Bluetooth Marketing is an effective channel through which to engage with consumers via the mobile device by offering premium mobile content associated with your brand. There are a number of different environments where Bluetooth can be used to encourage brand participation including out of home advertising sites, exhibitions and events, and retail environments.

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is short range wireless communication standard which uses radio frequency to enable the transmission of messages to Bluetooth enabled devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, PCs, within a specific range. It provides a wireless platform for devices to connect and exchange information, over a secure, globally unlicensed short range radio frequency.

What are the mechanics of a Bluetooth marketing campaign?

Bluetooth is a channel enabling brands to deliver premium content to consumers’ mobile phones from Bluetooth download zones such as outdoor poster sites, exhibition stands, or interactive point of sale displays in retail environments. At the download zone, our Bluetooth Touchpoints constantly search for Bluetooth enabled devices within a specific range. Once the Touchpoint finds a device, it offers a message; ‘Accept message via Bluetooth from x’. The consumer has the option to accept or reject the message. Once the consumer accepts the message, the content is automatically downloaded to their mobile phone for free.

How far can Bluetooth content be transmitted?

Our Bluetooth Touchpoints use the highest possible power levels and will transmit data up to 100m (Bluetooth Class 1). Mobile phones however, have weaker transmitters (Bluetooth Class 2) and will only start to come into range from about 10-20m.

How can some Bluetooth companies quote ranges of 100m?

Bluetooth is a two way communication - the mobile device has to be within reach of the transmitter before content can be offered. It is not possible for a 10m (Bluetooth Class 2) mobile phone to communicate with another Bluetooth device 100m away.

How do I maximise the effectiveness of my Bluetooth campaign?

There are three important factors to consider when implementing a Bluetooth marketing campaign – content, signage and location. 

Content – Bluetooth is an excellent channel to enable you to deliver premium content such as wallpapers, videos, mp3s etc associated with your brand to a consumer’s handset. However it is crucial to ensure the content you are offering will resonate and appeal to the target audience. Always put yourself in the consumer’s shoes to ensure the content you are offering is relevant and appealing to your target demographic.

Signage - For a Bluetooth campaign to be successful, it is essential to have prominent creative or signage prompting consumers to activate Bluetooth. The majority of new phones now have Bluetooth capability however, some consumers have their Bluetooth functionality either turned off or set to ‘invisible’. In addition, not all handsets give off an audible or vibration alert when receiving a message via Bluetooth, hence the consumer is unlikely to be aware of your offer unless there is signage alerting them to it. Signage will ensure consumers are aware they are in a Bluetooth download zone regardless of whether they have their Bluetooth enabled or disabled.

Location - It is important to select a location with ‘dwell time’ such as an exhibition stand, railway platform, food court to ensure consumers have time to receive content from the Bluetooth Touchpoint. Alternatively, strategically positioned download zones can create dwell time assuming prominent signage is displayed. Bluetooth marketing is not about bombarding consumers with advertising messages as they walk past a particular area, it is about engaging consumers through appropriate signage and giving them a compelling reason to stop and interact with your brand.

What type of content can I send via Bluetooth?

Anything from text and image based files such as jpegs and gifs, video clips, mp3s, through to sophisticated java applications such as games, mobile brochures and event guides. All phones have different screen sizes and capabilities – our Bluetooth Touchpoints use handset recognition to optimise the size and type of content to the user’s handset capability.

How many mobile phones have Bluetooth capability and how many of those have Bluetooth activated?

Of the 19 million mobile phones in the Australian market, it is estimated that approximately 75% of these have Bluetooth functionality, and approximately 95% of new phones released to the market have Bluetooth capability.

There is no specific data available on how many people have Bluetooth permanently activated. This is why it is important to have some form of creative or signage which provides a compelling reason for consumers to activate Bluetooth and engage with the campaign. Breeze Tech has collected data on the number of Bluetooth devices discovered in certain environments and would be happy to provide you with the data for specific locations if required. As an example, a typical shopping centre foodcourt campaign would find approximately 17,000 unique Bluetooth devices over a 4 week period.

How much does the consumer pay to receive the content via Bluetooth?

The customer does not pay anything – it is free to receive and send information via Bluetooth.

Does Bluetooth comply with Spam and Privacy Laws?

Yes, Bluetooth proximity marketing is an “opt-in” service and is exempt from the Spam Act. Bluetooth broadcasting is very similar to other broadcasting technologies. If you activate the FM radio on your phone you receive FM radio broadcasts - in the same way if you activate Bluetooth on your phone you can receive Bluetooth broadcasts. Unlike SMS, messages are not sent to a personal address and therefore no personal information is collected.

Furthermore the consumer must also accept the content before it is downloaded to the phone, if a user declines the content they will not be offered that content again.