Signature Q1 2009 - (Page 26) Bluetooth Technology 501 | By David English | Illustration by Jason Greenberg | Q1 ’09 For Bluetooth technology to flourish in the marketplace, the Bluetooth SIG must reach out to consumers who are confused by – or unaware of – the capabilities of their Bluetooth enabled devices. Member companies in partnership with the Bluetooth SIG also need to continually expand the kinds of devices that are available. These two tasks go hand in hand. As consumers become more familiar with the technologies already implemented in their devices, they’ll be more willing to adopt new technologies in a wider range of devices. And as the universe of devices grows more diverse, it will become even more important for the Bluetooth SIG to promote the latest technological capabilities and serve as a clearinghouse for consumer information. Hear Ye, Hear Ye Brand Expansion Working Groups and Committees are at the heart of Bluetooth SIG efforts to advance the technology and improve consumer awareness and understanding. For the latter goal, the Evangelization Committee develops retail and marketing strategies, while the Personal User Interface Device Working Group strives to expand consumer product lines. Experience More The consumer outreach side of the equation is being addressed by the Evangelization Committee, which was formed, along with the Ecosystem Committee, when the Marketing Committee was reorganized. “The Ecosystem Committee focuses more on the long-term strategic direction of the technology and makes recommendations on the evolution of the roadmap,” explains Anders Edlund, marketing director for the Bluetooth SIG in EMEA. “The Evangelization Committee focuses more on the planning and execution of marketing communications. We promote awareness of Bluetooth enabled products.” Even though the primary focus is consumer marketing, the committee’s efforts provide a direct benefit to member companies. One promotion involved a retail end-cap program in several Florida-based CompUSA stores. “The member companies that funded the development of the end cap were able to place their products there,” Edlund explains, noting that the Bluetooth SIG then promoted the products using a micro-site hosted on the Web sites of the participating companies. “All the products kept selling out,” he says. The Evangelization Committee recently partnered with Fox Home Entertainment and Spirit, the in-flight magazine of Southwest Airlines, to provide opportunities for Bluetooth SIG members to increase product awareness. Another ongoing project involves developing training materials to help member companies’ customer care departments deal with consumers’ Bluetooth technology concerns. “We started it with T-Mobile, and we plan to emphasize the new easy pairing technology in Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.1 + EDR,” Edlund says. The committee also helped drive the development of Bluetooth.com’s new Bluetooth Gadget Guide tool (see “The Right Stuff” on page 25), which will help improve the consumer experience and potentially reduce the number of customer care calls that member companies receive. In addition to training, the Evangelization Committee handles the publicity for Bluetooth.com. “We have contests and ads promoting the site, and we’re in the process of shifting it from a tech site to an educational site,” Edlund says. The Bluetooth SIG plans to analyze the hits on the site with the goal of redesigning the pages to reflect the changing needs of consumers. “That’s a big part of the evangelization focus,” he continues. “Let’s figure out who these consumers are. 26 | SIGnature | Bluetooth.org http://www.bluetooth.org
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