JupiterResearch: A Scary Definition of "opt'ing in" for Cell Phones

Julie Ask posts at the Jupiter Analyst Weblogs about "new billboards are going to begin popping up in France that send messages to your phone when you are in the vicinity." She writes that "in theory, the mobile subscriber opts in initially. The idea of being permanently opted in with just one SMS until I opt out scares me." She states that Jupiter's research "shows that mobile subscribers want to opt in to not only relevant products, but specific companies in many cases." She concludes:

Delivering value and exclusive content to the consumer is the right idea, but frequency, among other things needs to be managed. Also, interest in free digital content - especially that tied to branding - is not that high even among the younger adults.

That said, the idea of symbols, shortcodes, etc. on posters and billboards is an interesting one. I envision them more as one time opt in's for information, content (e.g., a game) or service (e.g., movie times for one movie in my zip code).