Under a new advertising program in the U.K., transmitters are sending text messages to the cell phones of those walking by to ask them if they would like to watch a video-clip ad on their phone screen, writes the Wall Street Journal (via Adrants). Most cell phone ads to date have consisted of text messages, and most go out to a targeted audience of people who have signed up to receive messages over their phones.

Two London companies are behind the new approach, which uses Bluetooth technology: Maiden Group and Filter UK. Maiden is installing transmitters on its billboards at 30 U.K. train stations and says it plans to expand to large shopping malls. Filter is working at Heathrow airport.

In North America, which lags behind Europe in cellphone technology, 32 million phones - about 14 percent of the total - will have Bluetooth by the end of this year, according to Strategy Analytics of Boston says; that's more than double last year's total of 15 million.

Europe is also generally ahead of the U.S. in cellphone advertising. One of Filter's competitors, San Francisco-based WideRay Corp., is testing a similar system in 11 U.S. and U.K. movie theaters over the summer.