This billboard made people call a robot (and raised $65M) ☎️
+ 8 hotline ideas that convert better than any ad
Bland AI put up a simple billboard in San Francisco.
When people called, they didn’t get a human. They got Bland’s AI salesperson instead - a perfect demo of their automated sales product.
The stunt went viral. Six months later, Bland AI closed a $65M Series B.
Here’s an even wilder example:
Privacy startup Cloaked created 855-752-5625. If you call it in the US, a robot will read your leaked personal data out loud: Your name. Your address. Part of your SSN.
It’s a nice product demo…
But it’s also the best conversation starter I’ve ever seen 🤯
Their team uses it at conferences, dinners, parties, and any random conversation.
“Call this number to see something cool” → everyone does → everyone gets spooked → everyone remembers Cloaked!
💡 The Marketing Idea: Let people experience your product through a phone call. Not a sales call. The actual product in 30 seconds.
Every product has one moment where users go “holy sh*t, this is amazing”
That moment can become a phone number.
For Bland, it’s talking to an AI that sounds human.
For Cloaked, it’s seeing your leaked data.
I interviewed Pulkit Gupta, Head of Marketing at Cloaked, about their hotline.
He shared the exact numbers, the distribution tactics, and something that surprised me: this idea works for basically any product.
Even if you think your product is too complex, too B2B, or too boring.
(Especially then, actually)
These numbers made my jaw drop 💰
Pulkit broke down exactly what happens.
When 100 people call:
70 listen to the full message and request a text (SMS) to secure their data
40 actually click on the link in the SMS
5 purchase a subscription to Cloaked
That’s a 5% total conversion end-to-end. From people who dialed a random number!
How to get people to call 🎯
I grilled Pulkit on what actually works. Not theory. What moved the needle:
1. Mobile billboards at conferences 🪧
Check out this beauty outside of RSA Conference (the biggest cybersecurity conference in the world):
And it’s not only trucks - they also did aerial advertising outside SXSW2025:
I love the copywriting here: “Think you’re safe? 855-75-CLOAK”. It’s super brief and crystal clear.
And of course, some rollup posters inside the conference too:
2. Random street callers 🎬
Cloaked went to Times Square and asked people to call in real-time.
They created a video with their reactions.
That’s such a clever use of first-time reactions (a marketing idea I’ve shared in the past). Love it!
3. Influencer marketing ✨
They’ve paid a bunch of creators to call the number - and then upload a video about the experience. Creators getting 'spooked' by the hotline are definitely strong pieces of content!
4. Mobile ads (PPC) with a trick 📱
Lastly, Cloaked also ran ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but with a clever trick:
The CTA didn’t lead to a landing page…
It led to the dial screen with the phone number already filled up!
A few more ideas I can think of to take this further:
Email signatures: Every employee adds: “P.S. Try this: [number]” No explanation. Curiosity kills them.
QR codes that dial: QR code → opens dialer with number pre-filled. One tap to call. Use everywhere.
Direct outreach: “I can’t explain what we do. Call this: [number]”
How I’d build one for any company 🧪
I kept asking Pulkit: “But what if my product doesn’t reveal leaked data?”
His answer changed how I think about this:
Every product does something cool. That something can become a 30-second experience. And that’s the hotline.