Bluetooth marketing is a proximity specific form of advertising that can be simply and effectively integrated into a digital signage network. Its potential applications for Point-of-Sale and digital signage are virtually limitless. The following post will discuss different methodologies of Bluetooth integration and some best practices dos and don'ts for digital signage vendors. 
Any individual with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone can instantly receive rich content which may include song downloads, short video clips, coupons, web apps, and links to micro-sites. Beneficially Bluetooth allows for specific-area, rich content to be disseminated to mobile devices without the high cost and complex issues had by other forms of mobile marketing. SMS and MMS are excellent ways to distribute advertising to mobile devices, but the cost is often considered astronomical. I read a news piece about a year ago that indicated SMS had a higher message transfer cost than sending messages to and from the Hubble space telescope--four times more expensive in fact. Quite literally, the costs of SMS and MMS are cosmically crippling. In contrast, Bluetooth technology allows for those in close proximity of a transmitter to receive media, both solicited and unsolicited. It is the "push" ability of Bluetooth marketers, along with its inexpensive nature of the ad medium that makes Bluetooth a double-edged sword technology.
An individual who has set their mobile device to "active" or "discoverable" can receive rich media messages from a Bluetooth broadcasting device. There are essentially four methodologies a digital signage marketer would need to consider when applying Bluetooth technology to a digital signage network. I have outlined the methodologies below along with their corresponding effectiveness.
Method 1: Extreme Close-Range Positive Consumer Interaction
Close-range positive interaction is the least intrusive form of Bluetooth marketing. An individual wishing to have rich content messages blasted to their mobile must first have the Bluetooth capability "switched-on." Secondly, said person must also wave the handset close to a Bluetooth device. These are usually followed by some sort of call to action and a clear explanation of what to do in order to receive rich content. "It is clear in this scenario that the consumer has chosen to interact by their action." This is key. Advertising without consent from the advertisee can do more harm than good. As digital media continues to become more interactive it also becomes more invasive, which is why protecting user privacy is key--most certainly with a device as personal as someone's cellular phone. The methods that follow just get progressively more "in your face."
Method 2: Close-Range, Contextual Bluetooth Activation Interaction
In the close-range, contextual blasts rich media via Bluetooth to any phone within the vicinity of a digital signage display. In this case, the blast becomes less like spam because there is at least another form of media pointing the consumer to the same thing. Mobile Marketing's best practices guidelines state: "Although a call to action is less technically necessary because the message is sent on the basis of proximity, it is still very much advisable to include one (e.g. a poster at station asking people to go to the Bluetooth zone) however this ‘in context’ application does reflect the consumer’s likely interest in, and relevance to, an advertiser’s message."
Method 3: Close-Range General Bluetooth Activation Interaction
Simply put, Method 3 could be referred to as a close-rage, out-of-context Bluetooth spam. "This is as [Method 2] but in a general environment in which the message is not necessarily in context. Arguably this would include a shopping mall but also raises privacy issues for consumers because there is no clear call to action - rather it is based on a general proximity only. Clearly this is subjective – a shopping Mall operator may argue that such an application is in general context however a consumer may argue the opposite and consider this the basis of a grievance." A very stern warning to advertisers is that this method will most likely do more harm than good. Your message will, more often than not, make consumers feel angry and violated--not a feeling you want to have them associate with your brand.
Method 4: Wide-Range General Bluetooth Activation Interaction
Like Method 3, Method 4 is simply Bluetooth spam that covers a much larger area. From the Mobile Marketing Best Practices Guidelines: "Although messages can be sent to anyone with Bluetooth enabled in that area, it is again still advisable to include a call to action because, without one, this general use runs the risk of being unwelcome to consumers who do not like – and would view these as - unsolicited communications. This is never advisable – in effect the only ‘action’ that the consumer has taken is to enable their device which, in itself, is not in our opinion a valid call to action. Whereas in [Method 1] and [Method 2] there is a clear action inviting – or at least potentially justifying – a Bluetooth message, in this case there is not."
My take is that anything beyond Method 1 is spam. If I walk past a digital display and receive some sort of advertising message on my phone just because it's considered "contextual" without my consent, I would probably not be super happy. In any event, this would be an invasion of privacy--even if it is considered "in context." I'll not even begin to delve into Methods 3 and 4. They are simply "right out." This brings us back around full-circle to idea of a the two-faced marketing medium that is Bluetooth. On the one hand, we have a method of sending out a necessary message. Opposingly, a message sent without "positive interaction" can be obnoxious and detrimental to the messenger who wishes to promulgate their message. The moral of the story: although it may seem inviting to participate in Bluetooth marketing spam, don't. You may find yourself shooting yourself in yourself's foot.
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