Unsolicited text messaging

Tuesday, 11:33 am

By Kate

Mar

31

2009

This morning, my cell phone rang its distinctive text messaging ring. It’s rare that I receive text messages...usually from the lad to point out that he’s still kicking. I don’t text message very often. In fact, I don’t even have a text messaging plan, per se, on my cell phone account. I’m allowed a minimal number a month (10, I think) before I’m charged for each one. That works fine for me.

Anyhow. I checked the text message and it was from Nicole, telling me that Alyssa had sent me a PM that I should view at a the provided web site address. Now, I don’t know any Nicoles or Alyssas, so it was obviously a misdirected or junk text message.

I was curious, though, and so checked to see what the website was all about. Turns out it’s a site that offers free samples of Viagra and Cialis. Which made me laugh. And, actually, the site did make me laugh a little bit. The models on the page are all under the age of 30 by the looks of it.

The text message raised a couple of questions. First, is there a way to remove oneself from the cell phone marketing free-for-all? If text messaging becomes the newest greatest way to advertise stuff, it’s going to start costing me.

Second, what is the age demographic for the bulk of text messaging? I’m guessing it’s fairly young. Probably not in the general Viagra or Cialis age demographic. It seems to me that’s a pretty scattershot approach to marketing. But whatever. It got me to look at the website, laugh though I did.