The NYTimes reported yesterday that AT&T Wireless sent out a “significant number” of SMS messages to its 75 million customers, urging them to tune in to the American Idol season premiere on Tuesday night.
The AT&T spokesperson quoted in the article said the message went to subscribers who had voted for “Idol” singers in the past, and other “heavy texters.” He said the message could not be classified as spam because it was free and because it allowed people to decline future missives.
Besides the obvious SPAM question, the issue as I see it, is that we have a double standard in play for Carriers versus marketers when adhering to established mobile marketing guidelines.
Wireless Carriers, AT&T included, strictly enforce adherence to their own mobile marketing rules and to the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) Best Practices Guidelines - which clearly state that users MUST opt-in to receive messages from a marketer regardless if the messages are standard rated or free-to-end user (FTEU). (Yes, Carriers can waive opt-ins at their choosing, but in this case they are promoting a TV program that they happen to have the exclusive text messaging voting rights to - seems to be a disconnect.)
So what gives AT&T the right to send out messages to their subscribers to promote a television program via unsolicited SMS - especially to those subs who may have never voted via SMS for the Idol show a.k.a “heavy texters”?
Many people in the Mobile Industry will interpret this action by AT&T as a double standard fueled by greed. Expect some “eyebrows” to be raised in the blogosphere and at upcoming MMA industry gatherings when the Carriers are present.
NOTE: I do support marketers having the ability to communicate with participants via SMS if the users opt-in and are clearly aware they may get marketing messages in the future from a brand.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment