We have all seen the AOL ads and the Dave Chapelle Internet skit, depicting what real life spam would be like. It typically takes shape as somewhat chubby white male, in a bad suit, yelling at passers by. Last night, while walking around the local shopping mall, I witnessed real life spam. To be fair, I have witnessed it many times before, but last night I finally came to the realization that it was in fact real life spam. True interruption marketing at its finest.
I am talking about the cell phone kiosks that run down the center of most malls. They are laid out from one end of the mall to the next, all about twenty feet apart, and each is staffed by college aged employees whose entire job (so it seems) is to yell at customers that happen to walk by.
“Sir! Sir! Can I talk to you about your cell phone?! Sir! Wait! We have a great deal on…”
Um, no. In fact, please return to your little cell phone corral and go back to chatting up the girls from Cinnabon. I am all set. In fact, my guess is that 99.889% of the people that walk by are all set with the cell phones that they are carrying on them, and may actually pull them out to call 911 if you get any closer.
Is this the best that they have? Gen Y hacks attacking and yelling at horrified shoppers in suburban malls? Can this possibly work for the cell phone companies? Does anyone last at this job for more than a week? The only people that this tactic can possibly benefit, are the JC Penny workers. Because every time I go to the Solomon Pond Mall, I need to cut through JC Penny simply to avoid these people. JC Penny…real life spam blockers.
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