28 August 2012
CALLING ALL DADS
Free Calls to Dad from Telecom Phone Boxes on Father’s Day
Forget the socks, boxers and aftershave this Father’s Day, Telecom is making it easy for Kiwis to give Dad what he’ll
value the most - a phone call. Between 7am and 9pm on Sunday, 2 September, Kiwis can call their dads for free on a New Zealand landline from a Telecom payphone anywhere across the country. (0900 numbers, international calls or
calls to mobiles will be charged at the usual rate.)
Telecom Chief Marketing Officer, Jason Paris, says that while connecting over a phone call is a popular option on
Mother’s Day – with residential landline call volumes increasing 13% compared to an average Sunday – Father’s Day sees
almost no increase at all, with call volumes going up a mere 2%. Mobile call volumes showed a similar pattern, with 11%
more mobile calls made on Mother’s Day than on Father’s Day.
It will also come as no surprise that Kiwis are more likely to stay on the phone to Mum for longer, with calls from
payphones on Mother’s Day lasting an average of 10% longer than those on Father’s Day.
“We think dads deserve better!” says Paris.
“Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with Dad and thank him for all the things he’s done for you over
the year. But it seems many of us don’t take the time to pick up the phone to say how much we appreciate him, or worse –
forget the day altogether…
“So why not buck the trend and give poor old Dad a call? With the free calling to New Zealand landlines from Telecom
payphones this Sunday, you can even afford to enjoy some companionable silence with Dad over the phone, if that’s what
he prefers,” says Paris.
Those who choose to take up Telecom’s free calling offer have 3,171 payphones to choose from and can find one nearby by
visiting Telecom’s payphone locater at www.telecom.co.nz/find/payphones.
ENDS