I have posted before about bluetooth marketing campaigns from the U.K. police. I keep reading more about new campaigns from them that target mainly younger audiences by approaching them directly on their mobile, their most personal device.

(Previous posts: You can have a look here for an article arguing the legal side of bluetooth marketing following adoption from Northamptonshire police, and here for another bluetooth marketing campaign from Southport police. )

I've recently come across a couple of articles from around the U.K., about new such campaigns:

From the South Yorkshire police:

This year South Yorkshire Police will be stepping up roadside enforcement throughout the whole of December and into the New Year in a determined effort to catch those drivers who ignore the warnings and advice.

This activity will be reinforced by an advertising campaign organised by the South Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership. The campaign is aimed particularly at young male drivers and encourages them not to drink like a fish: A fish could drink all day but would never dream of driving. Don’t drink drive. The posters in support of this campaign will appear across the county from the start of December.

As well as the traditional method of advertising, the South Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership is using Bluetooth mobile phone messaging to send messages directly to targeted areas across the county.

Also, the Cumbria police is giving away free Coca-Cola (pun intentionally avoided):

This year the Department for Transport's THINK! campaign is supported by Coca-Cola, meaning designated drivers will receive free soft drinks at thousands of pubs across Britain.

All five constabularies in the region have promised that more breath tests will be carried out and Cumbria police will also use innovative Bluetooth messaging technology to send a "Think! Don't Drink and Drive" message to mobile phones in pubs, clubs and restaurants without reaching phones in vehicles.

The THINK! campaign - with brand new radio, Internet and in-pub advertising - was launched today to remind drivers, and young men in particular: If you get caught drink driving you'll be processed like any other criminal.

Finally, Northumbria police ran a firework safety campaign, also delivered on mobile via bluetooth:

The ‘fireworks and bonfires ruin lives in a flash’ campaign is being led by Tyne and Wear Rescue Service, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service and Northumbria Police in partnership with councils, the ambulance service and the NHS.

Over the next fortnight, about 30 young people a day will be witnessing demonstrations of various bonfire night scenarios at SafetyWorks, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s interactive safety centre in Benwell, Newcastle.

The campaign features a TV advert, a website, posters and a marketing campaign using social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo. This year it is also using Bluetooth technology to send people text messages warning of the dangers of fireworks.

I am glad bluetooth marketing is getting such widespread adoption by police all around the U.K. because there is real potential for getting a powerful and engaging message out to the public. There have been, at times, excellent drink-drive related ads to help reduce casualties, and it seems reasonable to distribute these beyond television, into more modern channels such as the internet and certainly mobile.

In comparison to more traditional forms of advertising such as print advertising, posters, etc, with mobile you get multimedia. Video, sound, text, and interactivity combined. Makes for a much more powerful message than your average tv ad, not only because you have video and sound, but because it is interactive.

The mobile channel provides an excellent opportunity to help reduce the number of casualties from drink-driving and I think the campaigns from the U.K. police are certainly on the right track. I just hope people will listen and we see the difference in the numbers at the end of next year!