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.