What are Vanity Toll Free Numbers?

Vanity toll-free numbers are phone numbers that begin with a toll-free area code (such as 800, 888, 877, 866, etc.), whose corresponding alpha-numeric telephone keypad code spells out the name of a business, a product, service or concept. Since the first toll-free 800 number was introduced by AT&T in 1967, vanity numbers have been released by the FCC on a first-come, first-served basis. Businesses rely on vanity numbers because they're easy to remember, they help with corporate branding, they provide continuity in advertising and aid in the retention of customers.

Recall

Research shows that people who see a vanity number in an advertisement are as much as 80 percent more likely to remember the number than if the ad had contained a traditional toll-free number. The brain is better equipped to remember a word than it is a group of numbers, even if those numbers are similar or identical. This improved cognitive recall is especially important when advertising in radio and television.

Branding

If used correctly, vanity numbers can do more than provide a toll-free number that is easy for customers to remember. They can improve — or actually become the basis of — corporate branding. When a business's phone number becomes the foundation of its brand, the number becomes ingrained in the customers' head, as it has with 1-800-CONTACTS, 1-800-PET-MEDS or, the oldest and best known of them all, 1-800-FLOWERS (which became 1-800-FLOWERS.com). For these companies, their vanity number became the core of their corporate identity.

Continuity in Advertising

Some companies choose phone numbers with local area codes under the assumption that they provide the comfort of familiarity to regional callers. While there is an argument to be made for this strategy, the problem of continuity in advertising negates any benefits. With each new region comes a new phone number — and a new ad that must be printed. With vanity numbers, the same number will appear in each ad, no matter where in the country or the world it runs.

Other Statistics

When compared with traditional local numbers, or even regular toll-free numbers, research shows that vanity numbers provide a range of benefits to businesses that use them. 72 percent of billboard ads — as well as 58 percent of magazine ads — that contain a phone number use vanity numbers for a reason. Vanity numbers improve response rates by at least 30 percent. They generate more referrals, increase business and improve call volume up to 14 times.