Jingle Networks Inc.'s ad-supported directory assistance service 1-800-FREE411 is now offering SMS services to consumers and advertisers.

Consumers can now opt in to receive the address and phone number of their requested listing via text message, which will carry a 60-character ride-along SMS ad from a competitor. In addition, before receiving the listing information, callers hear a 15-second voice ad, which asks them if they want to receive more information -- with a click-to-call text ad -- from the advertiser via SMS.

"We work with many ad agencies and large brands, who don't necessarily want to drive phone calls to their local stores, so our pay-per-call business model has evolved," said John Roswech, president of Jingle Networks, Bedford, MA. "We're sending out 3 million test messages a month right now, and SMS is another avenue for us to monetize our customer base.

"Consumers like it too, because it gives them more options," he said. "We send them two numbers, the one they requested and a paid placement from a competitor in the same industry, so if they didn't get the service they were looking for, they get the benefit of choice."

Callers can also opt in to receive ad-supported weather alerts via text message every morning.

Jingle Networks claims that its SMS offerings have been an immediate hit.

"About 30 percent of our callers are opting in to receive their listing info via SMS," Mr. Roswech said. "The response rates to the ride-along SMS ads range between 8 and 20 percent, which is phenomenal."

1-800-FREE411 has two different ad models.

The first is the click-to-call feature embedded in the ride-along text message ads. The company charges anywhere from 3 to 20 dollars per call they forward to the advertiser.

"We're not selling branding, because to get advertisers to pay for a branded text messages is possible, but to do that at scale isn't easy," Mr. Roswech said. "In media advertising today, everything is accountable and trackable, everything is about accountability.

"For example, we'll text you Marriott's name and address if you request it, but we'll put in a Red Roof Inn ad with a click-to-call link that forwards you to client's call center," Mr. Roswech said.

The other ad model is the audio ads, which Jingle Neworks sells for $25 to $40 on a CPM basis.

"Advertisers love the non-cluttered environment, because they know someone's going hear their message," Mr. Roswech said. "Audio is great, because you can only hear one ad, versus seven or more ads on a single Web page, so consumer is engaged and they have to listen to that ad.

"At the end of the audio ads we ask them if they'd like to receive a text message from the advertiser," Mr. Roswech said. "The response rates on that are 3 or 4 percent, which is actually pretty good and higher than I would've thought."

1-800-FREE411 averages about 20 million callers a month and more than 225 million calls per year. The company claims it currently has 15 million active consumers.

In the quarter ahead, Jingle expects to pass two key milestones -- answering its 500-millionth phone call and serving over 1 billion in call advertisements.

Since the company's launch in September 2005, Jingle has become the country's largest provider of free directory assistance and has amassed a base of more than 130,000 paying advertisers.

Brands that advertise on 1-800-FREE411's platform include McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Nationwide Insurance, All State, Geico, Comcast, Time Warner, Budget Car Rental, General Electric, American Express, Verizon and Ford.

"We have the largest non-carrier consumer base out there on a mobile platform, so we offer scale and reach that make it attractive to these brands," Mr. Roswech said. "Everyone talks about mobile, how to reach mobile consumers, and with our platform, we offer them a one-to-one conversation with consumers."

Turner Network Television announced details of TNT's campaign to promote the NBA playoffs using 1-800-FREE411's gender and geographic targeting capabilities.

When consumers called 1-800-FREE411 for information or directions, a targeted ad was played to male callers reminding them of their hometown's next playoff game airing on TNT. Callers were also given the opportunity to receive a reminder via SMS two hours before game.

The campaign ran from May 5 - May 29 and served more than 1.3 million mobile impressions with a 5.4 percent opt-in rate for text message reminders. By leveraging 1-800-FREE411's gender targeting capability, TNT was able to focus on the NBA's male audience in the playoff teams' hometown cities, as well as 20-plus major markets across the nation.

TNT also served updated ads in real-time based on the outcomes of each game.

For instance, male callers from Boston heard advertisements specific to the upcoming Celtics game, starting from the morning for their respective game day until game time.

In both 2006 and 2007, TNT also promoted its show The Closer with audio advertisements on 1-800-FREE411.

Jingle Networks says it will be expanding its 1-800-FREE411 platform to include WAP links, MMS ads and graphical ads in the fourth quarter of this year.

"We're going to start putting more links into SMS to drive people to WAP pages and mobile Web sites with directions, maps, restaurant reviews, etc.," Mr. Roswech said. "More people have a WAP-enabled phone, it's a significant number but still relatively small compared to the market as a whole.

"As handsets become more sophisticated, we'll be rolling out more services in the fourth quarter of this year," he said.