Phonewords

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Phonewords or phone names (known as vanity numbers in the USA) are the alphanumeric equivalent of a numeric telephone number. Phone words & phone names are made up from the various letters of the alphabet that correspond to particular numbers on a telephone keypad. These letters can form a word, a partial word, an acronym, abbreviation, or an alphanumeric combination.

The main advantages of phone words & phone names over standard phone numbers inlude: 1) increased memorability 2) Increased response rates to advertising.

Regular side by side testing of phone names v phone numbers in TV and radio advertising in Australia has shown that phone names generate up to three times more calls than phone numbers. A 300% increase in advertising reponse rates.

A study conducted by Roy Morgan Research in February 2006 indicated that 92% of Australians are aware of alphanumeric dialling.^[1]

1 Examples of phone names & phonewords & vanity numbers
2 Vanity numbers in the United States
3 Phonewords / phone names in Australia
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Examples of phone names & phonewords & vanity numbers

Well known examples in Australian include: 1800 REVERSE, 1300 FOXTEL, 1300 CAR LOAN, 1300 RUBBISH, 13 FLOWERS, 1300 FAST FLOWERS, 1300 FLORIST, 1800 PETALS, 1300 SCENIC, 1300 HOLIDAY, 1300 PRIMUS, 1300 KINGSLEYS, 1300 CLEANER, 1300 WESTPAC, 1300 TELSTRA, 1300 SKIRMISH, 1800 FLOWERS, 1300 FLOWERS and 1300 ASKHOW

Well-known North American examples include 1800 CONTACTS, 1800 WESTERN, 1800 CALL ATT, 1800 MATTRESS, 1800 GO FEDEX, 1800 METLIFE, 1800 THE CARD, 1800 FLOWERS, and 1800 COLLECT.

[edit] Vanity numbers in the United States

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Vanity 800 numbers are phone numbers that spell something, like 800-NEW-RIDE, or 800-NEW-CARS. They are easier to remember than numeric phone numbers, therefore when businesses use them as a direct response tool in their advertising (radio, television, print, outdoor, etc.) they are proven to increase response rates by 30-60%. Vanity 800 phone numbers are rare, however. 800 is the most recognizable toll-free exchange - more so than 866, 877 or 888. There are companies in the U.S. who lease these memorable 800 phone numbers to businesses and then route the calls based on the area code that the caller is dialing from.

Vanity 800 numbers are also available with call tracking. The tracking of these direct-response tools allows businesses to determine where their incoming call traffic is coming from. call tracking reports enable businesses owners and manager to build a database of leads, access demographic information on callers, examine a wide range of call data, better allocate personnel based on calling patterns, analyze ad campaign results, and export data into other programs. The reports also help to fine-tune advertising plans and media budgets by providing detailed information on specific media buys, such as radio, television, outdoor media, etc.

[edit] Phonewords / phone names in Australia

Phonewords and phone names were officially introduced into Australia following the release of the appropriate number ranges by the ACMA Australian Communications Authority in August 2004 although they have been widely used in the United States for more than thirty years. The ACMA markets the rights of use to the phonewords (also referred to as smartnumbers) via an online auction which is found at www.smartnumbers.com.au

Some phonewords have sold for as much as AUD $1 million with 13TAXI raising AUD $1,005,000; 1300 TICKETS AUD $300,000; 1300 FLOWERS AUD $152,500; 13ROSE $92,500.

The types of numbers that are most commonly used include those beginning with the prefixes '1300', and '1800', which are 10 digits in length, and numbers beginning with '13', which are six digits in length.

The differences between the prefixes are the length of the number (6 or 10 digits), the license cost to use them each year (approximately AUD$1 for 1800 and 1300, AUD$10,000 for 13 numbers) and the call cost model. 1300 and 13 numbers share call costs between the caller and call recipient, whereas the 1800 model offers a national free call to the caller, with total costs of the call borne by the recipient.