Bluetooth marketing is not a new
idea. It has been used overseas for quite some time.
What is Bluetooth marketing? Think of it as virtual
billboards. As you drive or walk down the street, the
bluetooth devices you have will pick up a signal. This signal
is a Bluetooth marketing technique which will allow a stationary
device to send a text or graphic signal to your
device.
Most bluetooth devices do not
need pairing when receiving text messages or graphics.
Bluetooth marketing is not
SPAM. There are some who would disagree with that
statement. These are commercial advertisements sent out on a
Bluetooth marketing device called a proximity marketing
station. The signal can be ignored if the consumer chooses to
do so. Once out of range, the signal is
lost.
No information is stored on the
bluetooth device. Bluetooth marketing signals stay in the
area, hence the name Bluetooth “proximity” marketing.
More and more companies are using
Bluetooth marketing in the United States. It allows a new
advertising venue for many businesses. Bluetooth marketing
allows the consumer to be notified of specials, new products, or
alternative ideas when shopping. Bluetooth marketing would
allow a restaurant to notify customers of daily specials.
Movie theaters could announce show times.
The companies that use Bluetooth
marketing do protect the consumer. The first thing to take
note of is that Bluetooth marketing ads can only be sent to devices
that are on and in “discover” mode. The stationary Bluetooth
marketing unit will recognize the device. There is what I
would call a handshake greeting to determine if the recognized
device can receive the transmission.
If the device is able to accept
the advertisement, there is another check to see if a message has
recently been sent. Most Bluetooth marketing systems will
allow only one message to be sent to a device during a given time
span. This way the consumer is not swamped with ongoing
messages from the same Bluetooth marketing system.
Businesses understand that
advertising can become overwhelming to the consumer. There
has been a tracking system set up which allows the consumer to
register their personal bluetooth devices so that Bluetooth
marketing systems do not interfere with the operation of the
device. This is another check which takes place during the
“handshake” greeting.
Stationary Bluetooth marketing
systems are set up to recognize whether a device has been
registered to not receive Bluetooth marketing advertisements.
This is just another way businesses protect the
consumer.
Bluetooth marketing is definitely
a big business in the advertising world. The advantages to
the business is less advertising cost, targeting a group of
consumers who want to stay informed, and letting the public know
what is going on with their business. Bluetooth marketing
allows a small business owner to focus his advertising budget where
it will do the most good.
Advertising agencies are coming
up with new uses for Bluetooth marketing everyday. The
advantages for the consumer is being notified of specials and new
products. There are some companies who reward their shoppers
with only Bluetooth marketing specials. Sometimes it pays to
watch a commercial.