Is Mobile Media Going Too Far?

The smart phone market is one that is exponentially growing not only in the United States but across the world. Users can now surf the web, download content, and video chat with friends across the globe from the convenience of their mobile device's.

It is estimated that by the Christmas 2011, 50% of mobile phone users will be using a smart phone. To read an article about the growing trends in smart phones, click here. As the trend in mobile smart phones rise, marketers are implementing major marketing campaigns and committing major dollars to reaching consumers when they are on the go.

As the development of smart phones and smart phone technology grows, marketers are finding more and more ways to get their message out to the public. Even more so, companies can even more closely target who see's their ad.

SMS messaging, MMS messaging, in-game banners, and web browsing advertising have developed into the major means of reaching mobile users. Mobile marketing offers a unique situation because consumers do not need to be at a specific place watching TV at the correct time to see an ad. Now, users are available to seeing advertisements 24/7, regardless of location. That being said, privacy issues have arose stemming from this idea.

Recently, news has been come out about tracking mobile users locations and actions. Apple is under the latest attack, as questions have come up around their iPhone and iPad products. Both products have built-in  software that tracks and permanently records the where about's of its user.

This can be a very powerful tool for marketers and advertising agencies. But where is the line drawn when it comes to tracking a products users. Is it really ethical for this software to not only be implemented into a product but also to be used as consumer data tracker?

Apple has responded to these accusations. Of course, they have denied the accusations. To read more about Apple's response, click here.

-Chad