Don’t underestimate the power of toll free vanity 800 numbers to increase customer recall rates in your visual and broadcast advertisements. That is the key finding from a recent study conducted by 800response and other third parties that examined the consumer recall rates of vanity 800 numbers compared to numeric toll-free numbers featured in various types of ads. If you are not familiar with the term, a vanity 800 number is simply a mnemonic phone number that transposes numbers to words on a telephone keypad such as: 1-800-GOT-JUNK.

According to the study, consumers show an 84 percent improvement in recall when presented with visual advertisements featuring a vanity 800 number. In addition, the second part of the study looked at audio advertisements (i.e. television voice-overs and radio) and determined that consumers are nine times more likely to recall a vanity number than a numeric number.

What does this all mean? It means you cannot discount the marketing influence a vanity number has to generate qualified leads and measure return on investment as well as advertising effectiveness. Internet marketing continues to reduce the effectiveness of print and radio advertising. Your customers still have telephones, however, and according to a 2004 study conducted by the American Teleservices Association, the telephone is still the favored purchasing channel for 45 percent of consumers.

Other findings from the 800response study show that 65 percent of survey respondents were able to correctly recall the vanity 800 number featured in a visual ad campaign such as television, outdoor, or print advertising. Conversely, only 31 percent of respondents could correctly recall the numeric toll-free number- the majority (69 percent) could not correctly recall the numeric phone number.

The second part of the survey measured phone number recall after respondents listened to an audio file featuring a vanity 800 number. Seventy-two percent correctly recalled the vanity 800 number, with just five percent correctly recalling the numeric toll-free number in otherwise identical audio clips. The results of the two surveys confirm the overwhelming value of using unforgettable phone numbers as consumer response tools, particularly in television, radio, outdoor, and print advertising, where they are significantly easier for consumers to recall after even just one exposure, says Laura Noonan, vice president of marketing at 800response. These results are interesting because they confirm that dealers looking to gain a competitive edge in top-of-mind awareness for their dealership should consider using vanity 800 numbers for their marketing campaigns.

For more information on the surveys, please contact Jeanne Landau at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.800response.com/800numbers/studies/index.html.

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