118 118

*accepts pipe and slippers from gareth*

I very much doubt we have seen the bulk of the marketing budget for the competitors spent yet, too. They have let the 118 118 campaign do a lot of the hard work in telling consumers that 192 is being retired in the first place - a few months down the line when people have got used to 118 118 a marketing blitz on price might successfully boost the audiences for other numbers.

Aesthetically I disliked the campaign initially and now quite like it - as you say the introduction of the 192 character was the turning point.

The Guardian reviewed all the 118 services on their consumer pages (not very thoroughly - each review was based on a sample of one call). 118 118 did very poorly, as did BT's 118 500.

I love that super cheapo 11 88 88 advert with the crappy jingle. They came off best in the Guardian test, too.

urgent phone no. required - look up on interweb (searches on the likes of Http://www.bt.co.uk take so long tho!)

non-urgent - go to library, look it up in their phone directories which cover entire country

this is cutting out the middleperson - why pay MUNNY to get someone else to do what you can do yrself?

I much prefer the 11 88 88 ads to the 118 118 ones. Both the running number superhero type one and the opera singing one. Tho I fell in love with it prior to seeing it on TV, when I saw the running numbers in ads on the Tube.

The 11 88 88 ad is loads better from that point of view - the number is everything and the crappy jingle, and therefore the number itself, sticks in your head to a ludicrous extent.

where are these ppl who get confused by a gap between a 1 and an 8? I need to meet them! Do they still point at aeroplanes?

as for the gap between the 11 and the 8 with those other guys, well, yes i agree if you are looking specifically, but advertising is meant to grab you when you are not looking, and making people do even a seconds extra work when they have mind on other things and are not concentrating is a bad idea, the numbers dont flow right, the disassociation from the 118ers was an error in my view

BT? They once sold off 0800 192 192 to Scoot for a song, because Scoot applied for the number as '0800 19 21 92'.

My two year old son goes mental whenever it comes on. If he's using directory enquiries he's sure as shit not going to be calling BT from now on. Get them while they're young.

Maybe it is because I have the '118' block sitting in my brain. I think I'd find it easier to remember it as '118 888'.

well, Seasame Street shouldn't have the monopoly on that kinda thing.

It all got a bit chummy and less strange when they moved to telly *but* it's saved by the latest ad, which climaxes in Crystal Palace Park!

What does Dave Bedford think of it all?

Oh, I seem to remember seeing a poster for 118 150 too, actually.

(classic)

Though if you look on BT's website for a residential number and it can't find it, it gives you the following message:

Did you know only 46% of the 27.4 million residential phone lines in the UK are listed in the phonebook, and that a further 5% are only available through calling Directory enquiries? This could well be why you cannot find the number you require.

I mean, fine about the 46% thing but I keep meaning to find out why 5% of numbers are only available by calling directory enquiries on the phone. Is this just a random selection held back for marketing reasons, or is there something about those 5%? Can you chose to be ex-directory online but not elsewhere (and why would you do that?)

Admittedly, when I was on the phones (I'm judging the quality of our operators now) just after the adverts started, I would have at least 10 calls a day of people just singing the jingle to me and laughing manically. But, hey, it was costing them to make the joke, so what's the problem? I've also had customers ring and want me to sing the jingle, and I've done that too - again, they're paying, if they want it they can have it. Indeed a radio station in Manchester rang up another of our operators and told her she was on the radio and she could win CDs if she sang the jingle on the air - and god love her, she did!

As has been pointed out, there are different levels of ex-directoryness. You can choose to be listed with a number, listed as XD by DQ, or not listed at all. I presume these 5% are the XD listings.

Anyway, all together now... DOUBLE ONE DOUBLE EIGHT DOUBLE EIGHT!

You could always try ringing us and seeing what we're like, you know!

The only time I've called 118888 I had an insane urge to do this too. It's because saying double one double eight double eight sounds wrong and strange, it was made to be sung.

Rob M, you have my respect sir. I'm glad you're happy to humour us 118888 jingle freaks.

I am disappointed that 118 GAY does not come off well in the Guardian tests.

have been up the real rocky steps at philadelphia museum of art but not the faux ones.

a couple of the lesser known 118 numbers are based abroad and the operators keep asking odd questions like where Leeds is. (hint, it's in Leeds). directory enquiries in welsh could be fun.

bt is plugging it's 118 500 all over the local phone boxes but if you look at the small print it says 'calls to 118 500 not available from phone boxes'. idiots. (i'm just bitter because i got a 32 pound phone bill today, 64p of which was actual calls, the rest was standing charges and tax on same)

andy

utter mentalism! make sure you take your moby with you to the phone box, people!

which means I won't have the chance to sing the jingle to Rob M grrr.

118118 take far too long to text you the number; Orange's old automatic one on their service was like g-g-g-grease-a-grease lightning.

Did 192 ever do this?

And no, Pinkpanther, I didn't get the joke at all. I'm just a bit dull, that's all.

Hurrah for David Bedford!