Back in August, I wrote a post about Hypertag setting up a network of net-connected Bluetooth units around London for marketers to use. I thought it was an interesting idea, but some other people, like Tom Hume, didn’t really agree (though I take some pride in being able to get coffee to shoot out his nose).
The crux of Tom’s argument was basically that usability and user experience was really poor, for a variety of reasons. And, I’ve got to admit — he’s right. I ran into a Bluetooth-equipped poster in the subway here in London and tried it out. I had to add “Whistler” (the name of the resort being promoted) to the Bluetooth name of my device to opt in, and as soon as I did, I got a Bluetooth message. It was an animated GIF telling me I hadn’t won a free trip, but to visit their web site or something.
Obviously changing the Bluetooth name acts as an opt-in mechanism. That’s great, better than bluespamming everybody on the platform. Making the change wasn’t too difficult, but then again, I’m used to doing this sort of thing. As Tom suggests, asking average users to do this is a stretch. Never fear, though — the poster provides helpful instructions:
Do they really expect people to do all that? Somebody must be having a laugh with the “(Yes, it’s that easy.)” bit just above it, because that really isn’t easy at all. It’s stupidly difficult, as Tom pointed out.
[tags] mobile, mobile marketing, bluetooth[/tags]
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