This week I’ve been having some rather interesting conversations with people about SPAM. What is spamming? The true definition according to the “Spam Laws” is quite different to what everyone is babbling on about.
A few very interesting points came up in the many discussions:
The Post Office:
If someone sends you a letter addressed to “Dear Box Holder” and inserts a pamphlet with their advertising – is this not spam? I now take a packet with me when going to empty the box because when I open it, all the “stuff” just spills out onto the floor…..pamphlets, brochures….etc. I don’t remember giving permission for all this to be put into my tiny little post office box…? Can you imagine if I rocked up there with the police claiming they (the post office) were in “contravention” of the communications act?…..*smile*
Television:
I pay my TV license to watch my favourite programmes – I didn’t consent to have an advert break every 15 minutes! To top it off, who wants to see periodical ads at 6:30pm, this is dinner time in my household and we’re all watching the telly…and in the middle of our sitcom comes this really “cute chick” prancing around in an office building……whilst this very smooth voice in the background is going on about how your periods shouldn’t be “embarrassing” or get you down. HELLO!…..I didn’t consent to THIS advert being shown at what I believe, is an “inappropriate” time in my household. To make it worse, what about those with DSTV, yes, the FULL version that’s just on R500 per month - many people don’t recall the clause about ad hoc adverts being displayed at will….AND in the middle of a programme! Granted they don’t do it during full length features…..but still!
The Road Side:
There we are driving down the road on our way to the shops….the next thing, this little voice from the back seat of the car reckons: “Look at the big lady on that sign, she’s only wearing her “panties!”"……we twist around to look at this child and to see exactly where it is she is looking……we follow her shocked stare, to see this massive billboard which is advertising one or another underwear from some really “well known” company. Is this not spam? I didn’t ask to see half naked people on billboards while I’m driving….this could very well cause an accident by one looking at the “advert” instead of the road! Again, can you imagine, I rock up there with a crew and some tools and start taking the entire billboard down because I find it “offensive” and don’t want little girls to think that ”prancing” around in their underwear is normal!
Sms’s:
Here’s a real pet peeve! You go into a meeting and turn your phone onto silent – you have the vibrate option for when a message comes through. You get out of the meeting to discover you have 7 messages. You start reading them one by one……..”this one” is having a special on prawns, “that one” is telling you about an upcoming concert, “the other one” is asking if you’re covered for your funeral……and my all time favourite…….when I received a sms from a very prominent political party (one of the MAIN ones in fact) about keeping Jacob Zuma out of the presidency and about my duty to vote “responsibly”!……Can you believe it!? Is this not spam – I didn’t ask for voting tips nor the guilt trip on the way I want to vote!
Radio:
You turn on the radio at exactly 7:59am because you want to listen to the news. You’re greeted with an advert that some poor schmuck only had half the budget for so he’s doing the voice over himself….it sounds terrible…..you want to buy whatever he’s selling so you can “help” him afford a proper radio advert with a professional who does radio ads! You then see the clock in your car click over….it’s now 8:00am….here comes the news…….no wait….ONE MORE advert! Just before my clock changes to 8:01am the news starts – so even though they weren’t on time for the news….technically….they weren’t late because the news started in the millionth millisecond before 8:01am! Again, I wanted to hear the news…not the plethora of poorly produced and amateur acted adverts!
Landline:
Good ‘ol Telkom for keeping us “closer” to our families, friends, loved ones…..etc….they also keep us “closer” to the life insurance brokers, the funeral policy guys, the time share crooks who promise you that you’ve won a holiday already….you just have to come to their offices to “sign” for it!…..this to me is the ultimate spamming because they do it at night, when you’re lying comfortably on your bed, watching TV after a long days work…..the phone rings…..and you get up quickly to answer it because….it may be someone in distress who needs help…..it may be your Granny phoning to tell you her great news!……she finally won the jackpot at bingo!….SADLY…..it’s the “funeral guy”! My home telephone number is not listed and only a handful of people have been given it…..so I ask…..where did you get my number? Wait…..here it comes…..the reply: ”I work for XXX bank and I got your number off a list I was given to phone.” My-oh-my….now the banks are also guilty of “spamming!”…….SHOCKING!
Window Stuffing:
I call it this because if you’re one of the unlucky ones…..you’ll stop at a robot and this person will try and fit the A5 pamphlet through your virtually closed window. If you don’t take it, you get one of two “looks”……1. The “please take my flyer so I can go home now” look and 2. The “well stuff you if you don’t want this really cool flyer that could possibly save you 50 cents after you’ve spent R200!” look. I didn’t ask to be harassed at a robot!….but being a good South African who always drives with my window open……I inevitably…..just take the flyer regardless.
Magazines:
I do understand that magazines have been advertising since Noah placed the ad about the Ark, but come on!……Last week I popped in at the local store to pick up my weekly publication to find that it was now “sealed” in plastic. I thought: “This is great because at least no one else will read it and “fluff” the pages before I get to read it. How considerate of the publishers.” …………NOT! They have now sealed it in plastic in order to stop all the “advertising inserts” falling out! So now I think: “Do I really want to carry on buying this magazine when half the “weight/content” is actually advertising?”….some would say I have a choice……choice is not a user friendly word in South Africa….we actually have very little “choice” when it comes to things like this.
SPAMMING….SPAMMING…..SPAMMING……it’s every where you look! So why then…..are people so adamant that one can only spam another through email? At least with email, I can push the “DELETE” button and it’s gone. With ALL the other “spamming”….I guess I just have to tolerate it because I can’t “arrest the guy at the post office”, I can’t “tell” the SABC to please remove their adverts, I can’t take a crew and some tools and remove the billboard, I can’t install a “spam filter” on my cell phone (the providers haven’t fully mastered that one yet), I can’t phone up the radio station and beg them to only put “good quality” adverts with talented actors, I can’t ask Telkom to please put a “screening” program in place as if I had personal assistant to ward off the pesky sales people, I can’t get out of my car at a robot at shout at the person handing out pamphlets…after all…..at least they’re doing a “job”…and are not out committing crime to put food on their tables…..and last but not least……I can’t pay half price for my magazine because half the “content” was advertising!
So let’s summarise……..it costs money to advertise….why do people advertise……to make money. Anyone who says they’re not in it for the money…..then don’t do business with them because they’re a liar! EVERYBODY does it….everybody spams everyone else!……it’s just so much easier to pick on the “little guy” who hasn’t got the resources or means to face it……….he wakes up everyday to go out there and try “drum” up some business for his quality products/services………….he doesn’t get big tax concessions, he doesn’t get big rebates, he’s not part of a group medical aid scheme, there’s no “company” car, there’s no Christmas bonus……..in fact….he doesn’t get many breaks and works long hours to keep his “ship” afloat.
So, the next time a genuine business marketing email hits your “Inbox”……I’m not talking about the Viagra, watches and medication emails….I’m talking about a genuine marketing email….if you don’t want it…please unsubscribe from it or just delete it. Remember, email marketing costs money too…..and the “little guys” will only be able to send out a few mailings before they stop due to lack of advertising funds that the corporates have in abundance!
Once again, this is just my opinion…..the purpose of writing this was……just to make you think before you react….after all….what is SPAM?
Until next time…..ciao for now,
Ash
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