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Vanity number

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A vanity number using 2-4-1 as "two for the price of one".

A vanity number is a local or free-to-call telephone number for which a subscriber requests an easily remembered sequence of numbers for marketing purposes.

While many of these are phonewords (such as 1-800-Flowers, 313-DETROIT, 1-800-Taxicab or 1-800-Battery), occasionally all-numeric vanity phone numbers are used.

Numbers ending with repeated digits (such as -1111) are heavily advertised by taxi and food delivery companies; the Pizza Pizza chain has trademarked 967-1111, a Toronto local number.[1] A memorable repeated sequence is also valuable to hotel chain franchisors such as Super 8 Motels, which advertises 1-800-800-8000.[2]

A broadcaster may match a local telephone number to a station frequency (an AM 1010 radio call-in programme may use 872-1010[3] or a TV channel 13 studio may adopt 224-13-13.[4]). An eye clinic may choose a number terminating in 20/20.[5]

Other possible numeric indicators which convey specific meanings are 24/7 (twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week) or 2-4-1 (two for the price of one); the latter is used by 241 Pizza by advertising local number 241-0-241 or a variant.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Canadian trademark registration #TMA428709 Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine (Pizza Pizza Royalty Limited Partnership) for 967-1111, a vanity telephone number
  2. ^ "Our Team is Here to Serve You!".
  3. ^ Média, Bell. "Contact Us". www.iheartradio.ca.
  4. ^ "CTV Ottawa | Contact Us". ottawa.ctvnews.ca.
  5. ^ Yellow page listing for +1 613 549 20/20 Archived 2013-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, an optician's clinic.