What's Advertising?
Recent Bluetooth devices can spontaneously transmit "advertising" packets (yes, that's exactly what they're called). These packets contribute to the ambient data of a space. Any listener can discover "advertisers" within about a ten meter range.
While the concept of "advertising" using radio frequencies has existed for decades, only recently have people started carrying and wearing discoverable devices en masse in the form of smartphones and wearables. Whether you're a business or an individual, the choice is yours:
- Be invisible
- or
- Be anonymous
- or
- Be your brand.
Products that advertise
Many wearables and recent consumer electronic devices will periodically send advertising packets, which often include an identifier specifying the manufacturer or device itself.
Smartphones are invisible when Bluetooth is disabled. They may be anonymously discoverable when Bluetooth is enabled. Anything more requires the installation of a mobile app.
Mobile apps that advertise
Both iOS and Android allow mobile applications to advertise specific identifiers*. Mobile applications may therefore advertise their users as:
- members of the brand
- members of a specific class of the brand
- uniquely identifiable individuals
*subject to OS-specific constraints which have frequently changed
Embrace the ambient data in your space
Nowadays, there are billions of people, products and places advertising themselves. By embracing the ambient data in your space—both that which you consume and that which you produce—a new frontier of human experience and operational efficiency awaits. Remember, whether you're a business or an individual, the choice is yours:
- Be invisible
- or
- Be anonymous
- or
- Be your brand.