How The IMMI Bluetooth Beacon Works

In addition to the IMMI cell phone, Research Panel Members receive a small plug-in device called a Bluetooth Beacon.  This Beacon uses the standard Bluetooth wireless technology to help IMMI distinguish between media in the home,  and media experienced outside the home.  More about Bluetooth

The Beacon sends a weak, continuous radio signal with its unique identifying number.  The panel member’s IMMI cell phone is equipped with a Bluetooth receiver.  When the panel member is at home, the cell phone detects the signal from the Bluetooth Beacon, and reports it to the IMMI servers.  Essentially the cell phone is reporting "I'm at home."

The Beacon signal isn't strong enough to go beyond the house,  so when the panel member leaves home,  the cell phone stops receiving the signal.  Any media the cell phone detects is marked by the IMMI servers as out-of-home.

The Bluetooth Beacon can also alert IMMI servers when a panel member enters a place of business.  If a Beacon is placed in a retail outlet, when the panel member enters the “store”, their IMMI cell phone detects the Bluetooth signal,  and a unique identifying number.  The cell phone is reporting “I’m in store A”.  IMMI servers can then search the panel member’s media experiences, and determine what commercials they have experienced.  In this way,  a panel member’s behavior from ad exposure to retail experience can be recorded.