send ads to consumers based on their location.

Coming to a Pocket Near You; Advertising to Mobiles Threatens to Annoy Billions at MobHappy : "send ads to consumers based on their location."

As anyone reading Russell, Carlo or any of my writing already knows, none of us feels that unsolicited messages of any sort are appropriate EVER. Unless you are telling me something that is going to save my life, prevent dismemberment or keep me from getting arrested, please keep your message to yourself! In short if I don’t know you I don’t want you putting content on my phone.

The massive adoption of DVR’s should give a hint to our preferences, as should the incredible numbers of people willing to PAY for radio. We don’t like being blasted 24 hours a day on all sides by companies trying to hawk their wares. While I have no objection to a polite text ad running along the edge of my display, when that same ad jumps up, obscures what I am reading and announces that I should switch to improved “Huggies” it has crossed the line. (I am perfectly happy with my Original Huggies, thank you very much).

Clearly, consumers are willing to pay a premium to be LEFT ALONE. It seems to me there isn’t any question at all as to how something as disruptive, invasive and disrespectful of consumer privacy as advertising directly to cell phones will be perceived. It will be loathed, reviled, disliked and generally hated with a vehemence reserved only for people that cut off Los Angeles drivers during rush hour making them miss their exits. In short, it won’t be liked much at all - if you get my drift.

Desperation to make an impression on consumers must be creeping up well into the red if advertisers are willing to risk the backlash that will most assuredly happen if they carry on with their plans; and an article in today’s San Diego Union Tribune makes it appear as if this “carrying on” is not only inevitable, but unavoidable as well.

According to the article:

Marketers said they were particularly excited about the prospect of eventually using cell phones, many of which are equipped with global positioning systems, to send ads to consumers based on their location. With that information, marketers could, in theory, send pitches from retailers to cell phone users who might be in the vicinity of a store.

Great. Just what we want. Not only are advertisers excited about interrupting us via the most personal communications device we access, but proving that they know exactly where we are at the same time, thus violating our privacy too. What’s next? A sample of new “papier de toilette” while I’m in the loo at a restaurant? I can see it now - not only will they be tracking our every move, but street teams will be sent to physically follow the most demographically desirable “victims” to offer real time sampling of products that coincide with the travels of the poor fellows unlucky enough to be labled “PRIME CUSTOMERS”.

Where does this all stop? With uses of the mobile devices that I project to be deeply embedded into our lives; replacing keys, wallets, primary forms of identification and more, the ability for advertisers to track us or peep into our phones is invasive in the extreme and must be avoided at all costs less the future of the mobile device become artificially limited by virtue of its very ability to be so useful.

Clearly advertisers are not goiing to draw the line and respect our privacy. Obviously the carriers are so desperate to make up for the rush of dollars that they knew in the heyday of premium per minute voice that they’ll give the advertisers access, and it seems that our Federal protectorate in the big white buildings over on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue care far more for the checks the advertising and phone lobby writes than they do for the privacy and security of the consumer.

Perhaps you think I am over-reacting to this? Maybe. But ask yourself how you’ll feel when calls are interrupted because you passed by a Subway Store and it just so happens that at this same time yesterday you ate at one and paid using the RFID Payment system built into your phone? Think it couldn’t happen? I’m here to tell you that it could - and it will - if we allow the collecitve beneficiaries of these technologies to have their way.

The only thing that will get the attention of the advertisers and the carriers is a collective smack-down on the part of the consumer. We have to let them all know in no uncertain terms that we and we alone reserve the right to control what we do or do not see broadcast onto our phones. Of course there’s really not much choice in how we go about this. Sure, we could write letters. We could complain to the carriers. We can make some kind of stink. But the reality is that these groups only understand one thing; money.

The way to get their attention is with money. Or the lack thereof. My suggestion; if you receive an advertisement for a product or service on your mobile, erase that company from the list of vendors whom you patronize. That’s right, just cross them straight off. No second chances. No extra strikes. Just click, gone. If every consumer did this starting now, the instant negative response would have the advertisers literally sprinting to get those planned ads pulled from the carrier’s networks. The other thing to do is be sure that you’re not being charged airtime to get these ads. Imagine the insult to injury that adds to this. Not only are they invading my privacy, interrupting my peace of mind, and taking advantage of the proximity my phone has to my person at all times, but there charging ME for the inconvenience? That would simply be too much.

This is an issue that is going to go white hot in 2006. Before now the technology to deliver real advertising simply wasn’t there yet, but today it is and it is going to happen. Unless we take control of our phones, by closing our wallets I think it’s a forgone conclusion that the next killer app will be a PCR - that is a Personal Cellular Recorder.

Oh wait…that’s already been invented. Way back in the seventies! It was called an answering machine…we used to use it back when we had land lines. Remember those???