Source: BUSINESS WIRE
Updated 6:01 AM ET September 30, 1999
LAS VEGAS (BUSINESS WIRE) - On Sept. 9, 1999, BFD Productions was vendor
of choice for MTV and
coordinated the tabulation for the annual Viewer's Choice award at
the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
MTV viewers participated by selecting their favorite video using BFD's automated polling line.
Three weeks prior to the LIVE broadcast, MTV aired a Viewer's Choice
promo featuring the six
nominated acts -- Jay-Z, KoRn, Ricky Martin, `NSync, TLC and Backstreet
Boys. Viewers were encouraged
to cast their vote by calling 1-900-328-2222 ($.75 per call) or by
accessing the MTV Web site. BFD's
state-of-the-art automated call center accepted nearly a quarter of
a million calls in the two weeks prior
to the awards ceremony.
Viewers could also vote for their favorite video during the live broadcast
itself, by using the 1-900 line.
And vote they did! BFD tallied nearly 130,000 calls during the award
ceremony. The votes were recorded
using touch-tone entry and were immediately translated into a report
for MTV's production team.
"By using a polling line we were able to let viewers vote until just
minutes before the winner was
announced. It was very exciting. No one here knew who the winner was
any more than the people at home
did," said Victoria Conner, Manager of National Promotions for MTV.
In addition to collecting opinions, BFD's polling application is capable
of providing a full range of
demographic information on the callers when combined with Reverse Directory
Database Lookup.
Not only can BFD provide basic information such as area code, time of
call, caller's telephone number and
address, it can also provide household specifics including age, gender,
income, occupation, and more. This
type of precise, in-depth consumer information allows for more successful
marketing efforts and a
clearer picture of the target audience.
"The quick, accurate turnaround time of the voting results is just one
example of how our real-time
reporting capabilities can be used to enhance a successful, mass marketing
program within the media,"
said Bruce F. Dyer, President of BFD Productions.
BFD Productions offers state-of-the-art automated call processing via
international, U.S. and Canadian
800/900 numbers. BFD also provides alternate solutions for Internet
billing. BFD's system is designed to
receive more than 2,000 simultaneous calls, making it one of the largest
automated call centers in the
country supporting mass media campaigns in print and television.
Contact: BFD Productions Inc., Las Vegas Bruce F. Dyer or Erica Toffel,
702/387-3200