Bluetooth and Proximity Marketing

You and your spouse are on your way home, stuck in traffic and starving as usual. You look to the right only to see a billboard for Olive Garden, which makes you even hungrier. Near the bottom of the sign you notice a sentence that says “Set your Bluetooth to ‘find me’ now to receive a free appetizer”. Since traffic is at a standstill, you decide to give it a try. As soon as you do, a message pops up asking you if you want to pair with “Olive Garden”. You agree and instantly a message is sent to your phone. You download the message only to see a coupon for the appetizer you were promised. You are also sent a second message that gives you directions to the nearest Olive Garden. You decide to go there for dinner.

You have just experienced one of marketing’s newest forms of marketing communication. While the story above is fiction, Olive Garden may soon be joining other businesses in marketing via Bluetooth. Companies like Proximity marketing http://proximitymedia.com/home.htm as well as Bluevibe http://www.bluevibe.gr/?gclid=CJighbOplJECFQ2aOAodUHyUOQ are bringing the technology to the U.S.

Bluetooth marketing while still in its infancy in the U.S., is exploding throughout Europe and Japan. Signs in subways, at events, or just along the street ask customers to turn on their Bluetooth to receive some benefit. Maybe its sports scores, weather forecasts, traffic reports, movie trailers, free ringtones, free games, or just information about a product. All contain some form of marketing communication. The possibilities are endless.

A car dealer can set up a Bluetooth marketing system to list the features and benefits of every car on his lot, and send a message to a sales person that he would like to test drive the vehicle. The same dealer could integrate all of his marketing by offering a sales list from his most recent newspaper ad. He could offer the customer an opportunity to watch a video or commercial for a car they are interested in. He could list current safety ratings. He would even be able to direct customers to a message board with comments from current owners of the same model and their feelings toward the car. In all, proximity marketing is a great tool to integrate all marketing communication.

In all, Bluetooth or other forms of proximity marketing via the cell phone may soon be the marketer’s choice for onsite communication.