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1-800-FREE411 Receives Patent for Free 411 Ad-Supported Directory Assistance Service
Friday, June 15, 2007
Patent Discloses 1-800-FREE411’s Proven Business Model in the Growing Free 411 Space
Menlo Park, CA -- Jingle Networks, Inc., operator of the 1-800-FREE411 directory assistance service, today announced that it holds a U.S. patent directed to the advertising supported directory assistance service introduced by its 1-800-FREE411 service in September 2005.
U.S. Patent 7,212,615 (Criteria Based Marketing for Telephone Directory Assistance) discloses the technique of examining the caller’s information request and targeting an advertisement to the consumer based on that specific request. Since its introduction, 1-800-FREE411 has provided advertisers and direct marketers with the opportunity to deliver targeted messages as callers are making a directory assistance request, creating a new advertising medium for reaching consumers in ready-to-buy mode.
"Delivering an ad based on a consumer request is fundamental to the free directory assistance business model," said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director of Interactive Local Media at the Kelsey Group. "This patent gives 1-800-FREE411 a distinct advantage in the increasingly complex free 411 space."
Jingle Networks’ leadership in the free 411 industry is changing the face of the traditional directory assistance market with an innovative, advertising-supported business model that appeals to both consumers and advertisers. With 1-800-FREE411, consumers are empowered to not only get the information they’ve requested, but also to choose to respond and connect with another relevant, perhaps more beneficial product, service or offer. More than 1,000 companies have used this model as an advertising medium to reach ready-to-buy consumers, benefiting from 200 percent higher response rates than other direct media channels.
"We created the 1-800-FREE411 service with the purpose of alleviating consumer stress caused by the rising price of directory assistance," said George Garrick, CEO of Jingle Networks. "Having recently announced that we have answered more than 200 million FREE directory assistance calls, we’ve seen tremendous acceptance from both consumers and advertisers since our launch in September 2005. This patent establishes the innovation behind the business model that has launched the service to where it is today and helps ensure that our continued innovation in the mobile voice search industry will be recognized."
About Jingle Networks
Jingle Networks, operator of the nation’s leading ad-supported directory assistance service 1-800-FREE411, has significantly changed the directory assistance market by giving consumers an anytime, anywhere source of free information on the phone. 1-800-FREE411 is for anyone who owns a phone and needs information but is dissatisfied with the high cost of directory assistance. Jingle Networks has changed the industry by creating an exciting new media channel through 1-800-FREE411. With nearly 130 million annual calls, 1-800-FREE411 offers advertisers highly targeted and timely promotional opportunities to reach a large but targeted customer base who are ready-to-buy, garnering a response rate twice that of other direct response media. For more information, visit: www.free411.com/.
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