A new addition to L.A. malls: ads on your cellphone

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Going to malls is hard enough, what with all the stores tempting you with their 50%-off sales and their sweet-smelling Cinnabons. Sometimes, you just want to plug your nose and close your eyes and go get those black socks you needed at Macy’s without hearing the siren call of any of the other stores in the mall.

Now, it will get even harder to avoid temptations at malls -- if you’re a Bluetooth user, that is. Macerich is partnering with a company called Intera Group to send Bluetooth users promotions and deals on their cellphones in five L.A.-area malls. Here’s how it works: If you have your Bluetooth on, you might get a message from, say, the Westside Pavilion, asking whether you want to opt in. If you say yes, the service will send you a message from advertisers, perhaps complete with a coupon or a gift card for a store in the mall.

The program will begin at the Westside Pavilion, the Oaks in Thousand Oaks, Los Cerritos Center, Lakewood Center and Stonewood Center in Downey.

It’s a win-win situation, Intera says. The malls get money from Intera for allowing it to install Bluetooth transmitters. Advertisers get your attention. And you get more temptation at malls.

-- Alana Semuels