TKG Data and Analysis: A Weekly Recap

Here is a recap of posts from last week, in case you missed any. Click below to read each post in full.

Behind the Forecast Numbers

Earlier this week I went to hear an economist offer his take on the current economy and how soon it would recover. Long story short, I believe the speaker, who had outstanding credentials, was overly optimistic. (I really believe he may have been on vacation on some secluded island for the past year.) (read more)

Sensis Continues to Defy Global Trend

My colleague Neal Polachek and I just got off the phone with the leadership team at the Australian publisher Sensis, who walked us through its half-year results ended Dec. 31. We continue to marvel at how successful Sensis has been at growing revenue across all  its channels, while most publishers around the world struggle to maintain equilibrium as the print business suffers steep declines. (read more)

BIA/Kelsey Commentary: Wardak on the Money Supply and the Media Business

Last fall, a report from Sequoia Capital was widely circulated, strongly suggesting that companies sit on their capital and wait out what was sure to be a very slow and painful period. Now it’s gotten worse. For the past several weeks, other analyst reports have been circulating. They suggest that we’ve entered a period of “deleveraging,” when debt ratios are eating parasitically into capital. This has led to deflation, and has made it all but impossible to spend, and to achieve growth. (read more)

Getting Social in Europe: A Conversation With Qype

Last week, while touring London and Paris, Charles Laughlin and I had the chance to meet with Qype, a local business review site whose popularity in Europe has matched that of Yelp in some U.S. markets. Our first order of business was to finally get confirmation on the site’s proper pronunciation. The argument was settled: There is a silent U (pronounced “Kwipe”). (read more)

New Dex IYP Goes Live

R.H. Donnelley has flipped the on switch on the new DexKnows.com Internet Yellow Pages platform. We have commented that the new site (a tangible outcome of the acquisition of Business.com and its team of technologists) represents an ambitions effort to address many of the widely perceived shortcomings of IYPs. Now it is time to find out if consumers and advertisers respond favorably to the effort. (read more)

Entrepreneur Watch: Cazoodle Crawls Vertical Listings

Cazoodle, a new listings-based service, has launched from the incubator at The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (yes, Marc Andreeson’s former territory). The site currently crawls for apartment listings and shopping. Additional vertical categories such as events are anticipated, notes Professor Kevin Chang, who is supervising seven graduate students on the project. “We have the technology and we want to use it,” he says. (read more)

New TKG Advisory Service: A Focus on Mobile Local Media

Today we’re launching a new formal practice area that will focus on the rapidly evolving mobile media space. As is core to The Kelsey Group’s DNA, the main angle here will be local: how the growth of the mobile Web will specifically hold opportunities for locally targeted content and ad delivery. (read more)

MapQuest Goes Deeper Into Mobile Mapping

MapQuest today announced a new feature for its MapQuest 4 Mobile application, which will let users save and share personalized maps and routes. Known as MyPlaces, the feature will be part of the free MapQuest 4 mobile download on select BlackBerry models (more devices coming soon). The main point is to drive usage by extending the MapQuest experience from desktop to the mobile device. (read more)

AOL Adds Classifieds; Partners With Oodle

AOL Local has teamed with Oodle to launch AOL Classifieds in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, AOL is launching a U.K. classified site at the end of the week. Oodle aggregates listings from more than 250 partner sites (including MySpace, Facebook and Wal-Mart).The timing might be especially useful for used person-to-person goods, as people try to raise additional money to stave off the bad economy. (read more)

ESPN to Launch Local Chicago Web Site

ESPN, which is 80 percent owned by Disney and 20 percent owned by Hearst, has been a leader in verticalizing its brand and content, with dozens of properties covering everything from the core network to ESPN Desportes to the retail stores. Web sites and online radio have played prominently in the vertical mix. (read more)