SMS Advertising vs Spam

I just read an article on Mobile Marketing Watch about Mobile Media Unlimited and Guardian Angel Group announcing a USD 6 million joint business for SMS ad campaigns.

From the press release

The SMS marketing effort will “capture permission-based e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers,” and then later use this database of interested customers for future e-mailing and instant messaging of digital coupons or other yet to be determined electronic discount offers.

“For the first time it is possible to directly target messages to individuals in real time regardless of where they are located,” said Anthony Sasso, founder of Mobile Media. “We believe that this ability to connect instantaneously with consumers will change the face of direct marketing and advertising.”

What we think?
This is basically a proprietary SMS marketing system that will spam 29 million plus users at will. OK. The press release does state “permission based”. But one day you feel generous and you click OK – send me an advert or marketing voucher. Or you send a text OPT to the server for interest only. 

But what if you don’t feel the same way the next day?
 
The problem is that with any marketing company the minute you press the “OK” you have it. You will be contacted, you will be pushed marketing messages and where is the control?

YOU PUSHED OK. YOU AGREED.

But what did you agree too?

Did you read the terms and conditions? Did you sign up for 1, 5, 10 messages per day?

The problem is that you don’t know and I don’t know. I signed up to an o2 promotion in the UK about two years ago. It was for a discount on a SMS bundle if I “opted-in” to six o2 marketing messages.

Now six doesn’t sound like a lot. But believe me, when you work in mobile when you have other SMS news alerts or a husband that wants to know when his dinner will be on the table and you are juggling blogging with breastfeeding – believe me – six messages, any message is an enjoyment killer.

Opt out is NEVER as easy as it sounds – often requires a written letter.