Why Not to Get Excited
About Short Codes - by Tom Dibble - Nov. 25,
2003
This final quarter of 2003 brought us
many wonderful things in the world of wireless, best of all,
in the U.S., common short codes (CSCs). CSCs bring the U.S.
a common addressing system. They enable marketers,wireless content
providers, and wireless application providers to make it easier
to interact with consumers via SMS.
Previously, the use of CSCs was limited to individual
carrier networks with cross-carrier functionality, achieved
only through time-consuming, carrier-by-carrier negotiation.
U.S. CSCs launched with a 5-digit number in the range of 20000-99999,
irrespective of their serving carrier, and are inexpensive to
say the least.
However, there is a but. Operators are not required
to play ball. There is no binding agreement to participate for
each short code or even in the infrastructure at all. The official
line from the registry seems to be that the MNOs have the "option"
to support any or all CSCs. The decision of whether or not to
support a common short code is left to the sole discretion of
each wireless service provider. This seems to be far too open
ended to be reliable.
The mobile industry is renowned for making deals
with much less than an informal agreement in place. If your
campaign requires 100% MNO reach then you can't rely on that
being the case at all. An accidental flip of a switch could
suddenly strike down a campaign's reach, damage brand identity,
and ruin your client list. All without any course of recompense.
Call me pessimistic, but the option for MNOs to partake or not
doesn't leave me with much of a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
SMS represents one of the most powerfully intrusive
advertising opportunities available in the marketer's armory.
However, this very pervasive medium brings with it a major responsibility
for advertisers to use the technique sensitively and ethically.
As an industry, it's up to us to apply some selfregulation so
that mobile marketing isn't tarred with the same brush as e-mail
spam.
Guidelines produced for the UK industry recommend
to:
1. Offer the target audience of your SMS campaign the opportunity
to unsubscribe from receiving further SMS messages from the
outset of the campaign and further remind them in every fifth
message thereafter throughout the campaign period.
2. Only send SMS messages to those mobile phones whose owners
have specifically opted-in. Request that the target audience
text a word (e. g.,"yes") as a clear confirmation
of their opt-in status.
3. Avoid sending unsolicited SMS messages to your target audience.
Always seek an opt-in with your first SMS message before sending
further SMS communications.
4. In competitions and prize draws, provide clear and simple
means to request terms and conditions. Include the identity
of the promoter within the SMS competition.
5. Verifiable parental consent should be obtained before communicating
via SMS with minors, and expert legal advice should be sought
beforehand.
This is all sound advice that has kept mobile
marketing in the UK aboveboard and regulatory parties happy.
Hopefully, some industry body or regulatory agency will take
the reigns and adopt a similar stance in the U.S. sooner than
later.
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