freefone

This week's Marketing Magazine features an interesting ad for a new product called freefone.
According to their website: Freefone is North America's only public courtesy telephone and digital video advertising system. Freefone offers unparalleled targeted marketing potential for advertisers and unique customer service improvement for host locations, while providing free local telephone calls for consumers.

The idea is that these free phones will be installed at popular locations where normal advertising is often not permitted, ie. Hospital for Sick Children. There's also locations at Staples, Cadillac Fairview Shopping Centres, many universities, colleges, hospitals, restaurants, and supermarkets.

They claim you will be able to reach a "very exclusive demographic", like students. What I don't understand though, is that students are the largest group of people with cell phones.

Not to mention, I question how well the screen advertisements really work. Do you remember any from the last time you were forced to view commercials while you pumped gas in your car?

How are you to notice anycommerciall when you're carrying on a conversation on a phone?

I don't predict this to be the most innovative advertising medium of our time. But who knows, they said the television wouldn't amount to much either.

www.freefone.com

Dave