ITV sales houses Carlton, Laser and TSMS have joined forces with Cable & Wireless Communications to launch a call handling service for TV advertisers. Call ITV aims to create a single number from which viewers will be able to buy products, gain information and receive brochures from a number of advertisers.
The move was prompted by Oftel’s decision to change the existing national numbering system to a longer format on July 1. ITV believes this will create confusion for viewers responding to advertiser’s on-screen phone numbers.
Caroline Hunt, head of client sales at Carlton and on behalf of all three ITV sales houses, said: “Our objective is to make ITV easy to buy into, to overcome the issue of lost calls and to create a one-stop shop, whilst still retaining the flexibility to accommodate existing relationships with telemarketing suppliers.”
ITV wants the number and on-air symbol to become so well known that viewers won’t need to write it down.
A six month trial commences in three ITV regions from July. These are Grampian, Border and Westcountry.
Contact: Caroline Hunt on 0171 615 1834
Media Jobs
Hello. We have downloaded cookies on your device. Some of these cookies are essential for the website to function. Others are non-essential and are used for analytics and advertising.
We need your consent for these types of cookies.
To withdraw your consent or change your cookie choices, please do this through your browser settings.
Otherwise, click OK to accept and continue.
