When does Viral Marketing become SPAM ?- Mobile Marketing & SPAM

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

When does Viral Marketing become SPAM ?

You get to your computer and login to your e-mail account and amidst the fun party invites, the coupons from the cinema and the e-mail from your mother asking for your Christmas list you find 17 new mails from Uncle Zeno. Everyone has an Uncle Zeno.

Uncle Zeno sits at home and forwards you every single joke, coupon, discount, political rant and stupid-pet-trick MPEG that comes to him from his band of merry men. Someone like Seth Godin might even mistake Uncle Zeno for a sneezer... someone who spreads an ideavirus. But I think he'd be wrong... I think. In my book Uncle Zeno is only one step removed from a SPAMmer -- and that one step is the fact that most of what Uncle Zeno sends me isn't marketing.

Viral Mobile Marketing

My good friend Jonathan Ratner over at Start Creative forwarded me this link from Bore Me and their new sub group Bore Me Mobile. Bore Me Mobile is all about allowing people to download short video clips for only £1 and then forwarding them as many times as they want. (Personally I think they should make them download for FREE. If you want to remove the initial barrier to entry - give the content to the consumer for FREE.)

The content can be shared in any way the consumer likes - it's not subject to digital rights management (DRM) like your ringtones - and as such it isn't locked into your device. And if you can forward or share the content, you can do so any way you like including via Bluetooth. Bluetooth has the unique advantage in that it's free to the consumer to both send and receive content via Bluetooth (as opposed to sending the content as an MMS / Photo message )

But when does it become SPAM?

I've talked before about the fact that consumers seem to use the word SPAM to apply to anything that they don't find TRVR (Timely, Relevant, Valuable & Requested). Will the same apply to concepts like Bore Me Mobile? Will mobile consumers suddenly find that within their social network they have a high-tech-mobile version of Uncle Zeno? Will consumers decide that it's just more SPAM they are getting from their friends? Is this really just more spam-to-go?

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A few words about why we're here

Since consumers first started to use SMS marketers have had the idea of text message marekting or marketing sms - also known as mobile marketing. And since that time marketing sms messages have grown and changed and new technology like bluetooth marketing, marketing bluetooth style to phones in close proximity to an advertisers.

And since the e-mail spam scourge took over the media, people have worried that there will be mobile phone spam. Spam is just another way of saying that advertisers send unsolicited text message marketing, marketing sms, bluetooth marketing or any other form of mobile marketing - it's mobile phone spam. There are even guides on how to spam phone s.

Consumer Preference is about permission based marketing, permission marketing solution. If, as an advertiser you can execute permission based marketing campaigns then you can certainly find ways to benefit from mobile marketing. And permission starts with understanding the consumer marketing preference. If you can understand consumer marketing preference, then you can execute permission based marketing. And permission marketing is not mobile phone spam.

There are many mobile marketing company listings that can be found on the Internet - and most mobile marketing company websites will tell you how they focus on permission marketing. Make sure that the one you partner with does more than tell you about it on the website. Opt-in marketing starts with your traditional marketing soliciting for permission.

Yes - Mobile marketing starts with traditional marketing - print, web, radio, television - all of the old standards. Because before you can send the first message to a consumer, you must obtain their permission... and that means that you understand consumer marketing prefernce.

Please enjoy reading consumer-preference.com - and if you feel that there is a point I'm making you'd like to share - then put a link to it from your own site. And always feel free to leave comments!

Troy Norcross

About Me

Name: Troy Norcross

Location: London, United Kingdom

I believe very strongly that consumers have a right to privacy. Just because it is getting harder to reach consumers doesn't mean that marketers should be (or need be) more devious or more forceful in their attempts to reach us. In fact, quite the opposite. Many of us are happy to be contacted with relevant, timely, meaningful offers. But it's going to be on our terms. No longer victims of aggressive marketing, we want to participate in the process with trusted brands and partners. Come and hang out with me here on Consumer Preference and learn how as a consumer you can have more control than you thought - and, if you're a marketer, how you can reach people in an effective and respectful way. You can reach me at the email link below.

Mobile Marketing & SPAM

Wednesday, November 02, 2005