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Arrival of the Bluetooth Billboard

I2m_bluecastinglogo The billboard is getting a makeover these days, as marketers get smarter about using the ultimate outdoor advertising vehicle to encourage more interaction with branded content.  CBS recently launched a billboard campaign in Grand Central Terminal train station in New York to promote several new shows in their fall lineup: "Shark," "Smith," "Jericho" and "The Class" — and their top hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" as well.  Passers by are asked to opt in as they walk past the billboard to download video trailers for the programs during their daily commutes.  A Bluetooth billboard also made an appearance recently in Toronto subways as part of a promotion for the Lord of the Rings musical offering consumers the chance to download ringtones of tunes from the show.  Unlike the earlier Land Rover promotion which I posted about earlier this year – this campaign uses the unique advantages of bluetooth technology to connect with a captive audience in a time and place when they are likely to be open to receiving content.  As Rafat from PaidContent notes, this technology has become very popular in Europe, where some agencies like JCDecaux are launching dedicated services and Proximity Marketing has trademarked the term "bluecasting."

With converging groups of marketers all seeing the promise in using these Bluetooth billboards to offer a more interactive advertising experience … this will offer promising opportunities for more than just entertainment marketers.  For example, due to the ability to deliver content without needing an internet connection, media properties such as the CNN can offer daily headline downloads, sports scores or weather.  Mapquest could offer walking directions from a subway location to a predefined tourism hotspot.  Indeed, it is travel marketers that may find the strongest opportunities in this technology to offer extended content, from expert commentary to documentaries designed to help you learn more about the places you are physically travelling to.  Perhaps there is an interesting link here between bluecasting and the mission of Semapedia to use printed out bar codes to connect the knowledge of Wikipedia to physical locations.  In any case, for media planners and marketers looking for a great way to mix interactive advertising with outdoor media placements, bluetooth and placecasting is bound to offer many opportunities for innovation and lots of interesting case studies to talk about in months to come.

3 thoughts on “Arrival of the Bluetooth Billboard”

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this information. I honestly was not aware of the transformation that traditional billboard advertising was undergoing, so I feel I really learned something new about the marketing field just by reading this great post! Thanks again!

    Reply
  2. I have read that Proximitymedia, a USA based company is also involved in rolling out a similar system that allows advertisers to send Bluetooth ads from Billboards, storefronts, and other place. The proximitymedia website is very agency friendly. The website is https://proximitymedia.com

    Reply
  3. We are an Egyptian based company and we are the sole provider of Bluetooth marketing solution in the Middle East.
    Bluetooth marketing solution is a small hardware (hard desk size) and a software that automatically send content to mobiles within 100 m.. For more details about us, kindly visit our website: http://www.goiblue.com

    iBlue not just provides you with the solution to start your marketing campaign, It also gives you the ability to build your own Bluetooth marketing solution with your own brand in…
    If you are interested in starting your own Bluetooth marketing business you can simply provide IBlue Company with you logo, your color scheme and you will get your special custom Bluetooth marketing solution.

    You have two options:

    1. Option one: Software Only:
    You will get the CD/ DVD containing your Branded proximity solution installer software that you can install on any x 86 architecture PC. The software after its installation will ask you to activate it. option one will costs you: 500 USD as a setup fee and for developing your own branded copy of the Proximity marketing software, not including the shipment of CD/DVD 60 USD per device this will be collected once for each device during activation after installation our CD/DVD as if you reinstall the CD/DVD package in the same device the online activation will be free. Kindly be noted that activation fees are to be paid in advance. you will also get full online support from us for 18 mo. as any update will be free during the 18 mo period, no annual license required no extra or hidden fees.

    2. Option two: Software and Hardware:
    You can get the software and the hardware packaged together. Installed and for plug and play. Price will go down if you purchase 10 devices the price will be 550 with your brand instead of iBlue

    iBlue has a Bluetooth mini-server that is superior to anything I have seen in the marketplace. I have tried numerous other companies and they all seem to fall short. iBlue exceeds the other companies when it comes to software. Bluetooth radios are everywhere but if you don’t go with a company that has excellent software to support your needs you’ll end up wasting your money. For more details about us, kindly visit our website https://www.goiblue.com. Or send to us at: info@goiblue.com

    Reply

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