Ingenio Adds InfoSpace to Pay-Per-Call Network

Ingenio is today expected to announce two partnerships that will extend its pay-per-call ad network to a host of new Internet users.

Most notably, the company will partner with private label search and directory publisher InfoSpace, which processes approximately 300 million consumer queries a month. It will also push pay-per-call ads onto free phone directory assistance service 1-800-FREE411, which is owned by Jingle Networks.

Beginning next quarter, Ingenio ads will appear on InfoSpace directories and partner sites. InfoSpace also provides content and search functions to mobile carriers, so Ingenio’s pay-per-call ads will appear on cell phone browsers as well.

Ingenio’s network also includes AOL Search and AOL Yellow Pages.

“Our network has started to grow on the pay-per-call side, and that’s accelerating,” said Marc Barach, Ingenio’s chief marketing officer. “A lot of companies are finished on the study phase, and they’re moving into the action phase. By this time next year, we’re very confident that every search engine and directory will be engaged in one way or another with pay per call.”

The deal with Jingle Networks is of a different nature. Jingle operates a new ad-supported telephone directory assistance line called 1-800-FREE411, for which it’s now trying to build a user base. For relevant number look-ups, Jingle will deliver sponsored messages, which will include Ingenio’s pay-per-call ads.

“It demonstrates this pay-per-call phenomenon has legs beyond the Internet,” Barach said of the deal. “This is not going to be huge, because they [Jingle] are just starting. Their challenge is to bring awareness to consumers that they should be calling this phone number.”