Coffee-through-the-nose time as Hypertag Sets Up London Bluetooth Marketing Network: "Bluetooth marketing company Hypertag says it’s launching a network in London of 80 sites with its Bluetooth and infrared units, through a partnership with Boomerang Media"

My experience of Bluetooth marketing has been uniformly negative. On the rare occasions that a Bluetooth-enabled poster has worked (process: see poster, activate bluetooth, wait a while or send contact to poster, repeat, repeat, repeat - hardly friendly eh), I've received nothing but a GIF image with instructions for me to visit a web site. I've never seen anything better than this, and I'm actively interested in the stuff.

Technically I believe these devices have difficulty working out what handset you're using - which means they can't deliver appropriate content to your phone automatically. So it tends to be MP3 files (which most Bluetooth phones can play) or small images (which they can display).

But these companies seem to be plumbing new depths. Last time I was on the tube in London I used one - it demanded that I send a contact from my address book to it to "opt in". As a mobile techie I can see why this is - it's actually a well-intentioned means of avoiding spamming everyone who walks past - but Christ, what an horrific way of interacting with someone. A bit like asking them to fax you with their email address, so you can send them a telephone number to call. Jesus wept.

And sorry Carlo, but I don't find the prospect of marketers changing their offerings on-the-fly to be intrinsically interesting. The banner ad salesmen promised just this sort of thing, and it didn't lead to fantastically well-targeted, innovative or interesting advertising last time I checked.

Plus - changing your device name to opt in? Yeuch. Again - I can see the well-intentioned anti-spam thinking behind it, but the overall user experience is dreadful. Are people really going to navigate deep into phone settings menus just so you can send them an advert?

Comments

[raddedas]

couldn't agree more ;)

this is a step up from normal bluetooth spam because no-one will ever sign up for it, which at least means everyone can pretend it doesn't exist...

[Toerholm]

There are solutions on the market which are capable of detecting the handset model.

I happen to work for Blip Systems. Our Bluetooth Network based marketing platform, is able to identify mobiles on the fly, and send the proper content. An example could be that old fashion phones gets a .gif, newer phones a video, etc.. This is doeable due to advanced phone indentification software and a updated phone capability database.

All you have to do when setting up a campaign is to load the content and prioritize it.

Our solution supports opt-in, via registration zones etc., via a extremely simple and easy method.

[Etienne Richelle]

Tom,

I am absolutely shocked by your findings about the poor performance of the systems in UK !

There is a campaign currently in the streets of Belgium for a major mobile operator, Mobistar. The JCDecaux panels equiped by Alterwave are sending out an MP3 of Christina Aguilera.

The system from Alterwave is absolutely able to send an MP3 to the phone capable of rendering it, and other format for older phone, like AMR format to Sony Ericsson Z600.

So, you are absolutely welcome in Brussels before monday 18 sept at night to test it out yourself ! Take all you phones, and challenge the Bluetooth marketing ;-)

Pictures here : http://bluetoothmarketing.wordpress.com/

Cheers!

[Sarah]

I did agree but then we used a company called blu future. A bluetooth Proximity company that comes from a different angle. We set up there systems in a shopping mall to send out discounts for shoppers. Two things that are really good with there systems are, one you can tell how many people are actually interacting asking for information etc, and because of this feature the unit can send different messages depending on how many times you have entered the mall. We are using it as an incentive sceam. The other is that you can also surf the internet off it at the same time.

[Tom Hume]

Sarah

Can I presume that you work for a PR company on behalf of Blu Future? I've never heard anyone in the real world describe a company in the way you have ("a bluetooth Proximity company that comes from a different angle").

I'm more than happy for PR folks to post onto my weblog, but could you please make any interest or connection you have with Blu Future clear when you do so?

[Laurenz Lenkewitz]

Hi everybody,
just to introduce me, I own a Bluetooth marketing company, but I don't want to advertise here.

I just have to comment Tom's experience. If these Bluetooth systems in the UK public are really

- not able to send content in all different display sizes, and player formats,
- not able to detect a device by it's bluetooth chip adress (not the device name)
- recognize the exact phone model

it seems to be a poor technology.

Tom would make much better experience with most of the systems that are used in Germany. From a technical point of view, there is no need to be unsatisfied with good working Bluetooth marketing systems. They provide
- "touch-opt-in"
- automatic full device recognition, and feature/service discovery
- automatic transmission of exact fitting content to any device
- no transmission to phones which don't show an opt-in (no spam).

That should be the lowest common denominator.

[Tom Hume]

Laurenz: out of interest, how do you identify phone make and model from a Bluetooth connection? And how do you determine opt-in from a Bluetooth device?

[Mike Callachan]

We have a product which has had a large number of successful campaigns in the UK, which deals with the above problems. We have a wide range of bluetooth marketing products available.

http://www.bloozy.co.uk

[Laurenz Lenkewitz]

@Tom:
- How to identify phone make and model from a Bluetooth connection:
We read the BT chip adress and then identify the phone's details of our database.

- How do you determine opt-in from a Bluetooth device?
a) Lower level: The user presses 'Yes' after the prompt appears. (By the way, this prompt is NOT released by the BT transmitter. The phone itself shows the prompt.)

b) Better level: The user first sends a piece of data (whatever) to the BT transmitter. After that, the transmitter sends something back. This is only complicated when you do it the first time (like writing SMS was once... :-)

[Mirek Pojazd]

@Tom:
- How to identify phone make and model from a Bluetooth connection:
We read the BT chip adress and then identify the phone's details of our database.
Would it work in other countries, for example czech republic or poland?
Where you got this database from, is it updated consequently?

[Bluetooth Advertising]

What I find interesting about bluetooth advertising though, and I admit, I'm speaking from a somewhat biased point of view, is that currently the general mentality is set against the technology because, lets face it, who wants intrusive advertising on their phones? However, if you spin the whole thing on its head and consider that many bars, nightclubs and businesses that we sell to offer some kind of promotion or special deal when they send out the ad, is it not worth considering the fact that if I go out into town, that I would consider turning ON my bluetooth to get as many of these buy one get one free deals that I can?

Foe example, if every bar in the town centre is offering me a buy on get one free am I not likely to have a better night? (if you define 'better' as being more drunk :-) for less money?

If bluetooth advertisers could somehow spin people's attitudes towards the whole idea around from a 'oh no, not again' one to a 'lets see what these idiot companies are giving away free tonight' one, does the technology have a better argument for success?

This is the philosophy that we like to try and employ and you can see our bluetooth advertising product range at http://www.easyblueadvertising.co.uk

[Dan Course]

Bluetooth 'spamming' can be such a headache. On our mediasandbox project we're finding that there are ways to avoid pissing people off... 'ish

http://www.mediasandbox.co.uk/2008/04/21/is-it-bluetooth-marketing-spamming/
Is it spamming or can we all carry on?

DanC - Thought Den

[Anthony Foster]

Obviously all the talk if of adverts with this technology. However at Nextgen Bluetooth ( http://www.nextgenbluetoothmarketing.co.uk ) we have a lot of dealings with councils and police forces. They use it to circulate missing person pictures, or advise drivers not to leave valuables in cars.

Its a technology that has many uses.