Bluetooth Proximity Marketing involves setting up a server that seeks out mobile devices that have bluetooth enabled within a local transmission range of up to 400 meters and automatically sending the handsets advertising messages that can contain audio, games, images, video or text messages.
This type of marketing is not considered as spamming because the recipient has to opt-in to receiving the content. For example a restaurant can push a message to people who are walking by their location to say “PIZZA JOE is trying to send you 10PercentDiscountCoupon.jpg. Do you wish to accept?”. If the recipient selects “Yes” they would download an image containing a voucher that they can present in the restaurant.
The technology allowing this is improving all the time. No longer is it necessary to have a dedicated computer set up to run the bluetooth marketing campaign. Instead there are standalone bluetooth advertising machines whose sole purpose is to seek out mobile devices and push content to them within a certain radius.
Already expensive high-end devices are in use at football stadiums, airports, shopping malls, and other high traffic areas. In the near future we can expect to see mid-range devices becoming available on the market that will enable small to medium sized businesses like retail shops, taxi drivers, and other organisations to use the power of bluetooth marketing to send advertisements to people in their vicinity.
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