Been out in South Africa for the last 6 weeks working on a project... anyway mobile is going to be really, really big out here.  Already, over 50% of South African's have a mobile phone, which is incredible.  In a lot of ways they are ahead of Europe and the US in mobile, for example, Mxit is absolutely massive out here - its like skype for mobile.  People like Hotxt are trying and failing to get the same kind of traction in the UK.  Another thing they seem to be more advanced on is bluetooth marketing.  If you walk around any shopping centre you get beamed a mini graphic

Like this:

Or this:

Some might say that this isn't all that sophisticated - there's no real call to action and they are basically broadcasting the same message to everyone, which could be construed as spam.  At the end of the day though, I've never seen anything like this in the UK so props to the company behind it Wireless Interactive Customer Technologies who've managed to sign up a lot of the big malls to this system. Also, although the solution is basic, it does at least work, unlike lot of bluetooth solutions and you can always not accept the message, unlike a mass email.  Had a quick chat with Petros Kondos, a director of WCIT and he says, It often happens that Europeans are amazed (and surprised when we are a few steps ahead). Not all is dark in Africa. They are now expanding into Europe so well worth looking out for.