Bluecasting for Marketers

Jackie Peters | BlueCasting, Brand Immersion, Branding, General, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing | Tuesday August 8 2006

A relatively new addition to the marketing world is Bluecasting. Bluecasting is a process in which a message is broadcast to BlueTooth-enabled devices within a given physical area. This technology opens the door for a wide array of outdoor, point-of-purchase, and mobile marketing opportunities. Given the amount of Bluetooth headsets I see on people walking down the street, I would guess that quite a large percentage of mobile users have their BlueTooth turned on. I think the key to Bluecasting, as with any form of marketing, is relevance. I’m going to coin a phrase here: we don’t want to Blam people (BlueTooth Spam.) But if the content that is broadcasted, or Bluecasted, is relevant to the recipient, and is introduced in a non-invasive way, Bluecasting has the potential to be really big.

Bluecasting software is capable of detecting the users handset, and delivering the appropriate content and/or file to that person directly. Most Bluecasting stations have a range of about 100 meters. Individuals passing by are alerted with a message and are asked if they would like to accept the content onto their handsets.

Land Rover recently conducted a Bluecasting campaign in Manhattan. The London Tube now features Bluecasting-enabled signage, and at the CTIA convention in Las Vegas there was a billboard Bluecasting messages.

It’s too soon to tell what the future holds for Bluecasting, but the channel shows promise, especially if we marketers do our part to use it responsibly, and make sure we’re delivering relevant content to those who may be interested in receiving it.

More later…

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