CBS recently announced they’re going to start sending video clips to Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and PDAs from billboards installed in New York’s Central Station. From clickz.com:
"Bluetooth phone-toting passersby will
receive a message from the billboard on their phone’s screen that asks,
“Would you like to know more from CBS?” Pressing the corresponding
"Accept" button will begin the download of a 30-second video clip from
the billboard to the phone, where it can be viewed and then deleted or
saved. The download should take about 20 seconds. But the cellphone
must be within a radius of 30 to 35 feet away from the billboard and
must be set to “discoverable to all” mode, explains Patrick Nagle,
chief marketing officer of Kameleon Technologies, the Paris-based
company whose MobiZone FREE technology is powering the CBS billboards."
I’m not sure this is a step in the right direction. Having a series of strange billboards constantly spam my cellphone with requests to send large video clips doesn’t exactly sound like something I’m interested in.
On the other hand, I have taken part in marketing events that required me to send a text message to a designated number, and then receive information in turn. I wouldn’t mind the Bluetooth billboards so much if they allowed me to contact them. That way, if I were bored waiting for a train and saw an interesting billboard, I would have the option to receive more information on the advertised product. I just wish they would allow the users to initiate contact rather than the other way around.
Hi Eric,
Isn’t the company qtags doing what you’re already asking for by letting the consumer text a number with a qtag from a billboard to get info/ promo items for that product?
http://www.qtags.com/whatqtags.html (no, I don’t work for them, I just thought you’d like to know):)
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for the link! I have seen the qtags billboards (or something similar) around, and I’ve even used them. It looks like qtags sends text information to those who request it, but I couldn’t tell if the user also has the option to receive multimedia content, as in the “Bluetooth billboards.”