The future of Bluecasting as a new medium of outdoor communication

- By Ahmed Faiyaz

When one hears of a term like Bluecasting a number of questions would arise. What is Bluecasting? How does it work etc. Let us first get familiar with the essentials.

What is BlueCasting?

BlueCasting is a proximity marketing solution which allows brands to communicate to users via Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. BlueCasting is a trademark of Filter UK Ltd, mobile partners to OneZeroOne and infrastructure providers to Maiden and BA Media

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a standard for radio hardware and operating software which are embedded into consumer electronics like mobile phones, digital cameras and printers. All Bluetooth devices can “talk” to each other using this standard and share information with each other.



Who invented it?

The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) was founded in 1998 to promote and develop a wireless technology which would allow devices of rival companies to exchange data. These include promoter member companies Agere, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and thousands of Associate and Adopter member companies.

Why ‘Bluetooth’

Harald Bluetooth was a 10th Century Viking king who united Denmark and Norway. The runic logo is testament to this heritage.

So is it expensive?

No; it’s free.. The technology is device to device not through the network. So your phone speaks to your Bluetooth ear piece in your car for example and doesn’t charge you via a phone network every time it rings.

How do Bluetooth Devices Communicate?

Bluetooth is basically a tiny radio transmitter and receiver embedded into an electronic device. When a Bluetooth device [for example, a phone] wants to “talk” to another device [for example, a computer] it simply broadcasts a radio signal which is received by the other unit.

What Frequency does BlueCasting Operate At?

Bluetooth is a world standard which operates at a frequency of 2.45 Gigahertz – this band is referred to as ISM [Industrial, Scientific, Medical].

Does Bluetooth Interfere with Other Equipment?

Not at all. Bluetooth delivers a low-power “tagged” signal which is specifically designed to avoid interfering with other equipment, making Bluetooth an easy-to-adopt technology.

Is Bluetooth Dangerous?

The low power and high frequency of the ISM band means there are no negative effects of prolonged exposure. The International Telecommunication Union specifically chose this band because it is has no effect on humans [or anything else for that matter].

What Does a BlueCast server look like?

A BlueCast Server is basically a Windows PC running our BlueCast software and augmented by a Bluetooth aerial.

How Big is The Server?

The BlueCast server is the same size as a small portable computer. It measures approximately 31cm wide by 25cm high by 4cm deep. It weighs around 2.7Kg.

What does the Server need?

The standard BlueCast server runs off 240 volts AC power. Optionally the server can be plugged into an Ethernet connection, access a WiFi network or ADSL connection for remote monitoring and maintenance.

How Does BlueCasting Work?

A consumer comes within range of a BlueCast Server and switches their mobile phone to “discoverable”. The BlueCast server recognises the handset and then sends information to it over Bluetooth.

What is the range of BlueCasting?

Anything from a few meters up to 250 meters. We are able to increase or decrease the signal strength to accurately adjust the range.


What Type of Content is BlueCast?

We can BlueCast anything from a small piece of text or a still image up to an audio clip or even video.


Does it Track Users?

Yes, it does. This means that if a user has opted-in and received some content we know they have received it and therefore the next time they come into range we can either send them new content or simply ignore them. This means we do not keep sending the same content to the same people. It also means our content gets more and more relevant to each cosumer over time.

Is it Junk Mail?

No. BlueCasting only works if the user turns on their Bluetooth, makes it “discoverable” and elects to receive the content. If at any point the user says they do not want it then we stop trying to talk to them.

Does BlueCasting Comply with Privacy Law?

Yes, it does. It has been certified by the Legal Counsel to the IPA [Institute of Practitioners in Advertising] as complying with the EU Digital Privacy Directive.

How and where does it work……

• Digital Billboards
– Pushes content to users based on proximity
– Value-add for existing advertising locations
– Adds new dimension for retail and public spaces
• Broadband Delivery
– Pushes content to users upon user request
– By-passes mobile networks and associated charges
– Very high speed when compared to GPRS transfer
• BlueCast servers located at prime poster sites Shopping hubs, Malls, Airports, Multiplexes etc
• Delivers additional information based on current advertisments
• Can be synchronised with multi-ad displays
• BlueCast servers located in retail environments
• Deliver special offers, vouchers, etc & can tie in with specific brand[s]
• Delivery of “grazing” content like News, games, audio, video, magazine content
• Essentially its to cater to a captive audience
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Content Delivery on Bluecasting
• BlueCast server is used to deliver paid-for content to user’s handset without need for mobile network.
• Fast delivery [around 25k per second]
• Delivery “there and then”
• No network charges for user, no network commission payable
• Enables new type of rich-media content/application sales

Advantages of Bluecasting

• Fast
– Delivers content at 25k to 35k per second (10 times faster than GPRS)
• Free
– Does not use mobile network and therefore no distribution costs
• Secure
– BlueCasting uses latest security technologies [opt-in, PIN code]
– Communication is server to phone, not phone to phone; no virus potential
• Smart
– Builds up profile of user and follows associated rules
– Creates a pull for the brand & effectiveness can be measured
• Fun
– Rich media, Java games, TrueTones - large files in seconds
• Proven
– Maiden and BA media recently installed in their infrastructure ; Coldplay’s launch of X & Y

Some Bluecasting successes:

The campaign, carried out to promote the launch of Coldplay's album "X&Y", is just one of several that are being pioneered in and on billboards, movie theaters, airports and train stations around the United States and Europe.
The upshot: Advertising is coming to a cell phone near you.
Filter UK, the mobile marketing agency behind the Coldplay campaign, embedded its Bluetooth ad servers in giant television screens in several central London train stations. The screens promoted the album and also urged users to switch their Bluetooth handsets to "discoverable" mode, so that they could receive more content. Commuters with discoverable Bluetooth handsets passing within 100 meters of the billboards were sent a message asking if they'd like to receive the Coldplay content, which included video interviews, music clips and still images.
The billboards detected 87,000 unique discoverable handsets, of which 13,000 opted to receive the material, a response rate of about 15 percent—very high by advertising industry standards. While the Coldplay campaign may be the biggest Bluetooth campaign yet, it isn't the first.
In the United States, the pioneer is WideRay, which has just finished a summer-long campaign at several Loews movie theatres around the country—in New York's Lincoln Square, Loews Universal Citywalk in Los Angeles and the Loews Metreon in San Francisco.
Instead of billboards, WideRay installed its "Jack Service Point" units in theater kiosks, and offered downloads via Bluetooth or infrared. The downloads featured content related to the Fox films "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Fantastic Four" and "Kingdom of Heaven," and included movie trailers, ring tones and wallpaper images.
Technology from Filter and competitor Hypertag Ltd. has been used in several previous campaigns in the United Kingdom. Filter Bluetooth ads tied into British Airways billboards around London convinced 10,000 users to download content earlier this year. Filter also powered successful ads for Range Rover and Volvo in London's Heathrow airport this spring, as well as advertising kiosks in Bristol sponsored by Carling, a British beer brand.
Maiden, a major handler of UK billboards, is outfitting its advertising spaces with Filter technology in 30 train stations around the United Kingdom. Hypertag has carried out two major Bluetooth promotions for album launches, one for a New Order album in March, and the other in August for the Goldfrapp album "Supernature."
The New Order promo was embedded in kiosks in HMV UK Ltd. music stores in London and Manchester, England, while the Goldfrapp launch uses a downloadable Java application called Hyperstore and is promoted through billboards and Goldfrapp performances. Bluetooth ads are made practical by the growing density of Bluetooth in Western countries. In all of Western Europe, 19 percent of cell phones will be Bluetooth-enabled by the end of this year, according to Strategy Analytics, nearly doubling to 64 million from 35 million last year.
Filter said it believes the density in the United Kingdom is higher, upward of 30 percent. In North America, the analysis firm puts the figure at 32 million handsets, about 14 percent of the total, by the end of this year. That's up from last year's 15 million. Bluetooth is also popular in China and Korea, but not as much in Japan, where technologies such as 3G and GPRS are more widely used.
The Future in India
As per a research conducted by Frost & Sullivan 10 % of mobile phones in Indian metros have Bluetooth. This number is growing every quarter with the cost being only Rs 6- 7,000. These numbers are likely to show an upward trend with the number of Bluetooth phones increasing by 30% per annum.

The Target Audience
Age 18 – 24

– Visit the malls / multiplexes at least once a week; many 2 – 3 times a week
– Reside in the vicinity of the mall or study/ work in the same area
– Visit 2 – 3 hours on each visit; 4-5 on weekend or if they are watching a movie
– Often unwind at cafés in the evenings
– Are brand conscious and are looking for value for money purchases ; willing to pay for high brand equity & image
– Visit at least 2 stores on each visit to the mall apart from the food court / cafe; Check out new collections/ products
– Global in taste & outlook and are tech savvy

Age 25 – 40

– Sec A, B+; High disposable incomes & work long hours
– Use laptops, mobile phones & PDA’s for official purpose
– Spend close to an hour each time waiting for a flight at airports and fly often
– Shop when required at malls and catch a movie when they can at a multiplex
– Are brand conscious and do not like unsolicited marketing messages/ calls ; willing to pay for high brand equity & image
– Are sophisticated in their taste, individualistic and brand loyal

Potential locations
BlueCast servers could be located in places where the the target audience hang out regularly such as:
Shopping Areas eg Brigade Road in Bangalore, MG Rd in Pune
Malls eg Forum & Garuda in Bangalore, Inorbit in Mumbai
Cafes eg Barista, Café Coffee Day
Multiplexes eg E-square, Inox, PVR
Airport Departure lounges

What kind of content would appeal to the target audience:

Wallpapers of Dockers, Levis or Benetton’s new season offerings
Music clips, images and ringertones of new movies & music albums
Images of sports icons who endorse Nike/Rbk/Adidas
New releases and bestsellers’ list from Crossword/ Landmark
Discounts and special offers from retail stores eg Nike, Fabmall, Levis
New product information, images and feature downloads of new mobile phones, laptops and watches eg Motorola, Timex, Lenovo
Discount offers, new routes, check - in information and flight schedules from Kingfisher & Jet
Images, features and clips of new cars launched eg Swift, Honda
Promotions and new launches in stores like Lifestyle & Shoppers Stop

I believe that is a new and exciting medium that one could reach out to their target audience through. It is also an innovative tool and provides a new touch point to reach out to the target base in a more cost efficient & measurable way and moving away from the expensive and highly cluttered traditional media like television and newspapers.


SourcesBluecasting.com
Protein Feed web articles
Original research done at Kinetic one –o – one & Ogilvy Activation