Social Web Report


The outer limits of ‘proximity advertising’
June 16, 2008, 9:50 am
Filed under: Advertising, Platform, content, marketing | Tags: , , , , ,

In a previous post I’ve written about the use of Bluetooth SMS proximity marketing and how it is reaching out to people in unexpected ways. Well, I was walking along Aberdeen’s Union Street and my mobile phone went off again – asking me if I wanted to accept an unsolicited message. I accepted and received a message asking if I wanted help escaping the debt trap!

This technology will soon be picked up by every type of business. I can see me walking down the street on a Saturday evening being Bluetoothed by bars, shops, lapdancing clubs, gyms, supermarkets, solicitors, accountants, recruitment agencies – all with offers of services and bargains.

But when that does happen, how will I pick and choose which to accept? I’m only accepting now because it’s a novelty. That’ll wear off if dozens start coming my way.

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Bluetooth delivery’s great… but content is more important
May 15, 2008, 9:53 pm
Filed under: Advertising, Platform, content | Tags: , , , , ,

In trying to sound as knowledgeable and professional as I can in this blog I’ve been overlooking just how much fun the social web can be!

For example, I went to the Vue cinema yesterday evening to see Iron Man (…and no, I’m not too old for that) and as I strode across the lobby to buy my ticket my mobile phone gave the double beep signal that I had received a message. As I stood in the ticket line I discovered that Vue was asking me to accept an incoming text. It downloaded, I opened it up and played two short videos. The first was a colourful, 22-second Warner Bros compilation trailer advertising cheap DVDs.

The second video was this 1′42″ film about bullying, part of the Cut it Out initiative run by Vodaphone and charity Beatbullying.

Now that made me stop and think about bullying and then about the potential for this technology. It was done via Bluetooth (I leave my Bluetooth connection enabled and always visible) by a a company called Bluepod Media. This article in Brand Republic gives more details.

This ‘proximity advertising’ is a really exciting development. Many of us will have heard it predicted when Bluetooth came on the scene about 5 years ago. Think what this could do for museums, galleries, attractions, schools, hospitals and so on. The possibilities are almost endless.

Perhaps the Portman Group should consider this as the delivery platform for when they finally develop their responsible drinking message. All those Witherspoon pubs, and similar chains, could have similar set ups for getting relevant movies, messages etc out to customers.

But now I think about it, the delivery platform is the least of their worries. Getting the message right (ie. in a form the target audience will actually pay attention to) will be an enormous achievement. If they succeed, then the Bluetooth technology will pale into insignificance.

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