Media Guardian: Fox faces anger over Tom Cruise voicemail ads
There is certainly a hint of irony here - promoting a film about intrucing futurist advertising by using highly intrucive futuristic advertising.
Rupert Murdoch's Twentieth Century Fox is facing a furious backlash from film fans who have received unsolicited phone calls to promote the video and DVD of its Tom Cruise movie Minority Report. [..]
Listeners heard Tom Cruise's character breathlessly ask, "Where is my Minority Report?" followed by a voiceover urging them not to miss out on the film, which was released on Monday on video and DVD. [..]
Although SMS text messaging is commonly used by marketeers, Fox claims it is the first time voicemail messages have been used for advertising.
Related - Ad Age: The Promise and Problems of SMS Marketing
A great article on SMS campaigns from around the globe. My favourite:
Buzz was created in Singapore when people flipped open their phones to find friendly messages from God. Working for the evangelical Churches of the Love Singapore Movement, Ogilvy transmitted witticisms purportedly from God via SMS. On Friday afternoons, many Singaporeans received a message saying, "Thank me it's Friday. God."
