Bluetooth marketing is more than blue spam marketing
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lthough some have called bluetooth marketing “blue spam” marketing, WCIT has taken an approach that should be considered best practice – they have bluetooth zones setup in malls that encourage consumers to register & make their devices discoverable. In return, consumers who enter the zone can download something of value to their mobile device (like a mall catalogue of sales, store locator etc…) and don’t feel like they are being disrupted at random.
Permission based bluetooth marketing can be a great extension of your digital, mobile, or multi-channel campaign.
Petros Kondos from WCIT contacted me earlier this week with a new use for bluetooth systems – they can also be used as advanced foot counting systems. Having installed new systems in 25 malls already, WCIT is now also using their system to count foot traffic in malls and have validated their approach as being more accurate than traditional foot traffic measuring systems.
Each mobile device has a unique bluetooth ID which does not contain any personal information or even a link to the mobile number. The consumer is therefore anonymous to the system – although track-able throughout a period of time. This means their system will not count the same person twice – but at the same time they can track where that consumer walks within the mall itself. Although the best retailers have their own shopper marketing strategy & zones within their space, having an additional layer of data to validate behaviour would be very valuable.
Shopper marketing professionals would jump through hoops of fire to get such detailed & accurate customer analytic information.
The BlueTrac system tracks:
- Number of times the same mobile device returns to a specific mall / store within a day, week, or month
- Time of visit
- Amount of time spent in one area
- Entry and departure times
- Patterns of customer visits
The system can also learn to distinguish between consumers and mall staff – so the data can be segmented accordingly.
Comparative research around this technology and customer volumes in malls has produced accurate extrapolations to include total customer volumes within retail spaces. On the basis of detected bluetooth devices, BlueTrace can indicate total customer footfall within a mall or specific retail area within a given period.
A secondary useful stat that came out of this study is that on average 7% of all consumers entering the mall had a mobile device that was bluetooth enabled and activated.
Although the data relates to the South African market, it’s still directional relevant for the Canadian market. We know through local bluetooth network Broadburst that of those who have bluetooth devices that are activated, around 3% respond to bluetooth requests within their network – still far above traditional media responses.
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Our experience is that most marketers realize the damage they can do with unsolicited messages. Therefore it has become much easier to define rules of engagement so that customers have more control over what they receive on their phone.
Analytics is often useful before running campaigns – a week or two of monitoring can provide some understanding of traffic flows, repeat visitors etc and this can be factored into planning.
Hi Phil,
We are a mobile mobile solutions based out of India. We are specialized in Bluetooth marketing. Thanks for posting your thoughts on Bluetooth marketing. s you mentioned we have a network of Bluetooth zones in malls, hangouts, etc.. Bluetooth can also be used in loyalty management very effectively! And users are receptive to Bluetooth marketing, even though for first tome they worry about security, spam etc.. But because of reasons like easy to access, free and relevant content for them users nowadays are lookng forward to valueadd from marketers!
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This is actually really useful for highway counting as well. Initial studies suggest that GPS units should be installed in all vehicles for counting purposes. But huge savings could be found by using an existing technology, Bluetooth, especially considering the fact that most motorists have a mobile phone in their vehicle.
My name is Anthony (A.J.) Bayne. I own US Patent 7,463,898 “System and Method for the Distribution of Advertising and Associated Coupons via Mobile Media Platforms”. The invention is also “patent pending” in China and India.
Independent claims 14 and 29 teach presenting ads on a mobile phone to someone other than the mobile phone user during a non-handsfree call, and distributing digital coupons. A mobile phone’s rear display may be used to present the ads to other.
An overview and claims can be found at http://www.adbiquity.com
My method claims can distribute more coupons, and make more ad presentations than the current one viewer per ad presentation.
If your company is interested in discussing my invention, I may be reached most easily by return email to arrange a time to speak. I am in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Thank you for your consideration.
Truly,
A.J. Bayne
Attorney at Law
BlueFlyers (http://www.BlueFlyers.com) offers the longest range Bluetooth Marketing servers. The servers campaigns can be remotely configured over an Internet connection, and they support multiple simultaneous ad campaigns.
Low prices and no hidden costs for Windows PC at every installation location.
http://www.BlueFlyers.com
BlueFlyers (http://www.BlueFlyers.com) offers the longest range Bluetooth Marketing servers. The servers campaigns can be remotely configured over an Internet connection, and they support multiple simultaneous ad campaigns.
Low prices and no hidden costs for Windows PC at every installation location.
http://www.BlueFlyers.com
As a new and underdeveloped marketing channel, there’s been significant confusion within the industry as to the issue of securing consent from consumers to reach them via Bluetooth. Until recently, it was widely assumed that Bluetooth was covered by the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations of 2003. However, in 2007 the Information Commissioner ruled that Bluetooth is not part of the “mobile network” and therefore is exempt from the 2003 Regulations.
Furthermore, the rules that require opt-in for email and SMS campaigns don’t even apply to Bluetooth. This means that there’s little to prevent seedy marketers from bombarding every consumer in the vicinity who happens to have Bluetooth enabled on their phone. It’s been this lack of regulation that has let Spammers run wild with Bluetooth, and therefore ruined the public’s opinion on the medium.
great read
I am here to say something. I support some of the commenter. But not all. Good impression. Thanks
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