Toll-free Numbers in Television Advertising

Findings

24% of Commercials Use Toll-free Numbers

Twenty-four percent of television commercials use a toll-free number as a response mechanism.

800 is Preferred to 888

The 800 prefix is still the favorite (91%) by far.

Vanity Numbers are Still the Favorite

Of the toll-free numbers used, vanity numbers are the favorite for both the 800 (55%) and 888 (82%) prefixes. Overall, 57% of television commercials using a toll-free number use a vanity number.

Local Advertisers are Comparable to National Advertisers in Vanity Number Use

National advertisers use vanity numbers more (58%) than numeric ones.

Local advertisers also use them about half the time (47%).

Real Estate, Telecommunications, and Lodging are the Most Frequent Users of Toll-free Numbers

By industry, there are some leaders in using toll-free numbers as response mechanisms. All (100% of the sample in this study) real estate commercials use them, as do 86% of telecommunications, 67% of lodging, 66% of services, and 62% of recreation commercials. Other frequent users are credit (55%), computers (36%), transportation (32%), and public service announcements (28%).

In the lodging and alcohol industries, all of the commercials (100% of the samples in this study) with a toll-free number use a vanity number. In the automotive industry 95% do, while the computer industry is similarly high (88%). Other heavy users include clothing (87%), telecommunications (77%), transportation (77%), public service announcements (67%), and credit (63%).

Game Shows, Movies, and Local News are the Favored Programming Vehicles

Game shows are the favored vehicle for commercials using a toll-free number as a response mechanism. During game shows, 48% of commercials use this response mechanism, compared with 32% during movie programming, and 28% during local news programming. Other favorites are TV dramas (27%) and sports (26%).

Of the toll-free numbers used, 100% (of the sample in this study) are vanity numbers during soap operas, while 87% are vanity during national news programming, 82% during sports, 63% during situation comedies, and 58% during movies.

Majority Display Number Prominently

Seventy-nine percent of commercials display the toll-free number prominently.

Less Than Half Use Voice-over

Forty percent emphasize the number with a voice-over by an announcer.

Minority are Time Sensitive

Only 19% of the commercials featuring toll-free numbers are time sensitive — "act now" or "limited time".

Toll-free Numbers are Used Most Frequently in 120 and 60 Second Commercials

All (100% of the sample in this study) 120 second commercials utilize a toll-free number.

Similarly high, 82% of 60 second commercials utilize toll-free numbers.

Vanity Numbers are Used in the Majority of Shortest Commercials

Of the commercials with toll-free numbers, vanity numbers are used in the majority of both 15 second (79%) and 30 second (75%) commercials.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening is the Top Time Slot

Thirty-two percent of commercials airing between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM include a toll-free number.

Internet Addresses are Becoming Prominent

Nineteen percent of commercials contain a World Wide Web address. Internet addresses are shown most frequently during sports (27%) and national news (22%). Favorite times are Noon - 4:00 PM (26%) and 8:00 PM - Midnight (24%).

Many Commercials are Using Toll-free Numbers and Internet Addresses

Twenty-five percent of the commercials with toll-free numbers also feature a web address with the URL addresses of 12% of those exactly matching the phone number. Thirty percent of the commercials with an Internet address also contain a toll-free number.

Overall, 37% of commercials have either a toll-free number or an Internet address, or both.

Published September 8, 1998
Copyright © 1999, 800 Response. All rights reserved.

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