CBS Outdoor adds Bluetooth to London bus ad offering

Through a CBS Outdoor partnership with mobile media owner BlisMobile, advertisers will be able to offer additional content to people travelling on 100 buses operating on the so-called "gold routes" through areas such as Oxford Street and Regent Street.

Brands advertising on sites inside the bus can prompt travellers to turn on the Bluetooth connectivity on their handset and accept a message to download content.

According to CBS Outdoor, in the trials there were 9,000 downloads during the four-week Walkers Crisps campaign, 4,351 downloads during the one-week Lynx campaign, and 1,363 downloads during the four-week Cornetto campaign.

Jason Cotterrell, country director at CBS Outdoor UK, said: "Bluetooth perfectly complements those who want to engage on a one-to-basis with an audience on the move, whilst not disturbing other bus commuters who don't wish to be.

"The combination of extended dwell time and the ability to interact with commuters will also make this the perfect platform for engaging with visitors during the 2012 Olympic period."

Cotterrell said CBS Outdoor hoped to roll out the technology nationwide in the future.

Charlie Smith, commercial manager at BlisMobile, said: "This partnership with CBS Outdoor UK allows us to create a unique and engaging experience for the bus commuter, which in turn, brings them much closer to campaigns."

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This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk