Urban Digital Vending - Bluetooth done well

In a recent article Brand Republic reports that Coke is trialing some new vending machine ideas in Dublin that use Bluetooth to deliver the content - and no I'm not talking about delivering cans of Coke via Bluetooth (too sticky!) - but digital content.

I called and spoke with Neale Deeley - VP Sales at the London offices for Inspired Broadcast Networks - to learn more these Urban Digital Vending (UDV) systems.

The UDV can be used to deliver all manner of digital content including simple things like ringtones and screen savers - but less obvious things like coupons, WiFi access codes, and other digital content. They even have a jukebox solution with access to over 2M tracks for download - all appropriately setup with Digital Rights Management (DRM). Not only can these machines be used to deliver content, but the UDV can be used for marketing and self-promotion via Bluetooth rather than just content delivery - but Neale assured me, "...that's not it's main purpose."

Identifying the customer

What was very unique about this solution is that the consumer absolutely wants to talk to the UDV and the UDV wants to talk to one and only one consumer (the one who just paid money for the content) so getting the communication right is absolutely important to both parties in the transaction. How does the UDV do that?

The UDV includes a touch screen display allowing the consumer to register their device. The registration process is a simple scan by the UDV and the a display of Bluetooth devices that it finds. If there is more than one device it asks, "Is this you?" allowing you to confirm that the device has been identified correctly.

Every Bluetooth device has a unique Bluetooth Device Address (BDA) as per the IEEE standard 802.15. The vending machines use this BDA to associate the phone with the purchaser - but what else might these unique identifiers be used for?

Using BDA isn't BAD at all!

If marketing companies succeed in their efforts to evade the Data Protection laws and to be exempt from the "opt-in" requirements for mobile SPAM then it is entirely possible that there would be a need for a Do-Not-Bluecast list - a place where you could register your device that you do not wish to receive any unsolicited Bluetooth communications. It wouldn't be hard to implement if you could just include it in the phone shops as a free standing kiosk. "Don't want to receive Bluetooth Marketing - register your phones here."

The kiosk would allow you to register your device - using the BDA - and then create and maintain a list of those device addresses that did not want to receive unsolicited marketing. Each BDA would have no consumer specific information associated with it but be strictly the 48-bit unique Bluetooth Device Address for that specific device. No need to know if it's a phone or a PDA or a laptop - or an earpiece (Can you imagine what the earpiece will do when you try to market to it?!?)

Bluetooth marketing can be made to work.

The bottom line is that YES - Bluetooth can be used as an incredibly effective way to market to consumers provided you offer a reasonable effort to a.) respect their privacy and ask permission and b.) give them a suitable and simple channel to communicate their preference to stop or opt-out. Keep checking back for updates on the evolution of Bluetooth in the marketplace - and for a refresher course in polite society in case you are a marketer that has lost your way.


TALK BACK!

Please do come back and comment on this article - I welcome your views. You can also comment on Today's question:

Does it matter what the technology is when it comes to being interrupted on your mobile phone? i.e.; - is there any difference between receiving an SMS or receiving an invitation to receive content via Bluetooth ("Do you want to receive content?") Are they both SPAM? Or is one OK?