A couple weekends ago, I attended the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. I know what you are thinking, how does a programmer have time to attend a PGA golf tournament? Well, we will leave that for another time. But spending the past 10 years in one internet capacity or the other, one thing I have learned, or, at least have had pounded into my skull is that spammers are totally evil.
What I didn’t realize is the rules that apply to our industry do not apply to the rest of the world. From the second I walked into the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas, I was bombarded by vendors and other advertisers handing me pamphlets, asking me to sign up for a credit card or drawing, or beckoning me over to endless booths of people grabbing your arm to come check out their latest product (99% of which had nothing to do with golf). Here I am, going to check out a golf tournament with some friends and getting physically spammed. It’s bad enough that I have to wade through a virtual sewer of unwanted erection-pill spam to get to the email I want to read, but I can’t even cruise a golf tournament without being piled high with flyers and trinkets for crap I will never sign up for in a million years.
After I walked about 200 yards, I was finally able to see the first hole. But by this time, I had a handful of paper spam and needed to offload it. Thankfully, there was a Junk folder nearby (the nearest trashcan). Not surprisingly, the Junk Folder was very full—not with beer cups or plates, but with a hundred copies of all the garbage in my hands.
I’m thinking there should be some process to just move all physical spam directly to the Junk Folder. Can we get some legislation on this? Is there someone in Congress I can contact? Or is it up to us, like with networks, to filter this spam or set up spam blockers? I am thinking of bringing a few football linemen with me next time.
I know that as marketers, we try advertising without being obnoxious. And at golf tournaments there is plenty of advertising to go around with sponsors, banners, the golfers. Am I alone on this? Is there really a need for these spammers to ruin what would be a nice event with “legitimate” advertising?
