Mall Advertising Going Interactive - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

Check out this great article on the recent leaps in mall advertising. Especially notice the following...

"Mobile devices, such as Bluetooth, also present opportunities. Bluetooth 'lends itself to a mall environment, it’s easy to deploy and it’s not that expensive,' says Alan High, general manager for Clear Channel Malls. 'Our advertising is being used for applications in the mall environment that didn’t exist a year or two ago.'"

Indeed, Bluetooth and WiFi mobile marketing are revolutionizing the mall space, not with annoying cell phone alerts, but with hyper-targeted offers. Imagine walking into a mall and receiving a map, sale alerts, coupons and more. Of course, if you work with the right software, all of these messages will require users to opt-in and could include a text-to-receive element to help you gather the contact info from interested consumers for future campaigns.

And as the above column reports, retailers--especially mall operators--must be careful to limit the quantity and ensure the quality of mobile campaigns. Specifically, a little test marketing will reveal how many advertisers per day/week are just right. With the right equipment setup you can also offer store messages only within close proximity to the subject store. Hence, Gap sales alerts will be offered within sight of the store, rather than down in the dungeon of the mall near Radio Shack.

You could use also Bluetooth to run ticket giveaways for the movies advertised via mall spectaculars and you could offer a bonus track download for the latest Jonas Brothers or Coldplay CD. These kinds of promotions have worked tremendously at U.K. malls and elsewhere.

If you're ready to get started with Bluetooth advertising, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Amstel Russian Bluetooth Campaign a Hit - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

On the heels of our report earlier this week about Coca Cola's somewhat misguided Bluetoothing efforts at the Beijing Olympics, check out this post on Amstel's successful Bluetooth marketing in Russia this past May-July. Especially notice the 400,000+ acceptances of content and the 23-39% conversion rates.

Though the Amstel campaign was a hit, as we mentioned in our Coca Cola article, Amstel likely could’ve achieved even greater results if it had better targeted the venue & consumer base and ramped up the content quality. Honestly, I'm amazed that any mobile users download the lame commercials that they simply Tivo around when they're at home. In fact, I'd venture that such inane Bluetoothing will eventually bring a big backlash against the companies that foist such annoying media on unsuspecting consumers.

Rather than settle for mass market, barely considered campaigns that yield perhaps 10-30% less prospects than targeted, why not offer high quality Bluetooth advertising with true viral marketing potential? Which will spread further, a boring 30-second commercial or a valuable coupon/contest entry? The only exception to this rule is to make the ad extremely funny or memorable a la Bud Light.

As you consider Bluetooth advertising, be sure to put as much thought into it as you would an expensive TV or radio spot. After all, your brand is on the line.

If you are ready to start Bluetooth marketing, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Olympics and Daytona Bluetooth Advertising - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

You may have heard about the Bluetooth advertising by Coca Cola at the Olympics and the recent Bluetooth campaign at the Daytona International Speedway. Of course, the Bluetooth providers behind these broadcasts are boasting of great success or at least anticipating the same. However, the content being sent and the chosen venues will likely severely limit the effectiveness of these campaigns.

As the above articles relate, the current Coca Cola Olympic push and the recent Daytona Speedway offerings feature lame advertiser videos aimed at perhaps too broad a swath of people. How many people do you know that will download a Coke or Chevy commercial? No thank you. Those commercials ushered in the DVR and I have no intention of clogging my phone's memory with such schlock.

In fact, such unoriginal content is one of the reasons that Pioco, the firm behind the Coke's Olympics campaign, confessed an acceptance rate of just 35% for previous Coke Bluetooth pushes. What do you mean just 35%? That's way better than print, TV and radio advertisements!

True, 35% conversion is still pretty snazzy. But it's well below typical Bluetooth response rates in the 40-60% range and far less than the admittedly spectacular 80% acceptance rate of a recent Shanghai Adidas campaign.

Rather than simple mobile-friendly commercials, why not send out athlete and driver profiles with opportunities to text to receive further content? Better yet, why not broadcast sports stories with a text to receive product coupons and event discounts? Such content might actually be considered valuable by recipients.

Especially in the States, the Bluetooth marketing reality is that unthinking Bluetooth advertisements will eventually fail miserably, even if the curiosity factor boosts initial results.
What's more, the venue for Bluetoothing will also greatly impact conversion rates and sales. In the case of the Coke Olympic campaign, Bluetooth advertisements are being sent through Blue zones set up at bus stops and other commuter hot spots.

Stateside Bluetooth advertisers would do well to avoid such untargeted marketing venues, unless location-specific, value-added content is broadcast. A coupon for the Subway restaurant across the street from a certain bus stop might work well. A simple commercial for Subway will likely fail spectacularly, anger recipients, damage the Subway brand and guarantee the ineffectiveness of future Bluetooth campaigns.

As you consider Bluetooth marketing, do your best to create consumer-friendly media that's location-specific. Examples include pro shop coupons at golf courses, maps and sales updates at malls and property fliers & video tours sent to prospective real estate buyers.

If you're ready to get started with Bluetooth advertising, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Bluetooth Advertising in Shanghai and You - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

Take a few minutes to enjoy this insightful interview with the founder of Chinese Bluetooth advertiser Pioco. With typical acceptance rates hovering near 50%, Pioco has already enlisted 5,000 locations for their Bluetooth proximity marketing network with thousands more in the works.

Take a cue from Pioco's success and set up a Bluetooth advertising network in your locale. In fact, if your offices are located in major foot-traffic centers, you could simply install Bluetooth transmitters on-site and advertise your company or sell third-party ad space.

As you consider building a Bluetooth proximity marketing network, remember that the most effective campaigns feature high quality content sent to targeted consumers. On the flip side, if you simply ping drivers-by with irrelevant and annoying content, you will erode your brand and infuriate the masses. Think movie trailers at theaters, coupons in restaurants and score updates at sports bars.

As marketing maven Seth Godin says in his brilliant Unleashing the Ideavirus, most folks today only trust who they know or what they know. Bluetooth marketing targets those who know you and your products, maximizing sales among your fans rather than pushing unwanted content on the unsuspecting public.

If you're ready to build your own Bluetooth advertising network and/or begin using Bluetooth marketing in your business, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Bluetooth Advertising Takes a Religious Turn - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

India is fast becoming a hot market for Bluetooth advertising. We've previously reported on Bluetooth marketing at the Harry's Bar & Casino chain. Now comes news of Bluetooth advertising at Hindu temples.

While you may not agree with the religious content they're offering, don't let that stop you from utilizing Bluetooth broadcasting at your church.

No, you don't need to jump off the cliff into inauthenticity by hawking religion on people's cell phones. Yes, your church can provide helpful and potentially life-changing content via Bluetooth.

If your church campus is comprised of several buildings or if each section of your main building serves a different purpose--educational, children's ministry and otherwise--imagine Bluetoothing church maps and intro videos to visitors. You could also use Bluetooth to facilitate service signups at ministry fairs and other gatherings.

In fact, if your congregation plays host to community events, you could reach many unchurched folks with low-key intro videos and service times via Bluetooth. Just advertise the availability of content via simple print signage, through your closed circuit TV network or by some other means.

Bluetooth advertising can produce great results no matter your objective--monetary, eternal or otherwise. If you're ready to get started with Bluetooth marketing, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Bluetooth Advertising Success in South Africa - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

Check out this quick but worthwhile article on a very successful BP Ultimate Bluetooth advertising campaign recently pulled off in South Africa. As the column mentions, one of the BIG keys in effective Bluetooth proximity marketing is simple messaging to alert folks to the availability of Bluetooth content. Especially in the States and other regions just now launching Bluetooth advertising, you must do a bit of hand-holding.

What's more, Bluetooth marketing is about reaching targeted consumers, not spamming anyone within reach of your transmitters. Lucky Rock Consulting and other smart Bluetooth advertising firms will maximize your reach within your niche, not annoy unsuspecting passers-by.

The good news, as evidenced in the above linked post, is that campaigns featuring quality content focused on your target audience, should yield incredible results. Typically, 30-50% of customers accept content...far better than print mailings and TV & radio advertising.

Bluetooth advertising can work for you whether you're a quick-service restauranteur, a luxury car dealer or radio station owner. But it must be targeted and relevant. And your Bluetooth broadcasts must be accompanied by visual reminders of available content and how to get it. If you do that, then expect the leads and the sales to start flooding in.

If you're ready to get started with Bluetooth advertising for your business or to setup a Bluetooth ad network in the States or abroad, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.

Bluetooth Advertising Car Dealerships - Bluetooth Advertising and Proximity Marketing Blog

One greatly overlooked Bluetooth advertising arena is auto dealerships. In fact, most folks interested in Bluetooth marketing confine their thoughts to retail locations such as malls and restaurants.

Indeed major shopping centers (centres for our UK readers) and other outlets offer great opportunities to deliver relevant content to targeted customers. See examples here and here. Still, car dealerships represent a largely untapped Bluetooth advertising gold mine.

Though you'll see few case studies online, likely because they don't want to key in their competition, several European and U.S. car dealerships are using Bluetooth to send sales-generating media to prospective buyers. Check out this Flickr photo featuring Audi's Bluetooth proximity marketing in Stockholm.

Imagine visitors being able to freely receive short video intros to your latest, hottest models. If customers accept the content, they'd almost certainly be in a better mood to buy right then and there. Not only that, your video will likely stay on their phone for nearly a year, allowing them to show it to their spouses for approval and spread the word about your cars and your dealership to all the friends and family they forward the video to. When is the last time your glossy, costly print brochures did that?

A quick caveat.

Your Bluetooth success will hinge on reaching targeted consumers, not spamming anyone who drives by your dealership. Permission-based Bluetooth advertising to interested customers boasts typical 30-50% acceptance rates. In fact, the cooler the content, the better your chances. However, blindly transmitting content to unsuspecting passers-by is a sure way to anger potential customers and generate bad press. Targeting dealership visitors is the best way to see maximize your Bluetooth ROI.

If you're ready to get started with low-cost, high-yield Bluetooth auto dealership advertising, contact Lucky Rock Consulting.