"Once they have my number, I just think the ads would come 24/7," she said. "I wouldn't want that." That wouldn't make her father happy, Nadeau noted, since he pays the phone bill and her plan doesn't allow for unlimited text messages.
Marketers claim they are sensitive to such resistance, saying that's why they craft the ads more in terms of useful information teens would want to get on their phones.
Hearst Magazines, for instance, has developed nine different mobile sites across different magazines, including Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. Cosmo Girl's site contains information on horoscopes, gossip, fashion, career advice and beauty tips, alongside promotions from retail giant J.C. Penney Co. and cosmetics maker Clinique Laboratories. Teens can also send a text message when they see a product they like in the magazine and sometimes receive a free sample.
"We decided we needed to follow [the reader] with our brands -- wherever she is, we needed to be there with her as a source of entertainment," said Sophia Stuart, director of mobile for Hearst Magazines Digital Media.
That means a prom section that gives girls advice on date etiquette and fun things to do aside from drinking and having sex. "We wanted to help her have a script and be there if she needs our help," Stuart said.
Other brands are messaging their way into teens' phones as well. Teens interested in Element Skateboards can sign up for text message alerts when there are skate events in their area, or when stores get new products. Those who want to be in the know about clothing retailer G by Guess can get text messages about sales and promotions.
"You have to take an active role in integrating a brand into consumers' lifestyles by being in their pockets," said Roman Tsunder, president of Access 360 Media Inc., which recently launched promotions for Guess Inc. and Element that encouraged teens to sign up to get text messages on their cellphones from the companies.
Teens don't seem to mind the text messages they receive from the retailers. Tsunder said only 4% of people who sign up for the texts ask to stop getting them. And Miller said 2% to 4% of those who see or receive ads on mobile phones click on them to find out more information. On the Internet via computers, so-called click-through rates are generally closer to 0.01%.
Some teens do mind, however, if advertisers bug them too overtly, said Alyson Hyder, media director for California at Avenue A/Razorfish, a digital marketing firm.
