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Bluetooth Marketing: Smart or Shady?
I have been playing with some Bluetooth applications which seek out nearby bluetooth enabled mobile phones and send them a message of my choice. I can also choose the amount of messages that each device gets over a certain amount of time. For example, I can make it so that each device only gets 1 message per month, no matter how many times that device is discovered.
Something like this has plenty of marketing potential for any computer business with a shop front. They could send their monthly specials or even a discount voucher of some sort. I personally wont be doing it because I operate out of an office and not a shop front. I would also feel a little weird doing it. However, the potential is there for those that do have a shop front.
Now, the big question is, do you guys think Bluetooth Marketing is a shady business practice? or being smart and thinking outside the square?
Drop us a comment, I’d love to hear the general opinion on such a marketing method. As always, no need to signup to make a comment and you can even post anonymously if you wish. Just hit that comment link below this post.
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Seems to me most Blue Tooth devices have listening disabled. If I remember correctly, there was a big scare back in 2002 or 2003 about blue tooth hacking. People could take over a phone via blue tooth, call toll numbers or clone the phone. That said… I wouldn’t want to scare people off or give them the impression I was “hacking” into their phone to leave them an advertisement.
There was (and still is) a bluetooth viruses going around too.
While I was reading the article the first thing I thought was that it was a great idea and a very original way of advertising. Then I thought what would I feel if I received a message in my phone advertising the shop I have just passed in front of.
As I’m curious and like this kind of technological stuff maybe I would like it but is not difficult to imagine many people feeling bad or angry about it. As Tampa Computer Repair said they can be scared seeing how easy is to put “things” they don’t want inside their phones.
On the other side I’m quite curious about it and would like to test that software with my own phone to see if it really works. Bryce, could you give us a link?
Very interesting situation. On one hand I see its merit, but on the other hand I see how this could be like opening up Pandora’s Box.
If this can be disabled on the phone you could perhaps advertise a service of disabling that exploit for people for free if it is a simple quick fix. Then they can come in and see what other services you have to offer.
Ya know, the more I think about it… I can’t see a difference between this and unsolicited commercial email. No one wants spam. I’ve had clients call, practically tears over the spam they’ve received.
Some of the available message formats of the first device I found were:
Delivery of a wide range of information type e.g.
Text [as .txt files]
Still images [as GIF or JPG files]
Animated images [as Animated GIF files]
Audio [as WAV, RMF, MP3, MP4 or Ringtone files]
Video [as RM, 3GP or MP4 files]
vCard [Business Card files]
vCal [Calendar Event files]
I know plenty of people who are still charged for text messages, picture messages and video messages.
So… if I understand this correctly, a prospect could be charged to receive the
advertisementspam. Bet they don’t become repeat clients. Now I’m curious about potential legal ramifications.Why not put up a display in front of the store instead of invading someones phone or pda? If someone wants to see the advertisement then they can look at it in front of the store displayed in the window. Think of the thousands of messages you could get just walking the mall. Oh well, with RFID it will help them know about you and give you the ad-ware directed specifically at you.
I’m pretty sure not everyone would like to get spammed on their mobiles ! And very likely to give a wrong first impression of the shop as well.. if it were me, i would think twice before passing through the shop front myself :-)
I know that some Cinema’s here in Australia are already advertising this way with “Bluetooth Hotspots” near their ticket boxes, that every 5-10 minutes send phones with bluetooth on messages about specials and deals that they can get if they show that message, as well as sending them free java games of their latest release movies
“I know plenty of people who are still charged for text messages, picture messages and video messages.”
Being Bluetooth they shouldnt be charged for anything. Any other method such as SMS/MMS they would be charged though.
I have seen what Goob mentioned myself and it works successfully. I guess its more “handing out freebies” than advertising though.
Bluetooth can be a great vehicle for advertising. It can be done creatively and effectively, but the message HAS TO BE TIMELY and RELEVANT.
Many large companies are excited about and are experimenting with Bluetooth advertising campaigns right now. Companies like Budweiser are utilizing this on the street level and there is discussion on how to price it. Many advertisers are saying “let’s price it based on how many opted in and actually received our message”. The only problem is it is the job of the creative to invoke a response, not the medium itself. If you send a message saying “would you like to receive this offer from Budweiser” during some business people’s commute to work in the morning, they likely aren’t going to be interested. Also if the company’s other advertising efforts aren’t effective, then the Bluetooth won’t be either.
Eventually I think Bluetooth will become the out-of-home digital equivalent to the web’s POPUP and people will avoid it at all costs.
One of the main challenges is the # of bluetooth enabled devices. Bluetooth EATS up battery life, which is EXTREMELY precious for consumers.
I personally have a bluetooth Blackberry device but I never have it turned on because it would eat my battery life, and I do not use a Bluetooth headset.
I went to the movies last night with my girlfriend and we walked passed the bluetooth hotspot that Goob mentioned in comment number 8 which reminded me of this thread. I asked her if she was walking past a computer store and it sent her a blue tooth message, perhaps saying weekly specials or something, would it annoy her? She said Yes.
I then asked her what if it sent a coupon or something, like a free PC health check. Would she want it?
She said “Yeah, that would be ok”.
Bluetooth marketing could work if done right.
Very interesting situation. On one hand I see its merit, but on the other hand I see how this could be like opening up Pandora’s Box.
While I was reading the article the first thing I thought was that it was a great idea and a very original way of advertising. Then I thought what would I feel if I received a message in my phone advertising the shop I have just passed in front of.
Eventually I think Bluetooth will become the out-of-home digital equivalent to the web’s POPUP and people will avoid it at all costs.
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