Study says 74% of Toll-free Numbers use 800 prefix

Televisionpoint.com Team
According to a recent study, the use of toll-free phone numbers in television advertising continues to grow, proving that the telephone remains prevalent as a response tool despite growth of the Internet over the past seven years.

In the United States, the 2005 Toll-free Numbers in Television Advertising study concludes that 35% of all television commercials feature phone numbers, and that 82% of those phone numbers are toll-free. Furthermore, 74% of the toll-free numbers in television ads use the 800 prefix, making 800 numbers the leading toll-free prefix. Finally, of the 800 numbers 61% are vanity, such as 800-NEXT-CALL.

A similar study conducted in 1998 concluded that 25% of TV commercials displayed toll-free numbers, and at that time just 55% were vanity 800 numbers. Overall, the 2005 study proves vanity 800 phone numbers are increasingly prevalent in today's television ads, up approximately 6%, and the 800 prefix remains the leader as a direct response tool.

"Over the last seven years advertisers continue to understand that using a unique and memorable mechanism in television advertisements increases their response rates when featured in advertising. The two TV studies over the past seven years prove that 800 toll-free and vanity number usage in advertising is still strong, and growing, at 28%, up from 25%. The 2005 study also shows that advertisers continue to provide their customers with phone numbers so they can make contact with a live person, notwithstanding the spectacular growth of the Web," says Mitchell Knisbacher, President of 800 response, which commissioned the 2005 Toll-free Numbers in Television Advertising study.

"We were using a toll-free number, but it was not a vanity. People could not remember our numeric phone number when it was mentioned in ads, and we were not getting the number of phone calls we expected," says Jay Jaynes, General Manager of the dealership.

The 2005 study also measures usage of the three alternate toll-free prefixes in use today, including 866, 877 and 888. These toll-free prefixes come in far behind the 800 prefix for usage in television advertising, 6%, 8% and 12% respectively.