Don’t Buy the Shuck and Jive On 8-5-5
The recent announcement by the Federal Communications Commission that it will open up a new toll-free prefix, 855, on October 1 has caused some to suggest a land-rush mentality. But if history teaches marketers anything, it is this: they should proceed with caution and not get caught up in the hype. Why? Because the only [...]
The recent announcement by the Federal Communications Commission that it will open up a new toll-free prefix, 855, on October 1 has caused some to suggest a land-rush mentality. But if history teaches marketers anything, it is this: they should proceed with caution and not get caught up in the hype. Why? Because the only prefix a direct marketer should be using is 800. Here’s why.
800, the original toll-free prefix, has been around since 1967 and had a 26-year head start on the next toll-free prefixes to be introduced, 888 and 887 in 1996 and 1998, respectively. As a result, the prefix “eight-hundred” has become synonymous to toll-free in the minds of many consumers. The analogy is dot-com. While many other Internet URL extensions have been introduced such as dot-net and dot-tv, the only extension that really counts for marketers interested in capturing the greatest number of consumers is dot-com. The 800 prefix enjoys a similar dominance in the mind of many consumers.
The proof? Within our bank of toll-free numbers, Dial 800 has the 800-version of toll-free numbers that are advertised with other prefixes such as 866 and 877. Thousands of misdials have been tracked where consumers’ go on autopilot when they hear “call toll-free” and dial “eight-hundred”. This phenomenon can be explained in part by chunking theory. Chunking theory relates to how consumers recall “chunks” of information. For example, “eight-hundred” is one chunk of information whereas “Eight, Five-Five” is two. Learn more in our previous blog about toll-free number memory theoryand how itrelates to inbound call volume.
Even when non-800 numbers such as 866 or 877 are used online or in print advertising and the number is right in front of the consumer’s eyes, our research shows that the misdials still persist! All of which leads to the conclusion: if you’re going to direct market to consumers, work with a party that can give you access to memorable toll-free numbers that begin with 800. Don’t let the frenzy surrounding the release of the 855 area code derail your plans for success.
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