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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Bluetooth gets more visible


Marketing Week has 2 articles that have appear recently that are discussing the use of Bluetooth for marketing and further raising questions about compliance with privacy regulations. The Analysis article titled, "Do Bluetooth posters send privacy down the tube?" discusses a new Bluetooth campaign running in the London Underground (a.k.a. the tube) with posters supplied from Viacom with embedded Bluetooth technology from Wideray. The program is promoting content from Channel 4 as descibed here.

A separate article takes a more liberal approach to interpreting the situation with the title, "DMA embraces Bluetooth technology after U-turn." - Well - not exactly. I think if you asked Robert Dirskovsky from the DMA he might temper that title just a bit. (In fact that's exactly what he did during a recent DMA Mobile Marketing Strategy Council meeting).

In the coming weeks the DMA will offer best practices for DMA members including the best use of Bluetooth marketing. Be sure to watch this space for when those come out!

Information Commissioner says Bluetooth has same Opt-In requirements as E-mail

In both of the articles from Marketing Week, as well as a recent response to a letter in Out Law
(Winter 2005 Issue 13, pp. 13) quote the Information Commissioner as saying Bluetooth is subject to the same opt-in requirements as e-mail. You can check page 24 of the Information Commissioners Guidance to the privacy and electronic communications (EC directive) Regulations for 2003 (HERE) to see it in print. (Thanks to Louise Townsend from Pinsent Masons / Out Law for the specific reference)

For now there is much confusion.

For the time being there is a considerable amount of confusion as to a.) Is there a requirement for Opt-In for Bluetooth? and b.) If there is such a requirement, what will satisfy the Opt-In requirement for Bluetooth? Bluetooth marketing isn't going to go away, but will need to be properly defined for best use and maximum impact.

Watch this space! (It's one of my favourite topics!)

posted by Troy Norcross at 11:28 AM  

2 Comments:

Etienne said...

A new trend appears in the mobile marketing since the beginning of 2006 : The Bluetooth marketing, or proximity marketing.
This new tool works as a direct marketing channel to end users mobile phones. The first generation of these tools established a connection with the Bluetooth enabled phones (activated and set to visible) which are within 20 meters from a dedicated hotspot. A question appears on the screen of the phone in the form 'Do you accept content from Alterwave ? Yes / No', where Alterwave is the name of the company willing to advertise. If the user presses Yes, the download proceeds at a speed of typ. 50kB/sec over Bluetooth. The data transfer is 100% free. A video of 500 kB would be sent in about 10 seconds.
If the user presses No, the popup disappears from the screen, and if the users does not press either key the popup will disappear when the phone leaves the Bluetooth covered zone.
This new media raises a lot of interest in the advertising and marketing industry. The kind of files that they push is images (still or animated), sounds (mp3) and video.
The risk to see the Bluetooth marketing seen as Spam does exist, but an opt-in is also possible by requiring the user to approach his phone close to a given point (typ. 1-2 meters) for triggering the download.
The challenge is now for media and marketing agencies to use this innovative tool wisely, and certainly to send value added content to the users. The Bluetooth marketing has a lot of impact on end users, so it should be used with wisdom.
Alterwave is one of the leading companies in this market.

11:30 AM

 
Hugh said...

Etienne
Based on London underground platforms 1-2 metres is more than the platform depth and at ruch hour that would be quite a few people. I can see why advertisers want to do this and make use notice the posters but getting something on your phone - even just being asked the question "do you want this?" is abit like invading our personal space - it's the same as SMS when they send you offers you didn't opt-in for, or one of those delightful calls asking you if you want to upgrade your phone from a company that didn't even sell you the phone!
I think there's still some way to go. A proper opt-in where we get to choose is what's needed if advertisers want to use Bluetooth.

11:11 AM

 

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A few words about why we're here

Since consumers first started to use SMS marketers have had the idea of text message marekting or marketing sms - also known as mobile marketing. And since that time marketing sms messages have grown and changed and new technology like bluetooth marketing, marketing bluetooth style to phones in close proximity to an advertisers.

And since the e-mail spam scourge took over the media, people have worried that there will be mobile phone spam. Spam is just another way of saying that advertisers send unsolicited text message marketing, marketing sms, bluetooth marketing or any other form of mobile marketing - it's mobile phone spam. There are even guides on how to spam phone s.

Consumer Preference is about permission based marketing, permission marketing solution. If, as an advertiser you can execute permission based marketing campaigns then you can certainly find ways to benefit from mobile marketing. And permission starts with understanding the consumer marketing preference. If you can understand consumer marketing preference, then you can execute permission based marketing. And permission marketing is not mobile phone spam.

There are many mobile marketing company listings that can be found on the Internet - and most mobile marketing company websites will tell you how they focus on permission marketing. Make sure that the one you partner with does more than tell you about it on the website. Opt-in marketing starts with your traditional marketing soliciting for permission.

Yes - Mobile marketing starts with traditional marketing - print, web, radio, television - all of the old standards. Because before you can send the first message to a consumer, you must obtain their permission... and that means that you understand consumer marketing prefernce.

Please enjoy reading consumer-preference.com - and if you feel that there is a point I'm making you'd like to share - then put a link to it from your own site. And always feel free to leave comments!

Troy Norcross

 

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