The BadAds Weblog: January 2002

Aiding and Abetting Spam

Doing business with a company doesn't mean that you want to receive its marketing messages in every way, shape, and form. But some companies refuse to accept that.

One of those companies is ClickAction, which provides it s clients with "E-mail Matching Services." This means that Company X will give ClickAction whatever information it has on its customers – such as name and mailing address – and ClickAction will find e-mail addresses for those customers so that Company X can send them unsolicited e-mail messages.

What is this? All together now: "Spam!" E-mail marketing is acceptable only when the recipients have specifically given their permission to receive such offers. Unfortunately for ClickAction, prior business contact does not permission make. If you had wanted to hear from Company X by e-mail, you would have given it your e-mail address, n'est-ce pas? ClickAction is going out of its way to subvert your wishes and help marketers intrude upon your life.

One of ClickAction's customers for this service is FootSmart.com. Please contact the folks at FootSmart.com and tell them not to abuse their customers' e-mail addresses:

P.O. Box 922908
Norcross, GA 30010-2908
Toll Free: 1-800-870-7149
E-mail: customerservice@footsmart.com

Please also write to ClickAction about the misguided ideas behind its E-mail Matching Service:

Geoff Smith, Director of Client Programs
ClickAction Inc.
2197 East Bayshore Road, Suite 100
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3219
Phone: 303-920-7139
E-mail: Geoffs@ClickAction.com

January 27, 2002

Hanging Up on Telemarketers

Great news – and you can help!

On January 22, 2002, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed major new restrictions on unwanted telemarketing calls and telemarketing fraud. The proposed changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rules (TSR) would establish a national "Do Not Call" registry for consumers, maintained by the FTC. Consumers would be able to call a toll-free phone number to place themselves on the national "Do Not Call" registry.

The proposed rules would also prohibit telemarketers from blocking or subverting Caller ID systems. Currently, many telema rketers block Caller ID systems to hide their identities.

Naturally, the Direct Marketing Association is opposed to the proposed registry and will likely lobby to prevent it.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The FTC wants your opinions about the proposed changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rules, including its proposal to create a national "Do Not Call" registry. You can get a copy of the FTC's proposal at www.ftc.gov.

Submit your comments by sending an e-mail to tsr@ftc.gov or by writing to the Office of the Secretary, Room 159, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580. The public comment period is open until March 29, 2002.

In addition to general comments on the proposed TSR changes, the FTC is interested in your comments on the following questions:

• How long should a telephone number remain on the national "Do Not Call" registry?
• Who should be permitted to request that a telephone number be placed on the "Do Not Call" registry? Should requests from the line subscriber's spouse or adult child be permitted? Should third parties (outside the FTC) be permitted to collect and forward requests to be put on the "Do Not Call" registry?
• What security measures are appropriate and necessary to ensure that only those people who want to place their telephone numbers on the "Do Not Call" registry can do so? Should consumers be able to verify that their numbers have been placed on the registry? If so, how?
• Should the "Do Not Call" registry be an "all or nothing" option, or should it instead allow consumers to specify the days or time of day that they are willing to accept telemarketing calls?
• The proposed rule would permit consumers or donors who place their name and telephone number on the "Do Not Call" registry to provide express verifiable authorization to specific sellers or organizations to make calls to them. How will this requirement affect those entities with which a consumer or donor has a pre-existing relationship?

January 24, 2002

All Aboard the Ad Train

Thanks to the marketing world's continuing efforts to eliminate opportunities for you to quietly reflect on the day's events – whether on the quiet moments spent visiting your Nana or on the business deal that got away – you can now strike the train stations in metro New York and New Jersey from your list.

Yes, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has paired up with Nassau Media Partners of Princeton, N.J., to place oodles of color monitors throughout train stations in southern Manhattan and and a half-dozen New Jersey locations. The screens mix relevant information such as train arrivals and departures with ten second bites of entertainment and financial news, weather, and – it should go without saying – advertisements.

The screens are thankfully mute due to Port Authority regulations, but use of bright color and animation is unrestricted.

Uncomfortable with being turned into a target audience against your will? Do you just want to ride the trains in peace? Drop a line to the folks below and express your deepest feelings.

Robert E. Van Etten, Inspector General
Port Authority of NY & NJ
777 Jersey Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07310
201-386-6867
Email: rv-etten@panynj.gov
Online Feedback Form

Joan Gerberding, President
Nassau Media Partners
619 Alexander Road, 3rd Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-419-0240
Fax: 609-419-0141
E-mail: radiojoan@aol.com

January 22, 2002

Carrying the (Corporate) Torch

Most Americans view the task of carrying the Olympic flame as a national honor, something awarded only to truly deserving citizens in recognition of their charity, generosity, and service to country.

While that belief might hold true for the majority of the torchbearers, more than one-third of them – approximately 4,300 out of the 11,500 total – will be carrying the torch thanks more to their corporate connections than to their good deeds. As David Armstrong reported on MSNBC.com, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee got to distribute those 4,300 exempted spots as they saw fit, most likely as a "thank you" for paying the lion's share of the $25 million cost for the torch relay.

While some positions went to celebrities like New York Yankee Derek Jeter and singer Aretha Franklin, Coke gave away 700 of its slots to reward customers such as McDonald's, Burger King and supermarket chains. Chevy dealers who paid an unspecified fee to the parent company ($15,000 according to one dealer) were guaranteed that the torch relay would stop at their dealership. NBC, which will broadcast the 2002 Winter Games, received 137 slots to give to news anchors in cities that the torch passed through, thus guaranteeing a continued stream of favorable press coverage.

If you feel such corporate patronage detracts from the focus of the Olympic games and cheapens their spirit by making honors available for purchase, write to the Olympic committees below and tell them.

Jacques Rogge, President
International Olympic Committee
Chateau de Vidy
Case Postale 356
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone : (41.21) 621.61.11
Fax : (41.21) 621.62.16

Sandra Baldwin, President
United States Olympic Committee
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Phone: 719-578-4529
Fax: 719-578-4677
E-mail: media@usoc.org

Comite Olympique Hellenique (sponsors of the 2004 Summer Games in Athens)
Lambis W. Nikolaou, President
52, Avenue Dimitriou Vikelas
152 33 Halandri, Athenes
Phone: (30.1) 687.88.88
Fax: (30.1) 687.89.40
E-mail: hoc@ath.forthnet.gr

January 17, 2002

Letting the Ad out of the Bag

When you're at a sporting event, it's not enough that every portion of the game has a corporate sponsor, the w alls of the stadium are plastered with ads, and planes trailing commercial messages fly overhead. Now marketers are placing plastic bags emblazoned with ads on the backs of the seats.

"People sitting in their boxes at a game end up spending three or four hours with your ad," says Thomas McMahan, president of Stonewood, one of the companies that advertises on bags. "There's a lot of down time in sports. Take baseball. I love watching a game, but there's a lot of time when nothing is going on. So what do you do between the action? People end up staring at your ad."

The company that places ads on bags at sporting events is NuBoard Media. You can contact VP Frank Allegro at fallegro@nuboardmedia.com to suggest that he place those bags over his head instead.

Companies advertising on bags at sporting events include BellSouth, Eticketboard.com, Price Busters Stores, Grouptickets.com, EarthWood Office Furniture, Waste Management, NuLife, and Stonewood. You can find contact information for these advertisers at BigYellow or Hoovers. Please write them a letter!

January 14, 2002

Ads on the Slopes

Ah, skiing. The sport affords wonderful views of snow, mountains, sky...and intrusive ads.

"You catch people when their guard is down. You catch them in an uncluttered, relaxing setting, say at a lift tower with nothing else around," says Bill Hussey, vice president of sales for SkiView, which places advertising at ski resorts. "That's why a number of advertisers love it. There's no more beautiful backdrop than a mountain. Some hand-pick particular lifts where skiers rise to the ridge top with only the sky and mountains – and their ad." How nice.

Companies advertising at ski resorts include AT&T, Alamo, Alpine Spiced Cider, Amstel Light, Butterfinger, Carnation, Chevrolet, Continental Airlines, Coors, Kodak, Mobil, Nature Valley, Nescafé, Nike, Power Bar, Snickers, Sony, Sprint, Reebok, United Airlines, Weather.com, General Mills, GM, Honda, Jack Daniel's, Kraft General Foods, Nestlè, ChapStick, Bank of America and Honda. If you'd like to write a letter to any of these advertisers, you can find their contact information at Hoovers or Big Yellow.

The companies selling skiers' eyeballs to advertisers are:

Ripple Resort Media: info@ripplemedia.com

Tate Lacy, vice president of sales and marketing
Sitour USA: tlacy@sitourusa.com

SkiView: sales@skiview.com

Wilkins Media Company: info@wilkins-media.com

If you think you deserve to enjoy the great outdoors without being bombarded with pleas for your money, please write to these advertisers and media companies and tell them how you feel.

January 7, 2002

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