Free-411 Rolls Out Dial Directions Nationally

Jingle Networks’ 800-Free-411 for now is the “free DA” market leader. But it has been joined by a broad range of competitors:

• 1-800-GOOG411 (Google)
• 1-800-Call-411 (MSFT, Tellme powered)
• 1-800-Yellowpages (AT&T)
• 1-800-2ChaCha (”mobile answers”)
• 1-800-The-Info (Verizon)
• 1-800-555-Tell (Tellme)
• 1-800-555-5555 (potentially)

This also doesn’t include the voice-powered (or operator-assisted) mobile applications:

• Yahoo’s oneSearch with Vlingo
• MSFT Live Search with voice
• The Tellme client (a new version launches today for the Blackberry)
• V-Enable’s FreeMobile411

There’s also the mobile Internet itself, which competes with DA in some cases. In the future, mobile social networks may also address some of the queries that might have gone to DA (e.g., category searches). Right now the latter is quite speculative however.

Against that backdrop Jingle needs to continue to develop, market and differentiate its service if it hopes to stay ahead of this increasing competition. One way it has sought to do that is by offering Dial Directions service, which as of today is now available nationally: any location to any other location (by address or intersection).

The rest of this post is on Local Mobile Search.

Free411 (Jingle) Sells Out — Ad Inventory

In a press release out this morning, Jingle Networks says that its sold out its sponsorship ad inventory:

“Jingle Networks, Inc., the leader in free voice search and operator of the 1-800-FREE411 directory service, today announced it has sold out its 2008 sponsorship inventory due to unprecedented advertiser growth among national and local brands. Clients such as McDonald’s, Earthlink and AMC Theaters have renewed their contracts and new companies including FordDirect have signed on with 1-800-FREE411 to reap the benefits of its unique and clutter-free platform.”

Jingle is the most widely used of the four big free-DA offerings: 1-800-Free-411, Goog411, AT&T’s 1-800-YellowPages, Microsoft’s/Tellme’s 1-800-Call-411.

Jingle’s sponsorship inventory consists of typically CPM ads that play at the “top” of a call. Jingle now reports more than 20 million calls per month. According to our estimate, there are roughly 5.4 billion DA calls made annually in the United States. Approximately 2.3 billion originate from landlines and 3.1 billion are from mobile phones — and the volumes continue to shift toward mobile.

The rest of this post is at LocalMobileSearch.

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In the comments below former Jupiter analyst and founder of real estate vertical homethinking Niki Scevak makes the point that there’s potential reason for concern here and that the company needs more (calls) inventory to keep growing.

IYPs Can Compete with Search (Apparently)

RHD put out a press release this morning that says its DexKnows consumer destination is the leader in its 14-state print market, according to comScore:

[I[ts comprehensive, feature-rich local search site, remained the top local search site in the 14-state area* where Dex is the official print directory for Qwest. According to comScore, DexKnows.com (formerly DexOnline.com) was the most used local search site in this area in terms of number of searches, accounting for 24 percent of all searches during the quarter. This marks the fifteenth consecutive quarter DexKnows.com led the market.

I have some issues with how comScore segments and measures the “local search” market — it uses a conservative methodology and separates “local search” and “IYP” into two distinct categories. But taking these numbers at face value it shows how the combined power of print and online — together with some traditional branding and marketing — can be a successful strategy for traditional media companies vs. online-only competitors.

DexKnows is supported by Local Matters’ destination search platform. In addition, Dex is testing a voice search service (free DA) using CallGenie’s platform and technology.

The Coming ‘GOOG-411′ Button on GE Phones

According to a pre-CES release from Thomson:

Thomson and Google have partnered to help consumers save money on 411 business information calls by integrating the first ever one-touch, auto-dial GOOG-411 button into many of its latest GE-branded DECT 6.0™ Interference Free phones for 2008. One of many new innovative features for consumers from Thomson, GOOG-411 is Google’s free, voice-activated, business directory assistance service, and the GOOG-411 button will be incorporated on more than a dozen GE phones, which will be available in April.

This moves GOOG411 into new realms and is being positioned, interestingly, not only as an alternative to conventional 411 but as an alternative to “the phone book”:

“While some people still use the ‘phone book,’ most traditional paper versions these days are remarkably incomplete and do not fit today’s fast paced lifestyle,” said Tom Bratton, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Thomson Consumer Network Solutions.

This is something of a marketing coup for Google to help build awareness of the GOOG411 service, which will eventually be ad-supported. Google has done some uncharacteristic consumer marketing for its service (mostly outdoor) in selected areas, but it remains largely unknown, according to both LocalMobileSearch and comScore data:

• In a recent LocalMobileSearch survey, conducted on behalf of V-Enable, 76.3% of respondents (n=671) said they had never used “one of the free alternatives to carrier-provided 411 directory assistance”
• Data compiled by comScore for Jingle Networks found that only 7%-8% of users had “heard of or used” GOOG-411 “in the past 30 days” (based on three survey waves in 2007). By contrast, 17%-18% said they had “heard of or used” Jingle’s 1800-Free-411 service

As Dan Miller says in a post at LocalMobileSearch, “Single button access, offered by Google and others, are poised to change long established user behaviors, like dialing 411 or longer, toll-free access numbers. This is a major threat to incumbent, fixed line DA providers that generated something like $3.5 billion in highly profitable revenue from roughly 4 billion calls last year.”

Survey Data from comSore on Free 411 Usage

Over at Local Mobile Search I write about comScore survey data, commissioned Jingle, that offers some insight into the current state of consumer awareness and usage of free 411 directory assistance alternatives. The major services, with more to come, currently include:

• 1-800-Free-411 (Jingle Networks)
• 1-800-GOOG-411 (Google)
• 1-800-Call-411 (Microsoft, built on Tellme)
• 1-800-YellowPages (AT&T)

The data show relatively low awareness of these services, which is the principal challenge they face. (Consumers also remain largely ignorant of how much they pay for mobile 411.) But once they become aware and try these services they typically won’t return to traditional 411.

Local and Mobile Upgrades from MSFT

My broad overview, mostly excerpting the press release is on SEL and a mobile-specific discussion is at LocalMobileSearch. From a mobile perspective, the “headline” is the introduction of Live Search 411 (1-800-CALL-411).

More Goog411 Billboards Revealed

Danny Sullivan took this picture in San Francisco of a Goog411 billboard sitting on top of an Ask billboard:

Yesterday driving down the street in Oakland I also saw a Goog411 billboard. This appears to be a bona fide effort by Google to expose the service to people and generate usage.

Again, what’s remarkable with this is that Google is actually doing consumer marketing (a first) for a product and not relying entirely on word of mouth.

I’m wondering where similar marketing is from Microsoft’s Tellme.

More on Goog411 Billboards

Here’s more, including images of the locations, from Mike Blumenthal on Google’s 411 outdoor ads push. What’s amazing is that Google is doing consumer marketing for one of its products.

This is something that hasn’t been done as visibly before. (Checkout had some online marketing.) I would imagine Google will be looking to see if there’s a spike in usage from the areas where the placements are. That will be somewhat difficult to measure in SF (unless they’re brought down and traffic before and during compared). But in other areas, where there is likely to be less awareness, performance will be more immediately obvious.

At the bottom of his piece, Mike asks the following questions:

The real questions for me are:

• When will they add individuals to the Goog-411 service?
• When will they monetize the service?
• How will they monetize the service without it being intrusive and simultaneously adding value to the interaction?

My answers:

• The majority of 411 calls are for businesses, so it’s not necessarily critical. But Jingle (800 Free411) does residential it so it’s fairly easy to add the data.
• When the usage passes a certain threshold it WILL be monetized
• How will they monetize it? One way that answers Mike’s concerns is with relevant ads at the bottom of SMS messages (send by text). This is being done already elsewhere; 118118 in the UK is an example.
• It could also be a distribution channel for radio/audio ads if the ads are highly targeted.
• They could also tease ads (whether audio or coupons) and have an opt-in to accept. (i.e., “Press one to listen” or receive by text message.)

More Goog411 Outdoor Ads Spotted

I was told over the weekend of a second outdoor Goog411 ad in San Francisco (and here’s a taxi ad). It will be interesting to see how aggressive this push becomes and whether Jingle Networks responds in any way with more consumer marketing, which the company has been doing to varying degrees, of its own.

This is a fairly dramatic departure for Google (assuming it is a bona fide ad campaign to build awareness for the voice search service), which has typically relied on word-of-mouth to promote its products.

Here’s the new Goog411 page (complete with instructional video, also distributed on YouTube). “It’s really simple, and it’s free.”

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As an aside, Google is getting very smart about creating videos for most of these new product offerings. The videos are engaging and much more accessible and complete than FAQs. Yahoo! something similar with social bookmarking site delicious (via Search Engine Journal).

Goog411 Billboard Spotted

Mike Blumenthal took the shot in upstate New York:

Jingle had been promoting itself with outdoor and radio advertising. But this is a segment that has quickly become crowded and competitive (so expect some more consumer marketing).

Voice search will be a nearly ubiquitous interface option in the near future, blurring the distinction between some of the different services. Microsoft, for example, is starting to make a big push with Tellme as the voice front end on different mobile search options.

I also did a short post on this at SEL.

CallGenie Behind New 1-800-CallDex

Yellow pages publisher R.H. Donnelley (RHD) is testing a new voice local mobile search product, 1-800-CallDex, in four U.S. markets: Denver, Phoenix, Spokane (WA) and Tucson. It offers a suite of services powered by CallGenie’s Enhanced Voice Directory platform.

CallGenie also provides voice search and enhanced DA services to Verizon, Yellow Pages Group (Hello Yellow) and Say Hello.

The rest of this post is at LocalMobileSearch.

Future of Mobile DA: Change or Die

V-Enable and the recently IPO’d mobile carrier MetroPCS announced a deal for enhanced directory assistance that offers an innovative pricing dimension. MetroPCS users receive access to “unlimited,” enhanced DA at certain “premium,” monthly spending levels (there are no contracts for MetroPCS): $45 and $50:

Ask all you want with Metro411 Unlimited Directory Assistance. You will hear the number, AND you will receive a text message containing the name and phone number you requested. Receive residential, business and government phone listings for anywhere in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico when you dial 411 from your MetroPCS phone

While those “premium” spending levels are generally easy to hit in normal carrier service plans, the “unlimited local and long distance” nature of MetroPCS means that the company has to provide other reasons to bump up to higher-priced plans. (MetroPCS offers all-you-can-eat plans at $30, $35, $40, $45 or $50, with different options and services.)

The rest of this post is at Local Mobile Search.

Voice-Driven Local Search on the iPhone

VoiceSignal hacked the iPhone to create voice-based local search on the device. That’s frankly what’s missing from the iPhone (more than Outlook support, etc.).

More at LocalMobileSearch.

Cage Match: GOOG411 vs. Dial Directions

I met the other day Amit Desai of Dial Directions (347-328-4667). In my two conversations with Amit (the former CTO of Voxify), he’s made some very strong claims about the sophistication of the startup’s speech platform and capabilities. He also gave me some “roadmap” information that may take the service way beyond “free DA.” But for now that’s what the service is, with point-to-point directions (not to diminish it or the Free DA category in any way).

I decided to informally test GOOG411 vs. Dial Directions across category searches and a few name-in-mind searches to see how they comparatively performed. The outcome was something of a split decision.

The rest of this post is at LocalMobileSearch.

‘Say Hello’ to Local Voice Portals

Toronto-based Call Genie announced that the first of many prospective metropolitan “America Say Hello” voice portals will be launched in Jacksonville, FL, in conjunction with Morris Communications’ Florida Times Union. The service will be called “Jax Say Hello” and will include “free” (advertiser supported) access to residential, business and government telephone listings, augmented by proven, high-volume information services, like sports scores, weather, movie theater listings and selected classified advertising (cars and real estate).

Read the rest of Dan Miller’s analysis of the announcement on LocalMobileSearch.

Dial Directions: GPS Like New Mobile Service

I spoke yesterday with Amit Desai, cofounder and chief product officer of Dial Directions (347-328-4667), a new voice-based local mobile search service. It offers an impressive voice interface that allows users to identify where they are and a desired location and receive a text message back with turn-by-turn directions. You can also use the service to find the nearest location of a particular business (right now chains: e.g., Peet’s Coffee or a specific address).

The rest of this post is on LocalMobileSearch.

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Related: Peter Krasilovsky reports on local Florida newspaper white label adoption of (America) Say Hello, another ad-supported free DA service (powered by CallGenie). Free DA in its various incarnations is starting to quickly become a crowded segment. It will be challenging for smaller competitors over time to have direct to consumer businesses unless they offer unique or superior services. Beyond this, traditional DA will have to offer what amount to concierge-like services if it hopes to survive in the face of all the free options.

Free DA Battle Heating Up

Ad-supported directory assistance is the entry point for most consumers into local mobile search and the battle is heating up with AT&T rolling out its 1-800-YellowPages service throughout California and Jingle Networks (1-800-Free411) announcing a major distribution partnership with SuperPages today.

There’s more at LocalMobileSearch and Search Engine Land.

Sprint Expels Subscribers Over Heavy DA Usage

This is very strange (from the WSJ [sub req'd]); Sprint is terminating heavy directory assistance users:

The country’s third-largest wireless provider, with more than 53 million subscribers, has sent letters to about 1,000 subscribers terminating their contracts, according to Roni Singleton, a company spokeswoman.

“The number of inquiries you have made to us … has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs,” the letter, dated June 29, states.

The terminated subscribers called an average of 25 times a month, a rate 40 times higher than average customers, Ms. Singleton said.

Sprint charges $1.25 per directory assistance call. Thus these are revenue-generating customers. But beyond this, it suggests an opportunity to create a free, ad-supported DA model. AT&T has 1-800-YellowPages, Verizon is in the process of building one, and of course Jingle, Google and Microsoft all have free DA services.

Indeed, conventional directory assistance will lose more and more ground over time to these ad-supported models. Time for Sprint to get ahead of the curve.

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I stand corrected. I was late when I read the WSJ story and I obviously didn’t read it correctly. It’s not DA; it’s *2 customer service. It wouldn’t make any sense to expel DA callers, which is what I said. But it does make sense, though perhaps misguided, to cut people who call customer service all the time — that’s just a cost center (in their mind) for Sprint.

Skype Picks Jingle for DA Service

eBay’s Skype has selected Jingle Networks to provide directory assistance service to the VoIP provider. Skype will apparently also become an advertiser on Jingle:

In addition, Skype will be leveraging 1-800-FREE411 as a new media channel marketing Skype via audio promotions. Skype will be joining tens of thousands of businesses that have chosen 1-800-FREE411 as a powerful medium for reaching consumers in an engaging and clutter-free environment. 1-800-FREE411’s proven advertising supported business model also empowers consumers to not only get the information that they’ve requested, but also choose to respond and connect with another relevant, and perhaps more beneficial, product, service or offer.

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Related: Michael Arrington doesn’t believe Skype users have much use for traditional DA services and decries the patent waving.

Can’t Get Enough Patent Info?

As I said yesterday, both Google and Microsoft have patents (or applications filed) in the local space. Bill Slawski (via TechCruch) has rounded up some of the filings and applications:

• Glossary of terms from Google’s local patent filings
• Google local search patent application
• Google local search on mobile devices
• Recent Microsoft local patent filings

Most of the above links detail filings and not granted patents, but there are many applications on file from both Google and Microsoft and to a lesser degree Yahoo that implicate local or mobile.

Here’s a SeekingAlpha piece that argues that investors should focus on Local.com’s operations not its patents, which have value but an indeterminate amount. Here’s another article tracking the increase in LOCM trading activity tied directly to the patent announcements and favorable commentary about the value of the portfolio.

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More from CrunchGear/PatentMonkey on the “enhanced directory assistance” patent obtained by Local.com.