Bluetooth Proximity Marketing- Comparing Companies

May 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Bluetooth Proximity Marketing is the latest in marketing technology. It is an innovative and environmentally friendly marketing strategy that I have become very fond of. It is an excellent way for large or small companies to get their product out to the public, but only if the system works.  There are a number of Bluetooth companies that I have come across while searching the web and a couple I have tried out myself; each company having its strengths and weaknesses. Some have more weaknesses than others.   I have personally tried out iBlue and Waymedia but not yet Futurelink.

The first company I tried out was iBlue the “mobile solutions providers”. This company is based out of Egypt and at first glance appears to be very stable  with a wide range of advertising devices to meet all marketing needs.  After several trials of their devices, I found their first-glance image was not the truth.

First of all, most of our population carry a BlackBerry and their systems do not work with the Blackberry handsets. That is a real problem!  The false capabilities of their products do not stop there.  They claim that their devices can be managed remotely by using the Octopus solution; one could manage a number of networks at once.  This is not true. A great deal of time and money has been invested in to making this device a success in a number of countries and it has failed.   Also, iBlue claims that their devices work with any mini PC and this is not the case.  They have failed to work with many new computers which then forces the client to purchase the hardware directly from iBlue.  Most importantly, they have less than perfect customer service policies. During my  first few contacts, iBlue made prompt and informative responses.  After purchasing a device that customer service, comes to an end.

The second company I tried out  is, Waymedia, a Bluetooth marketing company located in Italy.  This company is well established with a number of partnering companies in Latin America and Europe, including Mexico and Slovenia.

Unlike, iBlue their system does work with the Blackberry handsets and moreover,  by using the Mobitouch Cube, all the units connect to their central server and can be managed through an online portal and can integrate WiFi to use with Apple iPhones. They have a number of devices which can meet any marketing need. Each device is designed for a specific type of marketing; proximity marketing to digital interactive marketing and beyond. There is no “one device fits all” here.  Transmission distance for Waymedia devices are between 25-30 meters and I found this to be a real strength.  A weakness that Waymedia has is that their prices are quite expensive.  They are charging$2000 EURO per year for rebranding.

The final company I investigated, but have not yet tried is Futurelink. This company was only founded in 2003 with their headquarters in Barcelona Spain and they have a partner network, spanning the globe including countries such as Venezuela and Croatia.

In keeping with the latest technological trends, Futurelink have designed their devices to work with the Blackberry handsets. Futurelink offers a range of marketing products which go beyond proximity marketing. They have products for digital signage, downloading multimedia from the internet, mobile- website creation, application creation and so much more. This alone, makes them very appealing.  In additional strength that Futurelink has is the distance of transmission, which is 25-30m.  Unfortunately, they charge $2500 USD for a device and the software and outrageously, they ask for a commitment of $80 000 USD in sales in one year for OEM. That is quite the commitment!

After trying out two of these three companies I realized that although they each have some strengths none of them are “The Bluetooth Company” to make a part of my marketing scheme. I’m still looking for a company that has innovative products, all round services and a price that I can handle. The search continues.