Curious, I watched the demo  and so I signed up.  Seemed a nice idea to keep all you sms updates, photos and phone numbers backed up.  

and then having gone through all the registration process, received a text with a unique code I got the immortal message 

You must be an O2 customer to use this service.

Thanks for your interest in Bluebook. The service is exclusive to O2
customers. The easiest way to become an O2 customer is to visit an O2
shop or click here to shop with O2 on line. (link to http://shop.o2.co.uk/shop/)

You may also try the following options:

• Go back to the previous page
• Go to the O2 Homepage http://www.o2.co.uk/
• Go to the O2 Sitemap http://www.o2.co.uk/sitemap

How blooming irritating is that?  you do the whole registration – they could have told me before that it was only for O2 customers.

I reckon that opening the service up for non-O2 customers would draw a much wider 'net' around potential customers who then might be persuaded to swap carriers because of the fantastic add-on services like Bluebook offered. 

Why is this good?

1. Offer a new service that other providers don't yet offer
2. Show prospective customers the 'inside' line on how wonderful it is to be an O2 customer
3. Create a uniquely receptive audience to switching offers
4. Undermine offers from other carriers by direct communication with their customers

Oh goodness, when will big brands realise that offering something online / digital for free to a wider audience than your own customers gives you an unique opportunity.  But they threw it away. 

And so if you are in a competitive marketplace, can you set up a service to attract new customers who might be persuaded to defect from the competition because of the excellent service you offer (particularly if the net cost to you is low) this could be a winning strategy.

Go for it.