A mobile phone operator has defended sending a text message to subscribers inviting them to 'make new friends and chat up nice girls', saying it brought a 'personal touch' to multimedia messaging services (MMS).
A short message sent to CSL One2Free customers this month asks mobile phone users if they 'wanna make new friends or chat up some nice girls?', in which case they should 'login to MMS Lovers and Mobile J now via WAP, or one2free.com and check under Jay Zone and Game FreeR'.
A spokeswoman for the company said the company was not promoting a dating service. 'It's about a television commercial and is aimed at existing customers.'
But Gerry Gorn, professor of marketing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the tactic was inappropriate. 'If we were talking about adults, I would not care ... but when we are talking about teenagers, extra caution should be exercised.'
