Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Marketers Try To Self-Regulate To Prevent Mobile Spam

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 05:45:54 -0500

Marketers Try To Self-Regulate To Prevent Mobile Spam
Contributed by mmasnick on Tues, Dec 2 2003

Seeing just how bad email spam has become, a group of marketers have come
together to agree to a "code of
conduct" to prevent mobile spam. With the recent laws against telemarketing and
email spam, they're realizing
that if they let things get out of control, they'll be next. The code includes
(amazingly!) that marketers will only
send mobile messages to those who opt-in (unlike the current email law), and
promise to provide easy opt-out
instructions. Finally (and why they had to put this in shows just how out of
touch many marketers are with their
job function) they promise that any mobile marketing message will "deliver
something of value" to the customer
- and not just be blatant pitches all the time. It's a good start, but I'm still
cynical enough to wonder whether or
not those who agreed to it will really abide by it, and whether or not it will
really matter as traditional spammers
increasingly send messages to phones themselves. It's easy for marketers to say
they'll live by this sort of rule,
but as soon as someone breaks the code of conduct, and there's no real
punishment, someone else will feel
that they need to break it too ("just to stay competitive"). Meanwhile,
traditional spammers couldn't care any
less about what some marketing group agrees to, and will continue to send
annoying spam messages any way
they possibly can.

www.techdirt.com

=====================================================================

Marketers Agree to Limit Mobile Spam

By Mobile Pipeline News

A mobile e-commerce trade group that wants to send
marketing messages over data-ready phones
announced Tuesday a code of conduct that it
promised would prevent mobile spam.

The anti-spam message was part of the Mobile
Marketing Association's (MMA) new code of conduct
for its members. Its members include content vendors
such as The Weather Channel, wireless operators
such as Cingular and manufacturers and advertisers
such as Procter & Gamble.

"One of the most important issues facing the growth
of mobile marketing today is the prevention of mobile
spam," Jim Manis, chair of the MMA said in a
statement. "This code of conduct represents the
work of an entire industry coming together on behalf
of consumers to insure a trusted and valued
relationship in communicating with brands in North
America."

As part of the code of conduct, the association
agreed that messages would be delivered only to
wireless users who specifically opt-in to receive
them. In addition, the code says that users must be
able to easily opt-out of receiving messages. The
code also requires marketers to deliver something of
value to users, including contests, entertainment or
discounts.

In order to focus their aim, marketers may ask users
to provide demographic and other personal
information, the code says. However, the group said
it will adhere to the TRUSTe program to prevent the
selling or sharing of that personal information.

"The code of conduct is a tremendous first step
toward aligning the industry behind an aggressive,
yet universal set of principles for mobile marketing
that protects the consumer and the industry
simultaneously," Cristy Swink of Cingular Wireless
said in a statement.

The group also is considering a certification process
for wireless advertisers and marketers.

http://www.internetweek.com/breakingNews/showArticle.jhtml%3Bjsessionid=Q1EBIN3UOUOQCQSNDBCCKHY?articleID=16401441

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