SMS Advertisement Works Too Well
from the well,-let's-see-if-it-lasts dept
A test of an SMS advertisement appears to have worked too well. The test sent an SMS to mobile phones telling them they could get a free pair of sneakers at a specific store in the mall if they showed up with their phones. More than 50 people turned up within 4 minutes. That certainly sounds good. There's no news whether or not everyone got the free sneakers, or if only the first person did. While this sounds good at first, I still think this is a terrible idea. First, the only reason people showed up was because of the opportunity to get a relatively expensive item for free. Offering just a discount wouldn't get nearly the same result and might annoy people more than encourage them to shop. Second, if everyone starts doing this, then everyone's mobile will be overwhelmed with annoying SMS spam, making it nearly useless. I want advertisements to stay off my phone. Update Uh oh. Now, here's a study from Ericsson saying people like SMS ads. This is a bad sign. Also, today, there's an article about more SMS ad testing. Suddenly, it's everywhere.
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I agree
Too right. Getting spam is a bit like getting junk snail-mail dropping through my letter box. An unavoidable nuisance of modern life that only inconveniences me so much as the time it takes to bin it.
My mobile phone only holds so many SMS's. If I get as much spam SMS as I do spam e-mail then it could quickly fill my phone and effectively disable it. Far too inconvenient.
This is a practise that must be nipped in the bud.
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