The latest technology of Bluetooth has allowed brought about a fair amount of revolution in the way devices communicate with each other. It is a technology that has been in use since 1999 but now is being put to widespread use. This amazing piece of technology allows the user to connect the PDA, mobile phone, MP3 player and just about any digital device, that supports the function, to communicate with each other. This concept of having all your devices Bluetooth enabled so that they can exchange information is being called PAN or Personal Area Network.

Like the 802.11 wireless technology, Bluetooth also uses radio signals to create bandwidth but it does not require a receiver to be plugged in the USB port of the computer. The range of Bluetooth is much better than this erstwhile technology and is allowing people to go further into a world devoid of entangled wires.

Developed and designed to be a low cost, secure and easy to use technology, Bluetooth is available in two classes: class 1 and class 2. Class 1 is relatively uncommon one and can detect other Bluetooth devices in the range of 100 meters. Class 2 is the more used and common one and enables access up to a range of 10 meters only.

A Bluetooth enabled computer has a receiver installed inside and can connect simultaneously with a maximum of 7 other devices. Though most of the computers being manufactured today (and definitely all the Apple Macs) have a Bluetooth receiver installed, if your older computer needs does not have one, it can easily be made to accept and send Bluetooth messages. This can be done by using a USB to Bluetooth adaptor or installing it internally. Also if it is a notebook that needs to be Bluetooth enabled and you have a spare PCMCIA slot, you could use a Bluetooth card to get going with Bluetooth.

The ease of use, affordability and instant compatibility one can now download all the data on addresses, contacts, things to do and notes on to the computer in a jiffy. Downloading pictures
from digital cameras, saving mp3 audio files from the mp3 player and sending a print command to the printer have now become much easier without the need for long twisted and messy looking cables. It is also being used in areas other than that of computers. Hands free headsets for mobiles phones are today hands free and wire free. Car phones can use the same concept to enable speaking on the phone and driving a seamless affair. The list of devices that Bluetooth can be used with includes cordless phones, faxes, headsets and video.

As always people have discovered new applications for the latest technology. One of such uses is called Bluejacking. In Bluejacking people can send messages from their mobile phones to other mobile phones in the vicinity without accessing the mobile service providers network. The first ever message that was sent using Bluejacking was Buy Ericsson. Though it seems to have limited use it can be a fun thing to do among friends. Bluecasting is another such use which has captured the interest of advertisers. In this process, Bluetooth enabled billboards and signposts can be used to send relevant and appropriate messages to all Bluetooth devices in the area. This method of advertising is extremely relevant for location specific businesses like food service restaurants, malls and the like.
Kenneth Scott

To find more advise about a personal area network and bluetooth visit http://directory-news.com

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FOR SOME TIME NOW, I have discussed with those in the industry the void of market movement in the 56K Bluetooth modem space. So for that reason, it was especially positive to see that there were beginning signs for such products at the recent Blue-tooth Congress 2002. Two were shown at the CSR and Zeevo booths. It is looking like dial-up Bluetooth access points (AP) could be under the Christmas tree this year for the North American market.

The dial-up Bluetooth ALP will address the mass consumer market that does not want to spend $45 to $55 per month on a continual basis for broadband but is willing to spend a reasonable, onetime outlay for the benefits of untethered surfing and printing from their couch without installing a WLAN home network. If advertised and marketed aggressively enough, this could help to increase consumers’ knowledge of the benefits of products that offer Bluetooth cordless functionality then translate that knowledge into revenue. If not advertised and promoted effectively, these products could be slow to take off.

A greater level of consumer awareness of what Bluetooth is and what benefits it offers is the key to unlocking the box of consumer demand. Though knowledge is increasing, the low level of familiarity of Bluetooth by the average consumer is ensuring that mobile phone operators are still not feeling the consumer demand for Bluetooth-enabled handsets. Nokia and Motorola are very common phones in the United States, but Ericsson is not. Sony Ericsson has been the most aggressive Bluetooth-enabled handset manufacturer to date, but there has not been a significant push or driver thus far in the United States.

Since operators subsidize so many phones, it is necessary for them to see some benefit to offering Bluetooth-enabled phones to their subscribers. So they need to reap a return in terms of customer loyalty (for lower churn), obtaining new subscribers, or revenue. Driver safety alone could be a significant trump card in offering subscribers additional benefits. If operators begin to bundle mobile phones and Bluetooth headsets in an aggressive manner, in conjunction with a marketing campaign targeting hands-free use in vehicles for safety, demand could increase quickly.

On the acquisition front, comments were recently flying around regarding the acquisition of Ericsson Microelectronics by Infineon Technologies. The deal is expected to close in about two months. Infineon gains the module business via Ericsson, inroads to supplying semiconductors into wireless infrastructure and a supplementary customer list. Previously, STMicroelectronics began its acquisition of the wireline and wireless groups of Alcatel Microelectronics, while American Microsystems Inc. began its acquisition of Alcatel Micro’s mixed signal group. The acquisitions of Ericsson Microelectronics and Alcatel Microelectronics do not directly affect current market shares of Bluetooth chipsets.

Recent announcements by Texas Instruments for a $4 (BOM) Bluetooth solution via a ROM-based single chip and by Infineon Technologies for sub-$3.75 pricing (both high volumes) have set a new bar. Both use leading 0.13-micron RE CMOS processes, and volume production is planned for Q12003. Philips Semiconductors announced an affiance with Ericsson Technology Licensing for audio/video solutions. For space-constrained applications, Motorola will go into production in Q4 with a stacked chipset die solution in a 7mm-by-7mm-by-1.6mm BGA package. The price will be the same for the company’s separate radio and baseband.

Coexistence solutions were demonstrated by Silicon Wave (Blue802) and Zeevo (alternate wireless media access, or AWMA). Neither is based on the not-yet-finalized adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) scheme. These mechanisms are geared especially toward the PC market since the front-end can get overloaded in co-located situations (such as a laptop), which can still present a problem with AFH. The first coexistence solutions to hit the shelves are expected in the next six to nine months.

In-Stat/MDR estimates Bluetooth chipset shipments will climb from 10.4 million units in 2001 to 48 million this year, growing to 150 million in 2003.

Joyce Putcher is director and principal analyst of InStat/MDR’s Converging Markets & Technologies Group. She can be reached at jputscher@instat.com. InStat/MDR owned by Reed Business Information, the parent company of Electronic News.

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Below, are 10 benefits and reasons to use Bluetooth technology?

1. Wireless
As you probably already know, there are many benefits and advantages to using wireless devices. Along with improving safety as a result of eliminating wires you don’t need, wireless also offers you plenty of other advantages. When travelling with your laptop or other wireless devices, you’ll no longer have to worry about bringing connection cables.

2. Bluetooth is actually inexpensive
The technology of Bluetooth is cheap for companies to implement, which results in lower costs for the company. These savings are then passed from the company on to you.

3. Bluetooth is automatic
Bluetooth doesn’t have you set up a connection or push any buttons. When two or more devices enter a range of up to 30 feet of each other, they will automatically begin to communicate without you having to do anything.

4. Standardized protocol
Bluetooth is standardized wireless, meaning that a high level of compatibility among devices is guaranteed. Bluetooth will connect devices to each other, even if they aren’t the same model.

5. Low interference
Bluetooth devices almost always avoid interference from other wireless devices. Bluetooth uses a technique known as frequency hopping, and also low power wireless signals.

6. Low energy consumption
As a result of Bluetooth using low power signals, the technology requires very little energy and will use less battery or electrical power as a result. This is an excellent benefit for mobile devices, as Bluetooth won’t drain the battery.

7. Sharing voice and data
The standard for Bluetooth will allow compatible devices to share data and voice communications. This is great for mobile phones and headsets, as Bluetooth simplifies driving and talking on your cell phone.

8. Instant PAN (Personal Area Network)
You can connect up to seven Bluetooth devices to each other within a range of up to 30 feet, forming a piconet or PAN. For a single room, you can also set up multiple piconets.

9. Upgradeable
Upgradeable is the standard for Bluetooth. There are newer versions of Bluetooth in the works, which offer many new advantages and backward compatible with older versions.

10. The technology stays
Bluetooth technology is a world wide, universal wireless standard. With it being as popular as it is, you can count on it being around for years to come. As more and more devices start to use Bluetooth technology, more manufacturers will be eager to make their products compatible. A chain reaction will occur, making Bluetooth the standard for cutting edge wireless.
Uchenna Ani-Okoye

Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs For more information and resource links on Bluetooth visit: Buy Bluetooth GPS

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MIAMI — ProximityMedia (Pink Sheets:WRMA), a leader in direct-to-mobile Bluetooth marketing, today announced that the company was chosen by Adtech to administer Bluetooth marketing, mobile content delivery and on-site contests at upcoming Adtech conferences. Adtech will begin using ProximityMedia’s Bluetooth Advertising technology this week at the Adtech interactive conference in Miami, Florida, June 26-27th.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity because it’s a great fit,” commented Colby Fede, CEO of Wiremedia, parent company of ProximityMedia, “The conference and trade show environments are ideal for deploying Bluetooth marketing and messaging campaigns because they’re inundated with thousands of information hungry attendees who are eager to digest as much information as possible, through whatever medium available,” added Mr. Fede. “In our experience, conference and trade show attendees exhibit very high mobile phone penetration rates, and as a demographic, are very receptive to Branded Bluetooth marketing efforts.”

About ProximityMedia

ProximityMedia (Pink Sheets:WRMA), an emerging company that develops direct-to-mobile Bluetooth content delivery software and hardware solutions. ProximityMedia’s Plug-and-Play Bluetooth content delivery solutions enable trade shows, conferences, retailers, museums, malls, movie theaters and businesses with the ability to engage in location-based Bluetooth marketing and messaging with ease. Information about Bluetooth marketing, mobile content delivery and Bluetooth advertising is available at http://www.proximitymedia.com.

About Adtech

Adtech is an interactive advertising and technology conference dedicated to connecting all sides of today’s brand marketing landscape. Adtech hosts conferences in Miami, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Hamburg, Paris, Beijing, Sinapore, Sydney and London. http://www.ad-tech.com/

Note: Statements contained in this release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made based upon information available as of the date hereof, and Wiremedia assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements. Readers and investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties and the company’s actual results may differ from these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are no limited to, demand for the company’s products and services, government regulations, Wiremedia’s ability to continue to develop its market, general economic conditions and other factors that may be more fully described in periodic filings.

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Every business struggles to find new ways to reach potential customers that won’t drain profits before they can even accumulate. Some businesses try mobile marketing, some try print ads, some try bill boards. Here’s why they are not as effective.

Mobile Marketing Versus Proximity Ads

Mobile marketing can be an effective tool, if you have the mobile phone numbers of your prospective clients and customers. If you don’t have the mobile phone numbers of the clients, this type of advertising in useless. In addition to requiring mobile phone numbers, each text to the client is costing the client, this can be annoying to the client. Even with a great sale, some mobile phone owners are very testy when it comes to their mobile phone bills and added charges. If you are trying to get customers, annoying them is not the way to go. Proximity ads require no mobile phone numbers and do not charge for the ads. Also because the receiver permits the ad in the first place, they are in essence requesting it, which means they shouldn’t be annoyed by an ad they asked for in the first place.

Print Ads Versus Proximity Ads

Print ads can be great because they are brightly colored and reach a wide population. There is one thing wrong with print ads, however, the volume in which they go out. So many companies bombard potential customers with print ads. Some people are so fed up with the amount of junk mail that many times a print ad is thrown in the trash before it can even be read. Your sales campaign cannot work if people do not see or hear about it. With proximity ads, it goes to people who want to see it without annoying those who do not want to see it. Not to mention the target audience. With print ads, you don’t even know if the people looking at them would ever purchase from you. With proximity ads, they are already in your business. You already know they shop there, so you know you are targeting the right audience.

Bill Boards Versus Proximity Ads

Bill boards can reach a lot of people if they are in the right area. Even then, the most traveled streets are so busy that people are paying more attention to the road then your bill board and before you know it, thousands have driven by your bill board concentrating on the meeting they are about to attend or the cell phone call they are on, that they haven’t even seen your bill board advertising the best sale you have ever had. Then there are those who have seen the ad while they are on their way somewhere else and think it is a great sale and will go there some other time. Then they forget so some other time never comes.

Proximity Ads are better for your business because they do not cost the potential customer, they do not require mobile phone numbers, they get viewed by those who actually want to see them and they target an audience that you know is there to shop in your business or at least potentially shop in your business instead of people who may not even need or want what you are selling.

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Consumers have become more difficult to reach and are more on the go then ever. In addition, the technology of Tivo, Ipod, and Satellite Radio etc. makes targeting consumers more difficult. Advertisers constantly seek new ways to target these consumers. The best way to contact today’s active consumer is via the mobile phone. The average consumer will not leave his or her home without a mobile phone in hand. It has become the ultimate portable medium and the best way to reach the majority of consumers worldwide. There are 250 million mobile phones in America with a population of 300 million people. There are 3 billion mobile phones world wide, with a population of 6 billion people. Mobile phone sales continue to increase exponentially worldwide.

Out-of-home media is a $5.5 billion dollar industry.* There are 23 million local businesses who are looking for a cost-effective way to drive more customers through their doors Drive sales by offering digital delivery of coupons and promotional material. :: Encourage repeat visits so users can acquire new or updated content. :: Increase loyalty through redemption opportunities and loyalty programs. :: Extend the brand beyond the retail location. :: Lower the dependence on expensive paper-based marketing material.:: Enhanced retail experience. :: Enhanced level of personalization. :: Consumers can store content on these devices for later viewing. :: Consumers can receive exclusive content distributed only at select locations. :: Consumers can help with viral marketing process by transferring the acquired content to other mobile devices with ease. Imagine how a few Bluetooth marketing means customers gain access to vital information about products and services on-demand. Plus, this Bluetooth-enabled technology allows retailers and service operators to encourage viral marketing.

Using Bluetooth’s wireless technology, this remarkable contextual marketing system can be easily deployed to a wide variety of locations, including (but not limited to):

:: Airports :: Apartment Buildings Near Busy Streets :: Auto Sales :: Banks :: Billboards :: Bus Shelter Posters :: Church Campuses :: Concerts :: Hospitals :: Hotels and Resorts :: Kiosks :: Large Shopping Malls :: Medical Plazas :: Nightclubs and Bars :: Outdoor Billboards :: Public Spaces :: Restaurants :: Retail Locations :: Sports Arenas :: Subway Station Posters :: Technical Schools :: Theatres (opera, shows, etc.) :: Tradeshows :: University and College Campuses

You are free to use this article for reproduction as long as you do not change the URL. For more info on this subject visit: http://www.vipmobiletext.com

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So what is Proximity Marketing you ask? Well, Wikipedia defines it as…”the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so”. Well at a high level, that is correct but they make it sound so dull. Proximity marketing is a relatively new medium used to promote establishments via advertising and marketing businesses by sending content to consumers’ mobile phones. The technology is thru Bluetooth and almost all phones have it these days. Bluetooth is a wireless transmission frequency used to send content short distances. The beauty of using this method is that no mobile provider is needed to push content to mobile phones.

So how does this all work? Retailers, Shopping Malls, venues with high traffic place Bluetooth wireless transmitters in certain areas where they would like to push content. They are connected to a Bluetooth server either via cables or thru Wi-Fi. An advertisement such as a text message or a video or digital coupon is created and sent to Bluetooth transmitters. When a shopper with the Bluetooth feature turned on and comes in range of the transmitter, they get sent a request to receive ad content. If they accept the advertisement is sent to them. If they deny, then nothing gets sent. Once they receive a coupon for example, they can take it to the retailer show them the coupon and redeem it right there! The bar coding system the retailer uses can scan the bar code and provide the consumer with the savings right there. The consumer can also send the coupon to another person so they can redeem it as well. There has been a big debate about advertising in the mobile medium. Some people think that ad content should not be sent to mobile phones as it may be considered an invasion of privacy. Mobile phones are considered the most personal device used today since they send and receive calls and messages only to those who share their number. Others think that the next big thing will be mobile marketing and early indications show that this may very well be the case by the way ring tones, music and iPhone applications are being developed and downloaded.

Why implement Proximity Marketing? Well, if you’re a retailer, you want to place relevant ads into the hands of shoppers who are right outside your establishment. If you’re a shopping mall manager you want to implement proximity marketing services to attract retailers and also increase foot traffic. Once consumers know that there is a proximity marketing infrastructure set up and they can get money saving coupons to them in their hands then they will want to come back and spread the word to their friends and families. If you own and operate or manage other venues like restaurants, bars and entertainment parks, then this is provides an opportunity to send specials, one time notices, announcements to your patrons and increase traffic and revenue that particular day.

Proximity Marketing does not have to be expensive. Some companies actually provide the equipment for free and do all of the work for you. For more information on how to set up proximity marketing, go to site http://www.macromobil.com

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A new trend appears in the mobile marketing since the beginning of 2006 : The Bluetooth marketing, or proximity marketing.

This new tool works as a direct marketing channel to end users mobile phones. The first generation of these tools established a connection with the Bluetooth enabled phones (activated and set to visible) which are within 20 meters from a dedicated hotspot. A question appears on the screen of the phone in the form ‘Do you accept content from Alterwave ? Yes / No’, where Alterwave is the name of the company willing to advertise. If the user presses Yes, the download proceeds at a speed of typ. 50kB/sec over Bluetooth. The data transfer is 100% free. A video of 500 kB would be sent in about 10 seconds.

If the user presses No, the popup disappears from the screen, and if the users does not press either key the popup will disappear when the phone leaves the Bluetooth covered zone.

This new media raises a lot of interest in the advertising and marketing industry. The kind of files that they push is images (still or animated), sounds (mp3) and video.

The risk to see the Bluetooth marketing seen as Spam does exist, but an opt-in is also possible by requiring the user to approach his phone close to a given point (typ. 1-2 meters) for triggering the download.

The challenge is now for media and marketing agencies to use this innovative tool wisely, and certainly to send value added content to the users. The Bluetooth marketing has a lot of impact on end users, so it should be used with wisdom.

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Hotels these days offer a wide array of services to their guests, usually through a great number of facilities. In big hotels in particular, communicating to the visitor the availability of all these services or features offered, is a substantial task.

Brochures or booklets, that are currently being handed out, are now used for this task. However, as those of you that have tried exploring a big hotel will know, it is simply inconvenient to be carrying around all of these, all the time.

The opportunity is there to add a proximity marketing element, and make this information available to the guest on their most private electronic device – their mobile phone.

This way the information is made readily available wherever and whenever.

Let’s now take a look at individual ideas:

Service list
Straightforward stuff. Put all your services in an eBrochure, (or simpler an illustrated image) and send it to guests mobile phones. At any time they can then take out their phones and find what they need.

Prices
Hotels charge guests for using their facilities, and sometimes that puts them off using them because they are unaware of the costs involved. By making this information available on the mobile phone, guests can discretely retrieve this information whenever they need it.

Events
Hotels often organise events for their guests. Through proximity marketing via bluetooth it is very straightforward to send guests calendar reminders for the events they are interested, to help them remember, and eventually attend the event.

Map
One of the most obvious pieces of information that can be offered (but one that is also frequently neglected), especially in large hotels / hotel complexes, is the hotel map. If you need this point proven, all it takes is a visit to some of the wonderful village-like hotels you can find on most greek islands. And then, try not getting lost!

Room Service
A very exciting service that mobile marketing can put on the table for hotels, is room service on your mobile phone. When you want to order breakfast, simply take out your phone, have a look at the menu, and place your order using your mobile. Next thing you know the door rings. ‘Room service’…

Stock exchange updates
For business executives, or the everyday guest who owns some stocks, hotels can offer the icing on the cake type of service, by going the extra mile and retrieving for them live stock exchange information, and making it available on their mobile phones.

3rd party promotions
Hotels also offer third-party advertising by providing leaflets and brochures to their guests, for outside activities they can partake in. By offering these promotions on guests’ mobile phones, it is much more probable that they will actually have the information available at the point in time when they need it, and thus increase the conversions.

Hotels are great candidate areas for proximity marketing services, and I’m sure there’s plenty more ideas out there. These are just to get you started. Good luck!

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Athens International Airport

* What is the project about?

The project is about giving interactive mobile services to as many visitors as we can. The first phase is the pilot. AIA and Cytech wanted to test the feasibility of this project as there aren’t many such project all over the world. The aim was to develop a number of simple and valuable services that would be tested by the AIA personnel. Not just IT but also marketing and administrative personnel. We wanted to have feedback so we make any necessary alterations before we go public.
The first thing was to install 7 Bluevibe Hotspots at the departure terminal. These hotspots were not able to cover all the terminal but they are in such locations that cover the cafeterias and the corridors. After the installation we made all the connections to the Bluevibe Server installed at the AIA premises.
There were a number of challenges such as, power over ethernet, remote power cycling, decoration of the hotspots to look pretty and we achieved all these with the aid of the AIA personnel in about two months. Especially the decoration issue was hard as the rules are very strict.
If you visit AIA you can see the blue plaques at the ceiling, these are antenna containers. After the installation we train the AIA personnel to use the Bluevibe Manager, our web based administration and monitoring tool. They now are able to operate it mostly by themselves.
We also developed a special application for AIA for managing their content and of course a special version of the Bluevibe Browser, the mobile application installed in the visitors’ mobile phones.

* What kind of services are you intending to provide?

The most important service during the first phase is the Flight Information. You enter the flight number and get information about the departure/arrival time, status etc. The other service is about the retail shops of the airport.
It is a mobile shopping catalog. All retail shops inside AIA can present their products and offers. The marketing department of the Airport can change dynamically the images, texts etc using a CMS. We also provide a number of information concerning the airport itself, like left-luggage” areas or safety rules.

* Do the users accept to install a Java mobile application?

We ve just ended our test phase so our users were AIA personnel. They dont have serious objection on installing a new application as lons as this application is useful and not create any problems to their mobile phone. When the number of employees started to install this application and they saw that there is no problem and that they are able to use it we overcame any hesitations.
I think that the most important thing when you ask someone to install an application is to give him a good reason why to do it. If it is something really useful and “alive” they’ll accept it and try to install it.
We confront the same hesitations during the DontDrinkandDrive campaign we currently run for Johnnie Walker. We have developed a mobile application containing all the necessary information (taxi call numbers, bus itineraries, metro time tables) so if you decide to drink to take public transportation and not your car.
Most of the people find this application useful and at the moment they undestand what it is, they are willing to install it. It is 100 times better that a piece of paper containing all this information and that you ll probably throw it away after 5 minutes.

* Since it’s not yet public, and you don’t have any numbers on use, do you have any numbers regarding how many users have their Bluetooth turned on?

You will be surprised, and so our partners at the AIA did. More than half a million different devices have been scanned during the last 10 months and only at 7 hotspots at the departures terminal. I have to add that there is currently no signage and no one knows that there is a Bluetooth system active in the area. We know that we will double or triple this number if we cover the whole terminal and inform people about it.

* What would you identify as the main problem with this project?

I think the major problem hasn’t appeared yet. I strongly believe that when we go public there will be such great demand that we ll have problem to serve them. As you understand, our goal is to serve more than 300.000 unique users in a year.
Based on this assumption and some statistics concerning the number of people per hotspot and the time a user browse the services, we make our plans for the full scale installation. But, I am afraid, the real number will be greater. We are trying to be ready for this case also. I ll keep you updated but I am sure you will be informed from your sources when we go public.

Johnnie Walker Mobile Marketing Campaign

* Could you please also describe the JW campaign to us?

The concept is simple. Don’t drink and drive. It is about responsible drinking. Johnnie Walker has great tradition in this kind of events that contain messages like this. This time they have decided to include proximity marketing to the whole scenario. GetItRight marketing services, in cooperation with Cytech have designed a campaign with the following innovation.
Instead of giving people a plain paper with information about the means of transport during late hours, they also send this information to their mobile phones.
This way, this information which includes, taxi call numbers, bus and underground time schedule, is stored at the mobile phone and can be used anytime. The paper version is OK but it is most of the times misplaced somewhere and you can’t find it the next day.
These events take place at crowded squares of Athens from 20:00 till 24:00 just before people enters the bars and pubs for a drink. Everyday we setup a kiosk where promoters call people to play an internet game and win prizes. At the same time Bluevibe is responsible for sending the mobile application to the people as they stop in front of the kiosk.

* Can you share the penetration rate there with us?

I can’t disclose our statistics as the campaign is still running but I have to say that we believe that the penetration rate will be greater than 10%. We can discuss it again when it is over, at the end of May.

* What would you identify as the main problem with this campaign?

The main problem is the infrastructure. As you understand, we are in the open and we have constantly problems with electricity and network. We are lucky to use a system like Bluevibe because it is very versatile.
We use it as we think appropriate during each event day. If we see that the network is not stable enough we operate the Hotspots in standalone mode and when the network is back again they are synchronised with the server, uploading all the statistics and downloading new campaign settings. On the other hand if the network is stable we operate them in Networked mode, having all the advantages like online monitoring and administration and live statistics.

Mr. Antoniadis’ views provide a very interesting inside view on the workings of proximity marketing campaigns. I believe those of you interested in starting out in the bluetooth marketing sector, have plenty to learn and I highly recommend you keep some of these hints in your mobile marketing notebook.

I hope you enjoyed it, and found it valuable as much as I did.. Feel free to share your views, or questions, if you have any. I’m sure Mr. Antoniadis will be more than happy to follow up.

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