Network Puts Show Promos 'On Call'

NEW YORK Callers checking 1-800-FREE411 on Sunday for directory assistance may have learned The Amazing Race was premiering that night after 60 Minutes.Host Phil Cogan told them so in a "shout-out" sponsored by CBS that helps keep the Jingle Networks-owned listings service operating free of charge.The campaign, part of CBS' initiative to promote its fall lineup, features a 15-second audio recording running throughout the day of each show's premiere. (Once the program debuts, ads for the next day's premiere kick in.) Callers are given the option to receive a mobile text reminder 30 minutes before show time. The effort is part of CBS's "Outernet" marketing campaign the uses a range of new media and nontraditional methods to generate excitement around its fall slate. "We're reaching people with an impression where they're not expecting it," said George Schweitzer, president of the network's marketing group. "It's not a trailer in a movie theater and it's not a TV promo: your call is being paid for by CBS."The CBS marketing group was also drawn to the "very topical" nature of the Jingle Networks service, said Schweitzer.Measurability was another attraction for Team CBS. "We get information on how many calls were made—everything is authenticated," added Schweitzer. Schweitzer said he expects to reach more than 20 million users via 1-800FREE411, which began last September. And the free service's users apparently skew young. "The business has grown virally because kids tell one another about it," Schweitzer said. Youth are considered catnip to brand advertisers on network television. 1-800-FREE411 offers advertisers a clutter-free environment, according to Lyn Chitow-Oakes, senior vice president of marketing, Jingle Networks. "Unlike the Web, where you might share the page with 10 other advertisers, we only provide two to three advertisers per call—and in an environment where they're paying attention," she said. CBS will be the exclusive television advertiser on 1-800FREE411 during "Premiere Week." Besides The Amazing Race, shows heralded on the free directory service are Survivor, The Class, Smith, Jericho and Ghost Whisperer. Schweitzer is betting that audiences will not only appreciate being treated to a free directory call by CBS (major carriers charge between $1.25-3 a pop in this $9 billion industry), but that hearing "sweet nothings" from a celebrity will have its charms. "You're getting Jennifer Love Hewitt on Friday for Ghost Whisperer, he said. "People would love to hear from her for a free 411 call." Schweitzer added, "What's more personal than ... a one on one message?"

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Network Puts Show Promos 'On Call'

Laura Blum

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Laura Blum