Bluetooth proximity marketing
02. Mar, 2007 
9 Comments
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katielips/274762158/
Bluetooth proximity marketing – or Bluecasting as it has been trademarked by one agency – doesn’t get a great press. Yet it has obvious potential for the marketer.
It works like this: you walk past Starbucks with your mobile phone set to discoverable. You receive a message. Such as: ‘Starbucks wants to send you something – accept?’
You say yes and you get their message – a discount voucher, or perhaps an invite to stop for free coffee. If you say no, you don’t get their message.
That’s it.
The message has been sent by a server, situated somewhere within 100 metres of you. In the case of the above example, it’s probably situated in Starbucks itself.
Some say this sort of thing is as bad as email spam.
Ouch.
That’s bad.
However, I don’t see it that way.
1 By being on discoverable, surely you are inviting enquiries?
Okay, so you may be wishfully expecting an enquiry from some hotbody sat across the train carriage tapping away (it happens…apparently).
But you can’t be choosy when you stick a sign on your head saying ‘Talk to me’. On discoverable you are telling others they can approach you.
Really: turn off this feature if you don’t want to be approached;
2 It’s not like email spam because it should be obvious who the sender is, and often it will be possible to contact them in person within minutes if they have sent you something that really deserves complaint.
Unfortunately, this isn’t possible with email spam – the Nigerian 419 scammers, Russian stock advisors and Viagra pushers are kind of hard to track down;
3 How different in principle is this intrusion to any other we suffer in the street: the charity chugger; the market researcher; the leafleter? We take the time to tell these people ‘not today’. Sometimes they pester us further, despite our protests.
With Bluetooth, you don’t even have to talk to the sender – just junk the message if you’re not in the mood;
4 Any Bluetooth campaign lives or dies by the quality of the message.
If Starbucks wants to give me a free coffee, I will respond positively. If, however, they are trying to tell me about some lame pastry promotion or push a cringeworthy viral clip, I will feel negative towards them. And I will refuse any future messages from them. And I will go to an AMT Coffee stand next time (the coffee is much better anyway).
I can see there is potential for abuse and irritation. But the responsibility is with the sender to use the technology tactfully.
If they are any kind of marketer worth their Saxo, the last thing they will want to do is end up angering the audience.
Let them make fools of themselves; their reputation is on the line – all we have to do is press delete.
Some of the ‘bluespamming’ debate here in the UK has referenced an activity run by Avenue Q, the West End musical.
People passing the Noel Coward Theatre received an invitation to receive content from Avenue Q. Those that accepted then received video clips from the show. The acceptance rate was 7% – or 703 people during the campaign period.
Co-incidentally, Reach Students is working with Avenue Q right now, though we have had nothing to do with the Bluetooth work delivered by Square One (we have been handling PR through student social networks; it’s the most effective and successful work we have ever done – a fantastically enjoyable campaign).
However, we are talking about Bluetooth and we are interested in Student Media UK’s offering. They work closely with students’ unions and are in a position to offer proximity marketing on campuses.
Student Media UK have a background of adding interactive technology to students’ union events. Their main interest is offering the technology for students to upload instant photos of themselves to in-bar screens and other user-generated content innovations. But they also see a role for straightforward offers, and their union clients are interested in using their system to tempt in students with promotions.
With their technology Avenue Q could deliver content, offers or freebies via Bluetooth within an exclusive environment dominated by one of its target audiences: London students.
Awareness now among London students at selected universities is very high. Most will know the show. Many will be interested to hear from Avenue Q. I would expect better response rates than the Bluecast from the Noel Coward Theatre, and I don’t think it would anger many – if any.
I really can’t see how this would be different to standing outside the union with a bundle of flyers, an activity that is commonplace and accepted.
Tell me I’m wrong!
We are an Egyptian based company and we are the sole provider of Bluetooth marketing solution in the Middle East.
Bluetooth marketing solution is a small hardware (hard desk size) and a software that automatically send content to mobiles within 100 m.. For more details about us, kindly visit our website: http://www.goiblue.com
iBlue not just provides you with the solution to start your marketing campaign, It also gives you the ability to build your own Bluetooth marketing solution with your own brand in…
If you are interested in starting your own Bluetooth marketing business you can simply provide IBlue Company with you logo, your color scheme and you will get your special custom Bluetooth marketing solution.
You have two options:
1.Option one: Software Only:
You will get the CD/ DVD containing your Branded proximity solution installer software that you can install on any x 86 architecture PC. The software after its installation will ask you to activate it. option one will costs you: 500 USD as a setup fee and for developing your own branded copy of the Proximity marketing software, not including the shipment of CD/DVD 60 USD per device this will be collected once for each device during activation after installation our CD/DVD as if you reinstall the CD/DVD package in the same device the online activation will be free. Kindly be noted that activation fees are to be paid in advance. you will also get full online support from us for 18 mo. as any update will be free during the 18 mo period, no annual license required no extra or hidden fees.
2.Option two: Software and Hardware:
You can get the software and the hardware packaged together. Installed and for plug and play. Price will go down if you purchase 10 devices the price will be 550 with your brand instead of iBlue
iBlue has a Bluetooth mini-server that is superior to anything I have seen in the marketplace. I have tried numerous other companies and they all seem to fall short. iBlue exceeds the other companies when it comes to software. Bluetooth radios are everywhere but if you don’t go with a company that has excellent software to support your needs you’ll end up wasting your money. For more details about us, kindly visit our website http://www.goiblue.com
Hello, my name is Gerardo Taglianetti and represent the company dinoLAB, the first agency bluetooth guerrilla marketing. At its market launch has exposed the posters showing a mock newspaper article announcing the sighting of an alien in the vicinity of the city and also shows a picture of ‘extraterrestrial.
People were asked to activate the bluetooth mobile phone because it was said that they will be sent a video recorded by a young
Witness the extraordinary event.
Instead of the video, the device has sent a second image with a phrase that says that for technical reasons the video is not supported by the phone and asks the person to visit the site of our agency where it is explained to them that this is a joke and which were part of a campaign of bluetooth marketing.
If the idea is liked visit http://www.dinolab.it
Thank you.
We run a small animal attraction and have recently been contacted by a sales person selling this service in our area. Ł15 per week with proximity of 1km. I am wondering if there are any statistics on
1. the proportion of people that have their Bluetooth switched and
2. the number of people then prepared to accept the message being sent.
It could be an ideal tool to promote seasonal events and send vouchers if it works and am considering doing a few weeks with a voucher to trial the product. Any advice?
Hi there,
You will have to forgive the the website at the moment we are just about to re launch it. I am CTO at a company called Bluepod Media Worldwide Ltd. We currently have 1000′s of our pods in locations generating revenue of venue and estate holders all over the UK. Bars, 98% of Uk cinemas (Vue, Odeon, Cineworld, Empire) also located in 100′s of bars 9 of the 10 biggest shopping malls in the UK. We don’t sell devices we install for free then we get brands like Xbox, yahoo, Warner bros to advertise at these locations earning the estate owner a revenue. We are also installed already in Salford
Kro Manchester University
Kro2 Manchester Metropolitan
Hull University Liverpool Hope Uni Derby Students Union to name a few. In answer to Amber question – I have doubts weather the 1Km antenna is leagal in the UK and the USA (Ce and FCC) I would be happy for Amber to contact me directly and I will be able to supply with some stats and with some advise on this.
Proximity Marketing is the next technological step and is better than email or sms because you know the people excepting the content WANT IT! And for once the consumer can decide if he wants to receive the content/advert/download which makes a nice change>
bluprox proximity marketing can be defined as “The localised wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so.” In other words, if you have a mobile phone or other Bluetooth device in the proximity of a marketing broadcast, you would be able to receive the message or advertisement.
How it works
Here’s how it works. Imagine you’re walking through a shopping centre, and you pass a bluprox broadcast station. If you have your phone on and in “discoverable” mode (Bluetooth On), you will pick up ads in the area direct to your phone – asking if you want to receive free content from the provider.
For example, you’re shopping for groceries at your local supermarket chain and they have a proximity marketing station set up. If your phone is in discoverable mode, you’ll receive a message asking if you want to receive free content from “Z company” this advert could be special offers or even external products they are involved in e.g. insurance, loans, credit cards, job opportunities etc.
Think of it as a virtual billboard or flyer advertisement.
Eco- Friendly
Going paperless has been a concept for so long that it can be taken for granted in most businesses. Bluetooth proximity marketing is simply the next technological step for businesses to take.
I`m doing a research on “proximity marketing”..any ideas of universities in England or Scotland that have PhD studentships on relevant research..please do advise. regards – dayo
Hi Dayo – sorry, I don’t know any unis looking at this.
If it helps, I would say use of this method is less prevalent on UK campuses than it was when the post was written. I think there are still a lot of reservations among marketers.
Luke
All this sounds great, however I got involved in a Bluetooth Marketing company and the biggest issue was that this type of marketing does not work on iphone and blackberry.. I know these two manufactures do not hold the biggest market share but it is something like 43% and growing..
So for me that was the downfall…
Hi Kevin – yes, that’s a major problem.
This post is four years old now and things have changed. It was a hot topic then, but I don’t think the channel has much value right now.
Though location-based marketing has developed and is still interesting – Facebook Places etc.
Thanks,
Luke