AD-TEL GIVES ADVERTISERS AN EAR
By Adnews Staff
Ad-Tel Communications of Waterloo, Ont. has become the latest player in the competitive long-distance market in the Toronto area, but has something to offer advertisers as well. The company began offering free long distance calling to consumers in 33 communities in the 905 exchange around Toronto. Under the deal, callers dial a central number, listen to an eight-second ad from a sponsor and then dial the area code and phone number they want to reach. The first sponsor to come on board is PagePass Canada of Toronto, which is a paging company with 34,000 subscribers. Ad Tel is also in discussions with three other national companies. Ad-Tel is promoting the service through PR handled in-house and through word-of-mouth. Vice-president John Stix told Adnews last week it has been his experience that once people find a free service, they like to pass the news around. Ad-Tel started providing free long distance calling from Newmarket, Ont. to Toronto four years ago. The service has also expanded to other areas of Ontario and Quebec, as well as some isolated cities.