The marketing industry always finds new ways of informing potential customers about new products and innovative services. Right now, advertising via bluetooth is a hot topic. Lately, more and more companies have been using this technology: Via billboards and a bluetooth hotspot, SMS or downloads are sent right to the cell phones of passengers. However, this just works out, if the bluetooth function of the cell phone is activated.

Sometimes one wonders how bold and unabashed some of these advertising messages are! An Australian marketing company was in charge of the marketing campaign for the next Big Brother season. Since the name of the reality show is “Big Brother” they chose it as well as a motto for the campaign. At different busstops they attached bluetooth senders that sent two different messages to the passengers’ cell phones. The first message said: “I can see you. You are at the busstop XY”, and the second message 30 seconds later informed about the next episode of Big Brother. The aim of shocking people for advertising purposes is rather questionable. Apart from the fact that probably some people were really alarmed (among other things because of numerous films that play with situations like that), unwanted spamming with whatever information is definitely NOT the right way to promote products.

But even if there are some black sheep among the advertising companies, there are as well others who know how to use this new technology in an adequate way: In Cologne, an online music store put a billboard on a central place where people could download the new song of Nelly Furtado for free. People who had their bluetooth function activated received a message that said that there is a download for them. Others had the opportunity to activate bluetooth temporarily in order to profit from the download as they had been informed by the billboard. This is the right way! I as well would download an mp3 that is free of charge if I have the possiblity of deciding on my own. I would be furious, however, if I received unwanted spam with shock effect. In my opinion, successful cell phone advertising depends on two factors: Firstly, if people are ready to receive advertising on their cell phone, and secondly, if the advertising is relevant to the customers; if we are talking about valuable information, coupons or interesting downloads or if it is just spamming.

Positive feedback was given to the advertising campaign of the Allianz Arena, Munich. There, people were first asked by SMS if they were interested in cell phone specials. If not, they were just left alone. The videos and pictures were not only well received, but to some extend forwarded to friends. Thus, the advertising effect was multiplied without further effort on the part of the Allianz Arena.

In this case as well, just people with activated bluetooth could be reached, but in my opinion this is a positive side effect: Who just wants to be left alone has the opportunity to avoid this advertising hype very easily, and if the marketing company worries about people missing their valuable advertising information they can inform people via billboards about it.

Generally, it is always better to deactivate bluetooth and just to turn it on if necessary, since hackers are able to reprogram hotspots so that instead of harmless texts or downloads, viruses are sent to your cell phone. It is also possible to hack your cell phone via laptop very easily if bluetooth is activated. Of course, deactivation does not help if you activate bluetooth specifically at a hacked hotspot, but an element of risk always remains. On the internet, a virus scan does not protect you against 100% of viruses either. Deactivation, however, helps against receiving viruses or spyware without having any idea that something is sent to your cellphone.

Conclusion: Advertising via bluetooth has a great potential if used in a professional way. The customer should have a benefit from it, and, in addition, everybody should be able to decide on his/her own if cell phone advertising is desired, since the question whether this way of advertising is practical and easy or just a violation of privacy is linked closely to the subjective opinion of the individual!