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The Bluetooth ad: Press 'accept'

Now that more users are enabling hands-free tech on their phones, new ad opportunities are opening.

June 23, 2011 by Michael Rigato — V.P. of Operations, Signifi Solutions Inc.

Have you seen “Minority Report”? Cited frequently in conversations about the future of technology, the movie contains a scene where the main character, John Anderton, is walking through a shopping mall. The mall is full of advertising screens that play ads all the time. The difference is that these ad screens can scan the shopper’s retina, identify him and speak directly to him. "John Anderton, you can use a Guinness right now." Okay, sure, this movie was set in the year 2054 and we are not there yet (thank god), but already today we can direct our advertising to individuals. This is where a DVD kiosk comes into play.

With some technologies in the marketplace now, advertisers can send their messages directly to cell phones that are Bluetooth-enabled. In the past, few cell phone customers used their Bluetooth connectivity. But as more jurisdictions mandate hands-free talking while driving, more users are turning the functionality on.

This is where opportunity meets ingenuity! Picture a DVD kiosk that is sitting in front of a local grocery store or in a large strip or gas station or anywhere, sending advertising directly to Bluetooth enabled phones. So not only does the kiosk rent DVDs, it can be a great tool for advertising. Now, the ads won't be as specific as "John Anderton, you can use a Guinness right now," but they can be specific to the location.

Many smart phones also have the ability to show barcodes that can be scanned directly through a POS station. This gives the advertisers another method of tracking how effective their direct marketing campaigns are working. The metrics will be used to increase the amount of advertising dollars sent by the local advertisers and thus increase the dollar value the DVD kiosk owner receives.

This form of advertising does require the end user to accept the incoming ad, but that's where the advertising comes in. You need to make the ad compelling enough to make the person on the other end hit Accept. So the next time you are walking through a mall or at the local grocery store and you receive a message via Bluetooth, you might look down and see, "Couldn't you use a Guinness right now?" I know I'm pressing ACCEPT!

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