Flushed with fame, fortune and fine food - Latest additions to Yellow Pages directory reflect obsession with celebrity lifestyle - 26 January 2006
From entrepreneurs to foodies and pop stars, the influence of ratings-winning reality TV shows is reflected in the latest update to Yellow Pages directories. Keeping in line with 21st century living, the omissions in the 2006 editions make way for new entries that highlight our national obsession with food, fame and fortune.New business and reference headings such as Talent Agencies & Management and Colonic Hydrotherapy mean that ‘Wannabes’ no longer need let their aspirations of the celebrity lifestyle disappear down the pan. And if London celebrity restaurants such as The Ivy and Le Caprice aren’t on your doorstep, there’s a generous helping of diverse Restaurant Guide headings to fuel our gastronomic curiosity including Armenian, Mongolian, Nepalese, Persian and Polish cuisine.
Since its first edition in 1966, changes to the directory’s classifications have reflected shifting trends in British society. Now in its fortieth year, the book is more diverse than ever, as modern, multi-cultural Britain seeks access to a plethora of wide-ranging services.
The Way We Worked
Being more likely now to send an email from a Blackberry, the traditional image of suited-and-booted businessman barking ‘Take a letter Miss Jones’ is finally put to rest in the new directory with the demise of Briefcases and Typewriter Ribbon Manufacturers. While at the working ‘coal-face’, the removal of Collieries & Coal Authorities, Bellfounders & Bellhangers, Gamekeepers, Maltsters and Honey Merchants sees once thriving urban and rural industries of previous decades declining in 21st century Britain.
The Way We Played
Technology innovations have also influenced several of the lifestyle-related changes. In the age of MP3 players and video games, high-tech home entertainment tastes have prompted the removal of Tape Recorder Dealers, Video Libraries, Video Machine Rental and Wooden Toys. And it seems our appetite for gadgetry has taken to the streets too as Satellite Navigation finds its way into the directory for the first time. Popular leisure activities of past decades have also been subjected to scrutiny in the directory update as the gentle if somewhat unhealthy pursuit of collecting Cigarette Cards and Cine Photography are all de-listed in 2006.
The Way We Lived
The removal of Pebble Dashing and Stone Cladding sees a staple of sixties and seventies external décor deemed out of step with the tastes of modern householders. In their place come Wood Timber & Laminate Flooring and Soundproofing, perhaps reflecting the fact that while the ongoing trend for interior wooden floors is easy on the eye, they do the neighbours’ ears no good at all.
Time is Money
The addition of Finance – Commercial & Business suggests the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, although tempered by traditional British prudence with the inclusion for the first time of Insurance – Income Protection. For the first time Child Trust Funds and Equity Release make an appearance. The extra funds would clearly come in handy, given the addition of services designed to save time and make life easier, such as Oven Cleaning, Airport Transfers, and Handyman Services.
Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, publisher of Yellow Pages said; “The content of Yellow Pages directories is determined by supply and demand, and as long as there is sufficient advertiser demand for a particular heading then we’ll endeavour to include it. The annual update is designed to ensure we get the balance right – introducing new, contemporary headings that reflect the services we demand in a modern society, while removing those that are no longer relevant to the way we live today.”
Martin Raymond, Trend Consultant and Future Laboratory co-founder, said: “I’m always eager to see the shifts in Yellow Pages classifications as they’re more revealing about contemporary culture than any amount of time spent watching Big Brother.
Sections like Equity Release perfectly mirror shifts in the culture we have noticed for people using the cash locked up in their homes to live like celebrities for a week – a trend we dubbed ‘limelight living’ (hence the appearance of Airport Transfers and Colonic Hydrotherapy,) or for the home itself to become more like an entertainment hub or ‘hometel’ with the rise of home cinemas, wi-fi and broadband.
