Consumer Recall of Advertising & Phone Number Dialing Preferences

Toll-free Vanity 800 NumbersVs. Numeric Phone Numbers & URLs in Advertising
Analysis of Consumer Recall & Dialing Preferences

A recent research study reveals consumer recall rates of phone numbers and URLs (vanity 800 vs. toll-free numeric vs. URLs).  This is crucial information for businesses that use advertising – whether it be radio, outdoor, television, print or other – to market their business and build a credible brand.  Read on for detailed results, and get more consumer research results by visiting here.

Overview
Year-after-year, consumers’ actions and preferences continue to show that it is important for companies to provide a way for people to contact them for a live communication interaction, whether with sales or customer service departments.

Toll-free numbers remain a powerful tool in this regard, allowing for cost-fee communication for the consumer, as well as providing a wealth of consumer data and tracking information for the advertising business.

Numerous business case studies and market research surveys show that the effective use of vanity 800 numbers in advertising can substantially increase consumer response rates compared to numeric phone numbers and website addresses (URLs).

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate consumer recall of vanity 800 numbers (mnemonic phone numbers that transpose into words on the telephone keypad, i.e. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? ®) compared with recall rates of toll-free numeric phone numbers and URLs when used in visual and broadcast advertisements.

To gather the market research data, an electronic survey was distributed to over one thousand opted-in respondents, executed by a third-party research company,

The study findings prove that companies can expect up to a 75% higher recall rate of vanity 800 numbers over numeric toll-free numbers, and a 57% average higher recall rate of vanity 800 numbers over URLS when these direct-response tools are featured in advertisements. The study also collected data on the consumer’s recognition of the existing toll-free prefixes, including 800, 888, 877, 866 and the newly-released 855 prefix.

Study results suggest that companies will benefit from featuring a memorable toll-free number in their advertising campaigns to optimize lead-generation and provide consumers with the avenues they desire in order to make contact with the sales and customer service departments.

A final portion of the study surveyed consumers’ preferences for dialing a numeric phone number or a vanity 800 toll-free number. A comparative of display advertisements in the study shows that when given a choice, the majority of consumers prefer to dial a toll-free vanity 800 number over a local numeric phone number when calling a local business.

Toll-free Numbers in 2011:
As of September 2009, there were over 25.5 million working toll-free numbers, including the toll-free prefixes of 800, 888, 877 and 866¹.  In October of 2010, another 7+ million 855 numbers were introduced by the FCC², because of the growing demand for toll-free phone numbers by businesses and consumers.

AT&T^® launched the concept of toll-free dialing in 1967 when they introduced the ‘800’ calling code¹.  Since the introduction of toll-free numbers, businesses have been using these tools to open the flow of communication between their sales and service departments and their consumers.  The popularity of toll-free dialing exhausted the inventory of 800 toll-free prefixes, forcing the FCC to introduce the 888 prefix in 1996, followed by the 866 and 877 prefixes to meet the demand for toll-free dialing¹.  And, after exhausting these toll-free codes, continued interest and investment by companies created the demand for the 855 code.

Despite the emerging presence of social media outlets to advertise and communicate, research has shown that 90% of people say they still want their inquiries handled by live representatives over the telephone³ as opposed to Twitter^®, Facebook^®, or other communication avenues.  Online communication services do not always provide as much information as a live person, and cannot fix problems the way a call-center representative can.  This is good news for businesses that use a phone number in their advertising campaigns as a response and lead-generation tool.

Furthermore, it is reported that 65% of businesses rate phone calls as their highest quality lead source⁴.

With consumer reliance on toll-free numbers to contact businesses, and the fact that they prefer to have live communication with businesses, these consumer response tools will remain key components in advertising campaigns to reach consumers and generate response.

Finally, the implementation of toll-free vanity 800 numbers into advertising campaigns has proven to increase consumer response rates, and improve consumer recall of an advertising company’s phone number, year after year³.

Findings for Recall of Vanity 800 Numbers, Numeric Phone Numbers & URLs
Consumers have a 75% Average Higher Recall Rate of Vanity 800 Numbers over Numeric Toll-free Phone Numbers

Chart 1 below shows the exact count of correct recall responses and the correct recall rates for each advertised vanity 800 phone number and numeric toll-free phone number.

75.4% Average Higher Recall Rate of Vanity 800 Numbers over Numeric Toll-free Numbers

• After viewing sample ads with one of these response tools, consumers have significantly higher recall of vanity 800 numbers versus 10-digit toll-free numbers.

Study data show that consumers have better recall of vanity 800 phone numbers than they do of numeric toll-free phone numbers

Findings for Recall of Vanity 800 Numbers, Numeric Phone Numbers & URLs (cont.)

• Consumers have a 57.6% Average Higher Recall Rate of Vanity 800 Numbers over URLs

Chart 2 below shows that respondents find it easier to recall a vanity 800 number over a URL after listening to ads featuring both response tools.

Findings for Consumer Recall by Age
The survey sample (1,037 respondents) was distributed across three age groups.  The charts below show that regardless of age, consumers have significantly higher recall rates of vanity 800 phone numbers than they do of numeric toll-free phone numbers, and they have approximately twice the recall rate of vanity 800 numbers than they do of URLs.

• Consumers in the 25 to 34 age group have a 74.8% average higher recall rate for the vanity 800 number presented in an advertisement, over the numeric toll-free number.

• Respondents ages 35 – 49 have a 76.8% average higher recall of the vanity 800 number.

• And, those 50 – 64 have a 74.6% average higher recall for the vanity 800 number, versus the numeric toll-free number.

•  Consumers in the 25 to 34 age group have a 50.1% average higher recall rate for the vanity 800 number presented in an advertisement, over the URL.

• Respondents between the ages of 35 – 49 have a 49.2% average higher recall of the vanity 800 number.

• And, those 50 – 64 have a 47.2% average higher recall for the vanity 800 number, versus the URL.
  

Findings Summary
Based on the 75.4% and 57.6% average higher recall rates of toll-free vanity 800 numbers over numeric phone numbers and URLs, respectively, it is essential for companies to include a vanity phone number in their advertising strategy for optimal lead generation.

Furthermore, with 57% of survey respondents reporting that they prefer to dial a vanity 800 number over a local numeric phone number, companies can ensure consumer satisfaction for the majority of the population their advertising reaches when they feature a vanity toll-free number as the response tool in their print advertisements.

Study data suggest that companies who drive traffic to their websites by only advertising a URL are missing a significant portion of the consumer population who better recall a phone number – vanity or otherwise – to communicate with an organization.

The results also suggest that if companies do not include a phone number in their ads, they are losing the valuable direct communication with consumers who are looking for live contact.

Finally, data reveals that, when possible, it is more beneficial for companies to obtain and use a true ‘800’ prefix toll-free number, as it is recognized by over 90% of consumers as toll-free, whereas the recognition of alternate prefixes as toll-free falls significantly.

Conclusion
Vanity 800 Numbers vs. Numeric Toll-free Numbers vs. URLs:
This study presents findings related to consumers’ recall of toll-free vanity 800 numbers, numeric toll-free phone numbers, and website addresses in select advertising mediums.

Consumers were found to have higher recall rates of the easy-to-remember vanity 800 numbers in both visual and audio media formats.  When presented with advertisements featuring vanity 800 numbers, numeric toll-free numbers, and URLS, consumers showed a 75.4% and 57.6% greater recall rate for the vanity 800 numbers over the numeric phone numbers and URLs, respectively.   When broken down by media type, vanity 800 numbers have average higher recall rates in both visual and audio media formats, 78% higher in print media, and 50.8% higher in broadcast media, compared to recall of URLs.

The demographic data and recall results demonstrate that although there is a broad perception that the younger population tends to be more online focused, 77.7% of those ranging in age from 25 to 34 correctly recalled the vanity 800 number presented in an advertisement, while only 27.9% correctly recalled the URL, and only19.6% could correctly recall the numeric phone number.

Overall, each age group had a higher recall rate for the toll-free vanity phone numbers in advertisements, than they did for the advertisers’ numeric phone numbers or website addresses.  Therefore, to make the most effective use of advertising budgets and lead-generation tactics, advertisers should use both a vanity 800 number and a URL as the direct response tools.  Using both tools will ensure that consumers have the means with which they prefer to make contact with a company, as well as a better ability to recall the vanity phone number for future calls.

Consumer preferences of dialing a vanity 800 number over a local numeric phone number, along with higher recall rates over URLs, along with consumer preference for live interactions with companies, demonstrates that it is prudent for businesses to include a phone number like a vanity 800 number in their advertising campaigns.  Doing so ensures customer satisfaction, higher customer recall, as well as improved lead generation and the capture of powerful consumer data through tracking reports.

Advertising companies will gain a business advantage by including a phone number, preferably a vanity toll-free number, in their advertising strategies.

Finally, media consumption data shows that although there is an inherent focus on online communications and social media presence, consumers continue to spend significant quantities of time watching tradition television, listening to the radio, and reading the print edition of newspapers.  This data set suggests that traditional media formats will continue to be used by advertising companies to reach their target customers.

For more information on how a vanity 800 number will improve advertising response rates, consumer recall rates, and assist in gleaning business intelligence via tracking and monitoring tools, please contact 800response.

Methodology
An online research survey was distributed to 1,037 opted-in respondents.  The market research survey was executed through an online market research firm, and all survey data was compiled by the third party.

Research Conducted By:
Infosurv, Inc.:  Infosurv, Inc. is a market research firm based in Atlanta, Georgia.  Since its inception in 1998, Infosurv has established itself as a recognized leader in the field of online survey research and has provided research and survey services to 200+ Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, national associations, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. 

Analysis of the questions measuring recall and consumer preference is at a 95% confidence interval with a margin of error of +/- 3.02%.