Americans Searching for Swimming Pool Contractors, Equipment and Supplies Dive into the Yellow Pages; Swimming Pool-Related Yellow Pages Headings Generate More Than 31 Million Look-Ups per Year.

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. -- With summer heat in full swing, the Yellow Pages make a big splash when it comes to choosing swimming pool-related services and supplies, reports the Yellow Pages Association(TM) (YPA(TM)). In fact, the headings for "Swimming Pool Equipment & Supplies" and "Swimming Pool Contractors, Dealers & Designers" rank 138th and 155th respectively out of more than 4,000 Yellow Pages headings. (1)

Additionally, the "Swimming Pool Equipment & Supplies" and "Swimming Pool Contractors, Dealers & Designers" headings combined receive more than 29 million annual references in the print Yellow Pages and 2.6 million references via Internet Yellow Pages. (1)

According to The Association of Swimming Pool & Spa Professionals, there are more than 8 million swimming pools in the United States - 4.5 million in-ground facilities and 3.5 million above-ground models.

Consumers most frequently reference the "Swimming Pool Equipment & Supplies" heading when they are looking for pool cleaning chemicals, representing 27 percent of the mentions. This is followed by pool repair/parts (24 percent), pool covers/liners (16 percent) and filters/pumps (15 percent). (1)

"Pool service companies and equipment supply stores have historically relied heavily on the Yellow Pages because of the high return on investment, $17 of profit for every one dollar spent," said Larry Small, director of research for the YPA. "In fact, the average swimming pool contractor's Yellow Pages display ad generates more than $900,000 in revenue annually." (2)

For more information on specific Yellow Pages headings, please visit the Yellow Pages Association Web site at http://www.ypassociation.org/.

(1) - Knowledge Networks/SRI, 2005

(2) - CRM Associates, 2005

*The top 12 most frequently referenced headings are: Restaurants, Physicians-Surgeons, Automobile Parts, Automobile Repairing-Service, Pizza, Attorneys-Lawyers, Automobile Dealers, Dentists, Hospitals, Plumbing Contractors, Beauty Salons and Insurance.

About The Yellow Pages Association

Originally founded in 1975 as the National Yellow Pages Service Association (NYPSA), the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) is the trade organization of a print and digital media industry valued at more than $26 billion worldwide ($14 billion in the U.S.). Association members include Yellow Pages publishers, who produce products that account for almost 90 percent of the Yellow Pages revenue generated in the U.S. and Canada. Members also include the industry's international, national and local sales forces, certified marketing representatives (CMRs) and associate members, a group of industry stakeholders that include Yellow Pages advertisers, vendors and suppliers. The Association has members in 29 countries.

Neg Norton is president of the Association. Katherine J. Harless, president of Verizon Information Services, is the Board Chair. YPA board member companies include AT&T Yellow Pages, BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corp., R.H. Donnelley, Yellow Pages Group, Ambassador Publications, the Association of Directory Marketing, DataNational/Volt Directory Systems, Marquette Group, RR Donnelley and Wahlstrom Group.

The Yellow Pages medium provides a powerful return on investment for advertisers and can serve as the cornerstone of an integrated advertising media mix. For more information, please visit the YPA Web site at www.ypassociation.org or call [phone]. To learn more about Yellow Pages advertising, visit www.buyyellow.com. For a Who's Who of Internet Yellow Pages and search engines, visit www.localsearchguide.org.