Johnny27 launches text answer service for North America

The North American text answer market is hotting up with the launch of all new text answer service, Johnny27 today.

Based around a ‘personality’ by the name of (you’ve guessed it?), you’ll get factual answers back from ‘Johnny’ but you’ll also get a bit of opinion and personality where possible.

I really like the presentation and the brand — they’ve humanised the answering service to clearly target a subset of the mobile public and I’ve no doubt that the traffic will soon begin to flow. I particularly like the easy to remember US shortcode (272727) and bits around the site that allude to a relaxed and informal viewpoint — here’s an example in the FAQ:

How much does it cost?
It costs $1.99 per question. Sorry, Johnny’s gotta eat.

I like the upfront, direct approach. Refreshing!

Once you try out this kind of service, it doesn’t take long for you to get hooked. They’re extremely popular in the United Kingdom with the likes of (in alphabetical order!) AQA and Texperts.

Here are some sample questions and answers that Johnny recently answered:

Q. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
A. Engineering students at Purdue University concluded that it takes a
human an average of 252 licks to get to the center. YUM!

Q. Who invented the fortune cookie?
A. David Jung, a Chinese immigrant living in LA and founder of the Hong
Kong Noodle Company, invented the cookie in 1918 to give to the
homeless.

Q. Where is the best place to get a beer in downtown Palo Alto?
A. I’d recommend Rudy’s Pub. It looks like a dive outside but is cozy and
filled w/regulars (117 Univ Ave). Also try Rose and Crown (547 Emerson
St).

If you’re in America, or if you’ve got an American mobile account nearby, check it out — just text your question to ‘272727’ and remember you’ll be charged $1.99 per question answered.

I whacked them a question earlier today about what airline I should use to fly back from San Francisco to London and Johnny reckoned British Airways to Heathrow. Smart man. Give it a go!