When I read many of the blogs that talk about Bluetooth or Proximity Marketing (BPM), it’s often stated that the concept is ‘edgy’ and is pushing the boundaries of innovative ways to actively engage with consumers. How could anyone disagree!
However, although BPM is now widely used as an extension to conventional passive advertising campaigns by big brands, it is still early days. BPM has been around as long as Bluetooth standards have existed so it can never be said that the growth rate of Bluetooth marketing has been stellar when compared to some services. On consideration, there are several reasons as to why this might be so.
If we go along with this thought for a moment, to my mind one of the principle reasons for this is to do with Bluetooth and it’s use on mobile phones. Specifically, most mobile phone users have Bluetooth permanently turned off! This does seem a little strange when you consider that one of principle uses of Bluetooth was to enable hands-free usage of mobile phones. This not only helped with usability but also provided a solution to possibility of RF radiation creating health problems. This, at one time, seemed very compelling reasons for mobile phone users to use Bluetooth – but strangely it just didn’t happen.
This makes the offering a service that actually relies on consumers having Bluetooth turned on on their phones rather problematical one would think!? The problem was that having Bluetooth turned on had real negative impact on battery life. Moreover, there was much publicity about the potential problem of Bluejacking which turned out to be relatively harmless concern.
Having Bluetooth turned off is not such a major concern for BPM as there is usually a local ‘call to action’ asking consumers to turn on their mobile phone Bluetooth with the incentive of downloading goodies as they pass. This concept works pretty well in practice. However a real reason and need that pushes consumers to have Bluetooth permanently turned on on their mobile phones could have a major positive impact on the BPM industry. In my opinion, has been missing to date, but it could be that this is all about to change.
Secretly creeping up on us is the concept of integrated Bluetooth hands free operation in cars. This is concerned with Bluetooth controlled hands-free telephone and voice control systems in cars. You may say “so what?” as the concept has been around for some time in the form of retro-fit kits and built into the platform of top-end cars. However, these Bluetooth based systems have now moved from the fringe to the core.
With strong legislation about the use of mobile phones in cars, car manufacturers have been busy incorporating Bluetooth capability into the heart of the telematics (communication platform ) of cars, rather than being just being an after-market accessory. The concept is now so key to the control on in-car items such as phones and audio, that it now being made available even on bottom of the range cars. By way of example, it is even available on the popular and low-cost Ford Fiesta !
Clearly, with wide-scale and availability and use of Bluetooth as a key element in hands free use of mobiles in cars, then car-driving consumers will always leave Bluetooth permanently switched on on their mobile phones. This could could have a positive impact on the download uptake and success experienced with BPM campaigns – especially at motor shows! Moreover, it opens a whole new array of applications but more on this later.
Photo credit: Fiesta Bluetooth hands-free telephone and voice control system, Ford UK
Chris Gare
May 17, 2009 at 6:06 pm |
Chris – your comments about bluetooth in cars were particularly pertinent to several of the motor shows at which Hypertags were used in the last 18 months. Our experience has been that manufacturers are increasingly using Bluetooth at trade shows, either as part of their promotional activity, such as Ford did using Hypertags in Australia (2007, 2008, 2009), or to facilitate Bluetooth printers on stand.
For those proximity marketing providers unable either to control the range on their Bluetooth devices, or to block other vendors’ Bluetooth devices from appearing repeatedly in their data reports, the experience for both consumer and brand is grim.
Happily Hypertag are able to control both range and block particular Bluetooth devices from our data reports making for happy clients. However, until all providers are willing and able to keep their Bluetooth promotions “within stand” by controlling their range settings, trade shows will continue to be an environment in which the ability to provide a reliable and high quality brand experience for visitors to stand will remain in the hands of fate.
Our experience is that no matter how well we can control Hypertags there will liekly be a device on the stand next door with a Bluetooth device, poorly configured and deployed, dishing out content offers willynilly and actually able to deliver to very few of those devices offered. This was, perhaps, acceptable in 2006, say in Brazil, but not in 2008 in Europe, where in general the choice of reasonable quality proximity marketing devices is too good to provide an excuse for this type of deployment.
June 23, 2009 at 2:52 pm |
[...] Clearly the belts and braces method of preventing any of these occurring is, of course, for you have your Bluetooth radio turned off on your phone or your discoverability turned off. But honestly, this is the equivalent of telling a PC user that if they are to avoid security problems then they should not connect to the Internet! It’s just not that realistic as good advice now that Bluetooth usage is so widespread extending even to cars. [...]