And when Bluetooth marketing is not spam it is worth rejoicing

I've been emailing with Azamat Ulbashev at Terimobile, a provider of Bluetooth marketing services, and they have mentioned me on their blog. It took me a while to understand their offering, and how it was permission based, not spam based. That was my issue because the HSBC and Nissan items had biased me against the entire concept emotionally.

In our dialogue we determined the following activity flow:

1) See the advertising on some form of static display or tv screen, but NOT my phone

2) Switch my bluetooth on

3) search for your own device and pair with it

4) After pairing, I must also accept the invitation

5) then select my preferences (for example you want to receive information about Sport and Health only)

6) select the regularity of the sending information: 5 min or 2 hours

7) and regularly receive information on Bluetooth

8) if I want to OPT-OUT I have a couple of ways to do it
- to send text message OFF or any photo
- on your web/wap profile check the box: OFF

This looks good, and is what good marketing is about. They don't use a shotgun, they use a rifle. And the initial marketing message must be compelling enough to make you want to receive the information from the Bluetooth base station. It means more work for the creative team, because that initial advertising message's call to action must be compelling, but the probability of response afterwards to "bluetoothed" calls to action is substantially higher because of the willingness to receive the messages in the first place.

There is still my emotional bias against the (so far unseen) HSBC and Nissan schemes, and yes, I have written to the very nice Hypertag people and so far received no reply about how they are lawful, but I do like the Terimobile system as it has been described to me. It took a lot to get me to see the wood from the trees after the emotional block, but I understand it now. And I applaud the system that has been described to me.