Now, that was interesting.
Mar. 3rd, 2003 10:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athelindI've just witnessed a new form of Unsolicited Advertising.
No long ago, my phone rang -- ONCE. And then stopped. Since I'd already gotten up to answer it, I checked the Caller ID log on the cordless handset.
The name that flashed was "UNCLAIMED MONEY!"*
Now, I'm sure we've all seen the kind of spam that say "You may have jillions of dollars of unclaimed money waiting for you!!" Some of them are even legitimate. I've really got to hand it to these guys, though. Since they don't stick around for you to answer the phone, it's not REALLY telemarketing. It's not exactly spam, either -- though if this becomes common, it could get really annoying really fast.
I have no idea how successful this strategy could prove, though. Unless someone has some nifty gadget that lets them see Caller ID messages from across the room, the target actually has to go to some effort to get the little message -- and then, if it piques their interest, go to the effort of calling them back.
Still, it's really creative, and the sheer chutzpah of it gave me a laugh.
*If anyone's interested, the number is 1-858-639-6386** -- I have no qualms about sharing it. Given the sorts of people who read my journal and their attitudes toward telemarketers, I don't really see it as "free advertising" for these guys.
**That's a Sandy Eggo area code, by the way.
No long ago, my phone rang -- ONCE. And then stopped. Since I'd already gotten up to answer it, I checked the Caller ID log on the cordless handset.
The name that flashed was "UNCLAIMED MONEY!"*
Now, I'm sure we've all seen the kind of spam that say "You may have jillions of dollars of unclaimed money waiting for you!!" Some of them are even legitimate. I've really got to hand it to these guys, though. Since they don't stick around for you to answer the phone, it's not REALLY telemarketing. It's not exactly spam, either -- though if this becomes common, it could get really annoying really fast.
I have no idea how successful this strategy could prove, though. Unless someone has some nifty gadget that lets them see Caller ID messages from across the room, the target actually has to go to some effort to get the little message -- and then, if it piques their interest, go to the effort of calling them back.
Still, it's really creative, and the sheer chutzpah of it gave me a laugh.
*If anyone's interested, the number is 1-858-639-6386** -- I have no qualms about sharing it. Given the sorts of people who read my journal and their attitudes toward telemarketers, I don't really see it as "free advertising" for these guys.
**That's a Sandy Eggo area code, by the way.
