118 118 (UK)

Once wildly popular for its advertising featuring two runners, the service has experienced a dramatic decline in calls due to easily accessible information via mobile devices.

In September 2013 the company started 118 118 Money, a provider of unsecured personal loans and credit cards.

The company's lending business 118 118 Money, a subsidiary of kgb, launched as an online service in September 2013.

The company states they are able to extend the availability of unsecured personal loans to people who may otherwise find it difficult to borrow.

118 118's marketing featured two men with droopy moustaches, wearing items of clothing with 118 and two parallel red stripes on it.

They have appeared in various forms, including 'mad professors' with crazy grey hair, and an army of 118 118 runners helping people across the nation to find businesses and services.

", the runners' characters featured in a high-profile advertising and PR campaign leading up to deregulation in August 2003, when the original 192 directory number was switched off.

[10] 118 118 responded to this by stating that their inspiration was partly the late American runner Steve Prefontaine.

Bedford subsequently briefly worked for 118 500, a rival directory enquiries service provided by BT.

Various routes followed, and then in early 2009 Ray Parker Junior appeared alongside the droopy moustache men singing a 118 specific version of the Ghostbusters theme tune, at one point featuring the 118 men in place of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the film.

In late 2009, the runners were animated, specifically promoting food and drink establishments available for booking via 118 118.

[12] In December 2013 it emerged that when asked for a number of a named business, 118 118 operators often give a sales pitch suggesting that a different company offering similar services be called instead.