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Bluecasting, Bluespamming, whatever you call it, it’s total rubbish

Link: More on Bluespamming at MobHappy

Bluespamming continues to live on: using Bluetooth to distribute marketing content, but doing it responsibly, makes it ridiculously obtuse for interested users.

I was reading Carlo’s post about bluespamming or bluecasting — he’s written more at the above link.

The practice of setting up a gizmo to send, uninvited, videos, pictures or whatever to people’s handsets via bluetooth is just stupid.

It’s far past stupid. It’s rubbish.

There are very few exceptions.

The concept is good. I like the concept.

The implementation is rubbish.

It is just total shit.

I am mightily glad I’m not the business development chap or chappess in charge of having to sell the concept to a smart marketing officer. A smart marketing person will ask all the questions Carlo has in his piece above, and thensome. Handsets were not built to work with bluetooth in his way.

The whole user model is nothing short of appalling.

If it was a text message, fine.

But it’s not.

It’s an ugly, ugly message that most consumers don’t care for. It’s then a hugely underwhelming experience — to be sent a 100×100 shite image. Or some blocky video. You have to pair with the sodding device. It’s just……… it’s a by-hook-or-by-crook marketing method. How many sodding hoops do you want your (potential) customers to jump through so you can get them to view a video on their phones? Please. Stick it on Youtube or something, do the marketing that way. Bluecasting in a theatre? Bluecasting in a street? Oh dear.

Dear me.

The exceptions: People who want it. Fair enough going up to a bluetooth gizmo and actively *getting* the content. That’s fine. Otherwise, thank you for coming. NEXT.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I dream of a world where bluetooth is used for good, instead of evil. Where this pairing nonsense is just forgotten, and a user can click “Yes” or “No” to receive a requested file. Of course, that’s going to be a software solution, and since getting people to install special third party software on their phones just to receive ads is like telling people that they won’t get any mail unless they have a standard-issue letterbox. The solution is simple – they’ll fax their documents and email their letters, skipping your beautifully theorised content delivery system altogether.

    The concept behind bluetooth – wireless communication in a very small local area – is brilliant. Getting people to use it is the problem. Why doesn’t someone just stage a big orienteering race and use virtual markers sent via bluetooth for people’s phones to collect, or a giant prize hunt, where finding a special location will send the participant the next clue via bluetooth.

    Something to get the people using the technology. I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but where I am, 90% of the people may say they want Bluetooth on their handsets, but 70% of THOSE people think Bluetooth is a brand of wireless headset.

    Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t the idea of being able to send information to people, as long as they’re in the same room* give you ideas?

    *depending on the size of your room, of course.

  2. […] Ewan Macleod: It’s an ugly, ugly message that most consumers don’t care for. It’s then a hugely underwhelming experience — to be sent a 100×100 shite image. Or some blocky video. You have to pair with the sodding device. It’s just……… it’s a by-hook-or-by-crook marketing method. How many sodding hoops do you want your (potential) customers to jump through so you can get them to view a video on their phones? Please. Stick it on Youtube or something, do the marketing that way. Bluecasting in a theatre? Bluecasting in a street? Oh dear. […]

  3. After reading all the thoughts about BT transmitting mrkting contents these days. I have had the following thoughts. People seems to like the idea of BT transmiting contents/msg/access to a potential user. But you guys seems to hate the way it is being implemented.

    Either its Bluecasting or Bluespamming, I think that the party implementing this idea to spam people, without people’s notice, just simply lacked the responsibility.

    Although 3G’s popularity in the future and everyone’s access to wap sites non-stop. Don’t forget about the “location-base” and “push” attributes that BT has.

    The invention of internet gave birth to many large corps such as Google, e-Bay, My Space etc. These companies actively do ads/PR/news release online. Why? Because online ads are the most direct way (with one click) to access these websites. Further more these people (sitting in front of a computer accessing the web) are the potential users of these websites.

    In the near future, when people will spend more time accessing the web via mobile, larger companies that provides mobility services will emerge. What will be the best way to push these “wap services” to a potential user’s phone? Taking a QR code, send it and wait to be accessed? Yes, maybe, in some situations. In a lot of cases, it will be BT. When you’re in an outdoor environment, activating your phone’s BT to access mobile contents, will be the same as clicking a banner within a website to access Amazon.com.

    BT cannot substitute other forms of ads, just like online ads aren’t killing TV/mag/outdoor ads. It will be a tool that has to be integrated with outdoor ads to provide location/environmental base communication solutions to fulfill the whole chain of communication.

    So, for people who are pushing contents via BT, pls do it with responsible. Don’t let people think that its rubbish!

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