Column: Supply Side

Successful Sales for Meeting Suppliers

Bluetooth Proximity Marketing

By Jennifer Kellogg, CMP

In today’s industry, consumers need to be enticed. They want to have a thrilling, eye-catching advertising experience to help them retain information and consider products, services and events. An emerging trend from Europe and Asia is now making its way to the United States, providing immediate and full-impact content to clients in all realms of the meetings industry. Welcome to Bluetooth proximity marketing (BPM), a strategy that has proven to be cost-effective and eye-catching and is known to leave a lasting impression with consumers.

Planners are constantly seeking effective and entertaining advertising methods and this technology can help them satisfy their companies’ needs and keep them ahead of the competition. Still, there is often a gap between available new technologies and a planner’s willingness to use them. Technological experience and time to research effective innovations are not always available. This provides suppliers with a firsthand opportunity to offer innovative resources.

Bluetooth 101

Bluetooth technology provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras and video game consoles over a secure, short-range radio frequency. It became mainstream in 1998 and is seen most commonly as the headset that allows a user to communicate wirelessly with a mobile phone device.

The technology is now being used as a direct promotional channel to end-users’ mobile phones and wireless devices. Suppliers can promote this technology to clients seeking promotional, sampling or brand campaigns, allowing them to interact and directly affect their consumers in real-time.

How It Works

According to ICE Factor, a leading nationwide BPM company, campaigns can be custom-designed for specific events and shows. First, proximity zones are established in heavy traffic areas of a particular target audience. As consumers enter the zones, information is sent from the proximity server directly to the Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a mobile phone. Consumers are then prompted to accept the promotional material, for example, “1 New Message from Joe’s Donut Shop.” It is then the consumer’s decision whether to receive the message or deny it. The information is virus-free and there is no cost to receive the promotional material. If users accept messages, their Bluetooth devices will download the content immediately.

If the user would not like to receive the promotional information, he or she can simply ignore the message and will not be asked again. Each proximity server learns each device name that has been contacted and will not repeat notifications. Consumers have to opt-in to receive marketing content, which includes, but is not limited to, videos, music, pictures, coupons and contact information. Finally, an activity report is derived from the proximity servers to show clients how many consumers took an interest in the marketing campaign.

BPM Campaign Advantages

This memorable marketing experience will not only directly affect consumers but it will also affect people they know, expanding its reach. Consumers that experience BPMs may forward the promotional material to friends as they discover this innovation, a sort of viral marketing campaign.

The technology used to create the marketing campaigns is inexpensive, helping companies save money with cost-effective methods that are free to their customers. No mobile phone reception is necessary for BPM campaigns to operate, and there are no interferences with Bluetooth-enabled devices. In addition, Bluetooth has a built-in, 128-bit security encryption to ensure secure transfers.

Industry Uses

BPM is agreat way to communicate directly with consumers as they pass within a 100-foot radius of a store, booth or event. This instantly engages them in the particular campaign. These electronic campaigns replace the need for ineffective and non-target-specific direct mail campaigns that are often not read or underutilized. Such campaigns can be more effective and user-friendly than billboards or other large-scale advertising tools. Electronic campaigns also take the place of outdated and unreliable trade show registration scanners by utilizing devices that most consumers already possess—mobile phones and PDAs.

For a consumer show, management can utilize this service to increase attendance by offering discount admission. Trade show management can offer the service to exhibitors who can use it to attract more visitors to their booths. The opportunities BPM provides are endless: retail stores can offer discount coupons to patrons, fairs can list activities and offerings and nightclubs can promote theme nights or bands. Experiencing these marketing campaigns can be a key tool for suppliers. They can attract new clientele or enhance current client experiences by offering a new and exciting technology.

Prevalence of Bluetooth

Some may think that not enough consumers have the proper devices to utilize the technology that makes these campaigns successful, but they should think again. According to C|Net News Online, approximately 80 percent of people who buy Bluetooth-enabled devices utilize the technology.

More than 8,000 companies have become members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group since the first release of the technology. These companies actively work toward advancing and further developing the technology. It is exciting to know that the number of Bluetooth products on the market is increasing rapidly, with growth to 1 billion units expected in 2007. Even as Bluetooth technology advances, marketing campaign devices will still be compatible with older Bluetooth models.

What this all means for the supplier is increased capabilities. Today, most mobile phones and other handheld computing devices carry the technology. Most users keep their Bluetooth devices powered “on” 24 hours a day. This gives suppliers the upper hand to know that a large population of consumers will be available to receive campaign information at any given time.

Now that Bluetooth has become a universal standard in wireless technology, it is an invaluable tool for suppliers. Making way for BPM allows you to provide amazing advantages for your clients while staying ahead of the curve.

JENNIFER KELLOGG, CMP, is an event manager at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill. She has worked in all facets of the marketing, meetings and events industries for more than 10 years and can be reached at jennifer.kellogg@renaissancehotels.com.