A few months ago, we wrote about Jingle Networks’ intention to start a voice ad network that would see companies that receive a high-volume of calls place ads during caller wait time. And according to the company, that service has launched today.
Known for its 1-800-FREE-411 service, Jingle Networks’ voice ad network will allow any company with high call volume to insert audio advertisements in their calls and attempt to take advantage of the company’s installed base of 130,000 advertisers. There’s currently no word on how the revenue will be shared between Jingle Networks and its partners.
In-call advertising is quickly becoming an important element in increasing revenue while callers wait. But the question remains: will wait times, which already annoy callers, upset them even further now that ads will be piped through the phone? You can bet on it.
Why does this site continue to receive so much coverage from TC? I don’t care what new features they roll-out, as long as I have to hear ads just to get a phone number then I’ll continue using GOOG-411 until then.
yawn. Inside source says these guys are running out of cash. Their insiders are bridging them. They lost the 411 novelty and need to create something new.
agreed. if you’ve ever tried to actually locate information using 1800free411 then you know how painful it is. plus, everyone already knows about Goog411. Deadpool.
75M in funding….really???
Oh vey!
No crap where did 75M go? What did they spend the money on and who gave it to them?
I agree, enough already. All the talent left that place. What would an “ad network” do for them if they make, maybe, at best, on a real good day, tenths of a cent per call? This is also old news. They already said this in an older press release, so no news here.
They are NOT profitable though they’ve thrown that term around in past PR. They finally have a slim gross margin, or so they announced, but that’s not a PROFIT. They still lose money bottom line and I’ll bet even before marketing expenses. They’ve also never been specific about that positive gross margin. For a day, a month, a quarter? Who knows, but when companies aren’t specific there’s usually a reason. Is it still positive gross margin? consistently? How much? Spare us the spin, it’s so 90’s dot com.
They talk about call volume, but the number of users must be only about 5 million I would guess, if you assume people use it 4 times a month. Even at the gross 20 million calls a month they claim, it’s not much of a network as far as the typical numbers associated with that term are concerned. There are spam networks that hit 20 million users and that’s peanuts.
Listen to an ad while on hold? yeah, ok, but limited to brand and message themes, not the high dollar value “live caller” of import that they tout (because if the caller were to interact, he/she would be disconnected from the call they were on hold for, wouldn’t they?). I like when things are free and they had an idea going here but they developed no real technology, mismanaged that given the “return” to east coast focus of past releases, took way too long, spent way too much money ($75 million) and they long ago lost the lead. 1-800-THE-INFO is free and has operators when the voice recognition software fails, so it beats FREE411 all day long, which has similar VRS failure but no operators. And GOOG411 has no ads.
Down rounds and running out of cash I’d say. It’s been up for sale at least twice as I recall with no takers. I’ll bet the ones hanging on still there wish they’d spent the money they once had more wisely and judiciously. They’d give anything to have just a couple more millions of that past pile. Maybe, that’s what you get when you take it for granted. Where are these guys, NY? Tough job market there. Good luck.
The thing is dead. When the CEO leaves and turns it back over to an inexperienced “founder”, it’s over. Otherwise they would have recruited another experienced CEO. The model it was founded on turned out to be a dud! Nice try, and I don’t usually pick on failures, but $75 million down the drain, in what 2 years? That’s one huge failure.
Need you ask where the $75 million went? It went to “lunches” OBVIOUSLY.
Wow.. well we have a call set up for these guys in 30 minutes. Hopefully their ad network can benefit from the ads being on a platform that is not about waiting for a live operator, where, as expert_du_jour astutely opines, “because if the caller were to interact, he/she would be disconnected from the call they were on hold for, wouldn’t they?”
Good ad sources for us are welcome at this point, so who knows where this might lead once you get away from the ‘on-hold’ albatross.
Hacks. So we learn more about Jingle’s “directions” app, once again just an off the shelf kluge of someone else’s technology, same as voice recognition, same as category search and all the rest. Once again, anyone can replicate it by buying from these vendors. Their tech learning curve is flat. When will they produce something of their own that has value:
“About Dial Directions
Dial Directions provides the leading platform for voice-activated location entry, directions, and other LBS, powered by innovation in speech recognition and voice user interface. The Dial Directions platform enables industry partners to expand their mobile services with a voice-activated interface, including 411/directory assistance providers, carriers, mobile applications and devices, and navigation solutions. Dial Directions partners include leaders in innovation such as Ask.com Mobile, Evite, Jingle Network’s 1-800-Free411, Virgin Mobile USA and Volt Delta Resources. Dial Directions also provides the first free nationwide phone service for driving directions, 1-DIRECTIONS (1-347-328-4667). In any U.S. city, mobile phone callers can say their start & destination address; and receive turn by turn directions by text message.”
With Google’s android/”Dream phone” about to be introduced with T Mobile, and already existing iPhone and G3 industry capabilities, this is on life support already and someone needs to shoot it. If the shoe fits: Never start to crow and strut until AFTER the chickens hatch.