According to a new white paper from Seismicom, marketers would be wise to focus their efforts to reach consumers by opt-in, location-based content sponsorships via their cellphones and other mobile devices instead of traditional "push" marketing tactics. The study noted that marketers won't send consumers unsolicited text messages since they are costly to send and receive and because of the expected backlash. Instead, Seismicom thinks enterprises such as Starbucks would likely invest in an opt-in service to make it easier for consumers to locate the nearest store.

”Protecting consumer privacy is paramount to the evolution of the medium,” said Bill Carmody, chief marketing officer of Seismicom, the San Francisco-based brand marketing firm that wrote the report. “Push marketing is less and less effective,” he said, adding that spam and spyware have heightened consumers’ concerns about receiving ads on mobile phones and other personal wireless devices.

In the white paper, Carmody noted the importance of dispelling the “Starbucks myth,” which holds that a person walking a short distance from a Starbucks would trigger an automated SMS text message to their phone offering discounts or coupons for Starbucks coffee.