The SMS (short messaging service) has died; not as a conduit for communication but as an effective marketing tool. It had a very short life as far as marketing mediums go, coming along as it did in early 2000 and becoming a staple with the cell phone using public as late as 2002. Then, we marketers came along and murdered what could have been an extremely successful platform for customer interaction and communication.
The above conversation underscores why SMS as an effective marketing medium has died the death it has in Pakistan – we marketers have turned it into a mass irritant. SMS is peddled on the basis of the number of customers that can be reached rather than on the number of relevant customers likely to respond to the product proposition.
Today SMS has died as a relevant marketing medium and has very little potential to generate customer response or attention. At best it is now used as a core communication platform by service brands. For this to change, marketers need to understand that to make this medium tick, customer permission must be solicited before sending out text messages. Customers, for their part, must also know that just because there is an option to receive free SMS alerts, they do not have sign on for everything. You might love a particular brand but receiving a daily text about it may, in the long run, hold as much charm as spending a holiday working on your tax returns.

As Pakistanis we are averse to anything related to permission look at the roads and the way we run (ruin) our lives! I’m sure SMS will make a comeback and in a more responsible form.
All media and marketing in Pakistan will get better if two things happen marketers ask for proper data on media metrics. The consumer gets off his behind and starts putting his money (lack of) into sending a message about what he permits!