U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog: Advertising is everywhere, and new places, too

If you go to, or more importantly, watch a college basketball game on TV, watch for the State Farm "Basket Profile" program's garish signs cluttering the backboard stanchions. In the New York Times story State Farm Is There, Right by the Backboard, columnist Stuart Elliott captures the moment concisely in his concluding rejoinder to a ludicrous quote from arena marketing consultant David Bialek:

Meanwhile, in the Wall Street Journal, Emily Steel reports in Grabbing Older Consumers via Cellphone (pd. sub. req'd) that Redbook is targeting 30-something women with cellphone text-message ads. So-called mobile-marketing is the next big thing (after college hoops backboard stanchions, of course); marketers have so far failed at any demographic except teens and college students. From the WSJ:

Forrester Research estimates that consumers between ages 12 and 21 are more than twice as likely as the average adult mobile user to send messages or browse the Internet on their cellphones. Just 33% of mobile-phone users 45 to 54 years old use any form as messaging, compared with 76% of mobile-phone users 18 to 24 years old, the firm estimates. To expand the mobile-ad market, marketers need to teach older consumers to use their mobile phones for more than just talking, ad executives say. That will help consumers to start using their phone "for more than just voice, but this retail and purchasing experience,"

Urging consumers to take part in sweepstakes by sending text messages is just one part of the Holy Grail marketers see in mobile-marketing. They also want to use the combination of GPS-enabled, Internet-enabled phones to text location-specific ads to you. The advertisers claim this is a positive development and that it will also lead to free cell phone service for those willing to trade privacy for more advertising. So, do you want the phone that plays a "You Deserve A Break Today" ringtone whenever you're driving past a McDonald's?