NotThe1
01-16-2009, 05:15 AM
AT&T’s ‘American Idol’ Spam Stunt Backfires
AT&T spammed a “’significant number’ of its 75 million customers” yesterday with text messages advertising the premiere of American Idol. AT&T also pissed off a significant number of its 75 million customers in the process, and the company’s justification for the blitz isn’t exactly making AT&T sound smart when it comes to understanding what qualifies as spam.
From the New York Times:
"Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T Wireless… 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."
So, you know, AT&T says it isn’t spam. Stop calling it that, angry AT&T customers! And Spamhaus!
Richard Cox, the chief information officer for Spamhaus, a nonprofit antispam organization based in Britain, countered: “It’s absolutely spam. It’s an unsolicited text message. People who received it didn’t ask for it. That’s the universal definition of spam.”
AT&T’s ‘American Idol’ Spam Stunt Backfires | Rap Promotions Info (http://rap-promotions.info/topics/atts-american-idol-spam-stunt-backfires/)
AT&T spammed a “’significant number’ of its 75 million customers” yesterday with text messages advertising the premiere of American Idol. AT&T also pissed off a significant number of its 75 million customers in the process, and the company’s justification for the blitz isn’t exactly making AT&T sound smart when it comes to understanding what qualifies as spam.
From the New York Times:
"Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T Wireless… 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."
So, you know, AT&T says it isn’t spam. Stop calling it that, angry AT&T customers! And Spamhaus!
Richard Cox, the chief information officer for Spamhaus, a nonprofit antispam organization based in Britain, countered: “It’s absolutely spam. It’s an unsolicited text message. People who received it didn’t ask for it. That’s the universal definition of spam.”
AT&T’s ‘American Idol’ Spam Stunt Backfires | Rap Promotions Info (http://rap-promotions.info/topics/atts-american-idol-spam-stunt-backfires/)