be shared because it’s a competitively sensitive piece of information, but it’s covered by ad revenue in the yellow pages, Jacobs said.

Mortgage specialist Elaine Terry said she believes the investment in phonebook advertising is worth it.

“It helps my business to grow because of the way I have my ad put in the phonebook, so it still works for some people,” she said.

Landlines are automatically entered in the phonebook. Those who wish to have their cell phone in the phonebook must contact SaskTel.

Jacobs said the phonebook uses small type and is double-sided to minimize the number of pages.

“We use a soy and vegetable oil-based ink, and we use 100 per cent recyclable materials to ensure the entire phonebook is recyclable. We use GPS tracking to ensure that our distribution of the phonebook is efficient,” he said.

If you don’t want to receive a phonebook, you can contact DirectWest to opt out.

Regina’s phonebooks will be delivered by the end of June.