The Register: Resident Evil viral marketing ploy backfires

The company marketing new video game Resident Evil: Outbreak has set up a site allowing people to use mobile phone messages to spam friends with fake virus infection warnings. A typical message reads "Outbreak: I'm infecting you with t-virus, my code is ******. Forward this to 60022 to get your own code and chance to win prizes. More at t-virus.co.uk." The messages are sent with the friend's phone number as the "from" address.

If there were a campaign to inspire regulators to jump in and curtail certain viral marketing practices, this one may prove to be it. Some anti-spam advocates have said that messages promoted peer-to-peer should have to abide by opt-in only rules. They consider these messages from friends to really be messages from companies using the friends as agents. This would effectively end viral marketing as it is currently conducted. The issue had not come up very recently, but the fake virus message may inspire renewed sympathy for such draconian measures.

For its part, an executive from the agency conducting the viral campaign, C360, said that they had yet to receive a first complaint.