Before the proliferation of business information on the internet, this used to be one of my favorite go-to sources for company information, and particularly, brand name information. But how much are we using it today? Is it worth the $1946 per year cost?
The purpose of the set is to provide informtion on advertising agencies, the companies that use them, and the advertising industry. The set includes three main volumes:
Advertisers Business Classifications - this is good for finding groups of companies that produce particular products. Arranged by 55 business classifications, it includes contact information, number of employees, year founded, what the company does, SIC and NAICS numbers, advertising media used, brand names, top company personnel, and advertising agencies used. It includes an index to product categories and an alphabetical index.
Agencies - this is good for information about the advertising industry such as the top 200 US agencies ranked by size, top multicultural agencies, award winners, advertising associations, etc. The individual entries for agencies include similar information to the advertisers, but also include a breakdown of gross billings by media used and major accounts.
Advertisers Indexes - this is great for brand and product names, and this particular index takes up most of the volume. It also includes product categories by state, and a handy SIC index.
There is an Advertisers & Agencies Supplement which comes out in April, July and October.
So, what's the verdict--keep every year, cancel, or every two or three years?
12 comments:
It is a lot of money, and I do not use it nearly as often as I once did... still, I would not be comfortable with gonging this one.
I can recall two incidents in recent memory (ie 2008) in which patrons came in to ask for this. I would not like to tell someone that we do not have the Red Books, at least not quite yet.
My vote is for keep. *If* the only way we can do it is to get it every other year then I could live with that, but I think we should get it annually.
Previous comment had typos but I agree with Janie. This title used to be totally tattered from our use. Many business people consider it a staple. It would be hard to disappoint them even though we don't use it as much anymore. Every other year is fine. Mary Lou
I don't really use this source, but have had people come in and/or call asking for it. As has been said, it is key source for people in the business and one that we should not be without. If we can get it every other it would be good.
Let's keep it for the dozen or so people who come in wanting to use it. I'm not being facetious. That's twelve more than a lot of our reference books.
GS says: I agree with everyone else. I can’t imagine not having it for those times we do need it. I think however, every other year is fine.
LCA says: I think the Red Book needs to go. This information is available on the internet.
Someone just called the reference desk asking about this - they actually wanted it online. Keep it. Keep it. Maybe every other year for an update?
I’ve found this source more dependable for brand name searches than thomasregister.com, Google, or Factiva, although it doesn't always have the name I'm searching for. The agency directory is nice, too, with lots more detail than can be found elsewhere. And, as others have pointed out, patrons are still asking for it. But that said, is such a specialized source worth $2,000 a year? I don’t think so. I'd vote for getting it every other year.
Keep it.
The final decision on this one is to get it every other year. We can always change it if it becomes apparent that we should have it every year
Post a Comment