Since the deregulation of 192, telephonic directories which are more commonly known as the 118 services, provide advertisers with a relatively new way of obtaining business. Like printed and online directories, there are two types of enquiry: a named enquiry where the consumer is looking for the details of a specific company and an generic product enquiry where the consumer is looking to source a supplier in a particular industry.
A large proportion of 118 enquiries are named enquiries and it is therefore crucial for companies to ensure that their standard listings are present and correct. Incremental business is generated from the generic product enquiries and various opportunities exist for advertisers to capitalise on these types of enquiries. Like online directories, response is immediate and advertising copy can be changed readily.
Given the nature of the media channel and that a substantial number of enquiries come from mobile phones, advertising opportunities exist through text adverts in addition to preferred voice adverts.
The key players in the market are 118 118, 118 24 7 (Yellow Pages) and 118 500 (BT).
Questions we are often asked by our clients include:
- How much should we be spending compared to other directory media?
- What is a fair investment, considering that I will be paying for both branded and unbranded enquiries?
- Is this right for my industry?
- What type of results should I expect to receive?