1. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    So I wrote this little blog as a quick project for my job (I work at an ad agency as a Research and Data Analysis Intern) and it was very well received so I thought I should post it here. It might be a little shortsighted in some areas (like the app gap) but overall I hope you guys like it! I love constructive criticism so if you have any, feel free to share...every comment matters!! Thanks!

    Samsung vs Blackberry- Why Samsung dominates and Blackberry...

    Samsung is largely considered to have one of the best mobile phones on the market, the Galaxy S5. It is loaded with features from a finger print sensor, to a heartbeat monitor, and is one of the most successful phones ever made by the South Korean electronics manufacturer, with 11 million unites sold after the first month. This beats the Galaxy S4 first month sales by about 1 million units, and allows Samsung's U.S. market share to rise to 27.7% (and forcing Apple's down to 41.4%).

    How exactly they become such a powerhouse in the U.S. is largely thanks to their incredible marketing campaign. Remember that commercial with all the eager Apple fans waiting in a ridiculously long line, and someone walks by with an attention grabbing smartphone that causes the Apple fans to second guess themselves? Well that was the beginning of Samsung's 'Next Big Thing' campaign, which has continued to be at the forefront of their marketing, and has propelled Samsung to second place among smartphone popularity in the U.S...and help bring one of the most successful smartphone makers of the 21st century to its knees, Blackberry.

    The Canadian smartphone manufacturer, formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM), sits on the opposite end of the market. Once the world's most popular and extensively used phone with a 50% U.S. market share throughout 2009, Blackberry now has a market share of, by some estimates, less than 1%, or as New York Time's Ian Austen put it, Blackberry's market share "has [fallen] below 'Others'". Oddly enough, Blackberry's newest operating system, BB10 (now over 2 years olds), is widely regarded among certain tech websites to have the best web browser experience of any smartphone, as well as one of the better typing experiences (both on a virtual keyboard and the classic physical keyboard). Furthermore, the battery life on Blackberry is one of the longest on a smartphone, depending on who is using it (a 16 year old high schooler versus a 70 year old American on vacation, for example). Overall, you'll find that those who use a Blackberry 10 phone love it and have no desire to go for another operating system (just go to CrackBerry.com | The #1 Site for BlackBerry Users (and Abusers!) if you don't believe me).

    So what happened? What caused Blackberry 10 to fail and Samsung to excel at the smartphone market? For starters (and the focus of this blog), Blackberry's marketing campaign is well...non-existent...apart from a section of the Wall Street Journal John Chen, Blackberry's new CEO and hopeful white knight, had used to express his continued commitment to Blackberry consumers, or an awful Super Bowl commercial that featured the Z10. The lack of advertising has left American smartphone users, and much of the world, with the same stigma of Blackberry 7, a relic of an operating system that just cannot compete with Android's and customization and iOS's intuitive user-interface. And as is the consumer's nature, if you don't market your product, it doesn't matter how innovative and effective it is, the consumer will not buy it (save for a few anomalies such as Chipotle).

    So unfortunately, Blackberry will be forever condemned to low phone sales and even worse quarterly earnings, until they decide that they can free up some capital and launch an effective campaign. And I'll take some liberty here in saying that all they'll really need to do is market a few of the great features that make Blackberry such a classic for the campaign to succeed.
    Who knows, maybe they will take over Samsung in the U.S. market too (unlikely...).

    P.S. I typed this entire blog on my Blackberry Q10

    Sources:
    BlackBerry?s Market Share Falls Below ?Others?
    Chart Of The Day: RIM's Astounding Collapse In the U.S.
    The Rise and Fall of Blackberry: An Oral History
    BlackBerry Market Share to Fall to 0.3% in 2018, IDC Says
    Samsung Launches Biggest U.S. Campaign to Date for Galaxy S III

    Samsung is largely considered to have one of the best mobile phones on the market, the Galaxy S5. It is loaded with features from a finger print sensor, to a heartbeat monitor, and is one of the most successful phones ever made by the South Korean electronics manufacturer, with 11 million unites sold after the first month. This beats the Galaxy S4 first month sales by about 1 million units, and allows Samsung's U.S. market share to rise to 27.7% (and forcing Apple's down to 41.4%).
    How exactly they become such a powerhouse in the U.S. is largely thanks to their incredible marketing campaign. Remember that commercial with all the eager Apple fans waiting in a ridiculously long line, and someone walks by with an attention grabbing smartphone that causes the Apple fans to second guess themselves? Well that was the beginning of Samsung's 'Next Big Thing' campaign, which has continued to be at the forefront of their marketing, and has propelled Samsung to second place among smartphone popularity in the U.S...and help bring one of the most successful smartphone makers of the 21st century to its knees, Blackberry.
    The Canadian smartphone manufacturer, formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM), sits on the opposite end of the market. Once the world's most popular and extensively used phone with a 50% U.S. market share throughout 2009, Blackberry now has a market share of, by some estimates, less than 1%, or as New York Time's Ian Austen put it, Blackberry's market share "has [fallen] below 'Others'". Oddly enough, Blackberry's newest operating system, BB10 (now over 2 years olds), is widely regarded among certain tech websites to have the best web browser experience of any smartphone, as well as one of the better typing experiences (both on a virtual keyboard and the classic physical keyboard). Furthermore, the battery life on Blackberry is one of the longest on a smartphone, depending on who is using it (a 16 year old high schooler versus a 70 year old American on vacation, for example). Overall, you'll find that those who use a Blackberry 10 phone love it and have no desire to go for another operating system (just go to CrackBerry.com | The #1 Site for BlackBerry Users (and Abusers!) if you don't believe me).
    So what happened? What caused Blackberry 10 to fail and Samsung to excel at the smartphone market? For starters (and the focus of this blog), Blackberry's marketing campaign is well...non-existent...apart from a section of the Wall Street Journal John Chen, Blackberry's new CEO and hopeful white knight, had used to express his continued commitment to Blackberry consumers, or an awful Super Bowl commercial that featured the Z10. The lack of advertising has left American smartphone users, and much of the world, with the same stigma of Blackberry 7, a relic of an operating system that just cannot compete with Android's and customization and iOS's intuitive user-interface. And as is the consumer's nature, if you don't market your product, it doesn't matter how innovative and effective it is, the consumer will not buy it (save for a few anomalies such as Chipotle).
    So unfortunately, Blackberry will be forever condemned to low phone sales and even worse quarterly earnings, until they decide that they can free up some capital and launch an effective campaign. And I'll take some liberty here in saying that all they'll really need to do is market a few of the great features that make Blackberry such a classic for the campaign to succeed.
    Who knows, maybe they will take over Samsung in the U.S. market too (unlikely...).

    P.S. I typed this entire blog on my Blackberry Q10

    Sources:
    BlackBerry?s Market Share Falls Below ?Others?
    Chart Of The Day: RIM's Astounding Collapse In the U.S.
    The Rise and Fall of Blackberry: An Oral History
    BlackBerry Market Share to Fall to 0.3% in 2018, IDC Says
    Samsung Launches Biggest U.S. Campaign to Date for Galaxy S III

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    portal, lit3 and Ewan Gallacher like this.
    07-16-14 10:54 AM
  2. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    So because I was in a hurry, I accidentally put the blog in twice, apologies. I'll probably end up reposting this anyways

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 10:55 AM
  3. portal's Avatar
    I think it addressed indeed a good point: lack of good marketing. Being BlackBerry 10 user from the launch back in January 2013, I still see not enough focus from BlackBerry to show what they actually launched in 2013...

    People ned to be told, and here the marketing gurus can learn how not to do a marketing for a product that (in my opinion) still a decent chance to bring BlackBerry back up.

    Posted via CB10
    07-16-14 11:02 AM
  4. Ewan Gallacher's Avatar
    I am Canadian in Waterloo (Yes i am 10 min away from RIM) and BB6 is horrible. Slow, NO APPS , Built-in apps that DONT WORK! But BB10 can run Android apps. If blackberry would promote that they could do a lot better! Thats my opinion.
    07-16-14 11:08 AM
  5. oystersourced's Avatar
    I am Canadian in Waterloo (Yes i am 10 min away from RIM) and BB6 is horrible. Slow, NO APPS , Built-in apps that DONT WORK! But BB10 can run Android apps. If blackberry would promote that they could do a lot better! Thats my opinion.
    Amazon Appstore will not be integrated till 10.3 so there isn't anything to shout about until then.

    Posted via CB10
    07-16-14 11:14 AM
  6. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    Marketing was an issue... it wasn't the problem.
    Richard Buckley likes this.
    07-16-14 11:53 AM
  7. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    Marketing was an issue... it wasn't the problem.
    That's a good point. No one thing can truly take all the responsibility for BlackBerry's near demise.

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 12:12 PM
  8. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    That's a good point. No one thing can truly take all the responsibility for BlackBerry's near demise.

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    No it was two things... Mike and Jim.

    Some may say was just the iPhone... but I think even without the iPhone, BlackBerry was in trouble. They were living off their one hit wonder (push email) and taking it easy. I still find it hard to believe that a more advance OS than Java wasn't already under development at BlackBerry until 2010.
    Blacklatino likes this.
    07-16-14 02:22 PM
  9. sk8er_tor's Avatar
    Great write up but the Super Bowl commercial didn't feature the Z10... or any BlackBerry phone for that matter.
    07-16-14 02:30 PM
  10. Qaddafi's Avatar
    I paid a few hundred dollars for my BlackBerry Q10 and it broke a few days after with the double typing issue. Then yesterday when restarting my phone its stuck on searching for WiFi and me being unable to skip it. So more or less I got ****ty hardware and ****ty software. The only reason I stick with BlackBerry at this point is for the BlackBerry Classic, which I'm not even sure it will be a safe bet if it will break on me. BlackBerry keeps blaming the carriers about software updates but ignore problems they can solve such as BlackBerry Link.

    Don't get me wrong I've owned the Samsung galaxy and that sucked too. BlackBerry just sucked the least. At this point I'm just pessimistic about all brands.

    Posted via CB10
    Gatmyer likes this.
    07-16-14 03:00 PM
  11. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    I think that the previous management underestimated the iPhone and the dynasty that Apple would soon become in the mobile markets.


    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 03:03 PM
  12. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    Oh am I mistaken? I thought Blackberry had a very odd commercial a couple years back featuring a man performing odd tasks with a Z10, or something like that

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 03:04 PM
  13. SnoozerBold's Avatar
    Oh am I mistaken? I thought Blackberry had a very odd commercial a couple years back featuring a man performing odd tasks with a Z10, or something like that

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    You're right, and he had elephant legs or something equally ridiculous but from what I remember (only say the ad once) it didn't show the Z10 at all. Or if it did it was just a black rectangle in his hand and it didn't even show a screen shot of the OS. Terrible.

    Posted via CB10
    07-16-14 04:25 PM
  14. SK122387's Avatar
    It's "BlackBerry," not "Blackberry," and BlackBerry 10 was launched on January 30, 2013, so it's not over two years old

    I think you also should have included the fact that Samsung has way more money than BlackBerry... and the fact that they are guilty of "gadget spam" when it comes to their smartphones. The current BlackBerry 10 lineup is paltry compared to Samsung's device portfolio. We have the Z10, Q10, Q5, Z30, Z3, P'9982. That's it. Samsung has more Galaxy devices in variations all across the world than BlackBerry does in its entire stable of devices.

    Really though, Samsung is an entirely different type of company than BlackBerry. They make cameras, TVs, home audio equipment, DVD/BluRay players, computer monitors, laptops, refrigerators, lightbulbs, vacuums, dishwashers, microwaves.

    BlackBerry+Cannon+General Electric= Samsung.

    I think one main reason Samsung is so successful is because lots of people who had iPhones wanted something bigger and something that wasn't "the same" year after year. With Samsung Galaxy devices, those people could get their same applications on bigger screens, have just as many cool phone cases, and get their device in a wider array of colors and sizes.

    I think the real comparison is between Samsung and Apple, and so does Apple, if you take a look at all the things they've sued Samsung for.
    07-16-14 04:59 PM
  15. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    Good catch on the Blackberry vs BlackBerry. My research on the date must have been horrific if I messed up on the date that bad, apologies.

    I agree with the capital difference of Samsung compared to Blackberry, as well as the as the Samsung and Apple similarities. However my brief analysis was only designed to cover Samsung Mobile specifically (something I failed to explicitly state I suppose) and some of their advertising nuances, of which I concluded BlackBerry has a lack there of.

    Now having statistical data, such as when BB10 was released, that is flat out wrong is just not right. But again, this was an informal report that the content of which I think has some important, informative, and interesting observations and conclusions that might be worth reading.

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 06:03 PM
  16. CarbonKevin's Avatar
    Read your post out loud to yourself - there are more than a couple structural problems that could hamper reader comprehension.

    If you're going to make comparisons between anything, do so in a level fashion. In other words, maintain balance. Going to talk about S5 hardware features? You'd better get talking about the Z30's, too. Want to talk about certain aspects of Android? Draw parallels to BB10. Want to be even more balanced? Get Apple in the mix, too. The risk you run in so doing is becoming overly detail-heavy and boring your readers. Edit: I see the title is Samsung and BlackBerry - so why talk about Apple at all?

    Next, RIM was never the world's most popular phone - in fact, no individual BlackBerry can even make that claim, because there were always several models on offer - except, of course, in the very beginning.

    Also, why hype the gimmicky features of the Galaxy 5 in the first place? The fingerprint reader can be fooled with a dog's nose. Actually. Google it. Heartbeat sensor only appeals to a subset of users.

    I think you're overreaching for a single post - there's way too much to cover IF you want to do it properly.

    Keep at it, I smell a first rate blogger in the making!

    Posted via CB10
    07-16-14 07:51 PM
  17. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    Okay, now I think that's a good point. I wrote this for people who had zero knowledge of BlackBerry, and so I might have been a little quick on the draw with my writing.

    With yours and previous person's knowledge, I would definitely make some massive changes to the blog. Luckily, I have to write two more!



    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-16-14 08:57 PM
  18. Crypt1c's Avatar
    Why do you say BB10 failed? They didn't have a good start, that's for sure. But it is still used, sold, updated, and being released on new phones. That would be like stating at the age of 1 you failed because you didn't make a household income. The original iPhone was released in 2007, I didn't purchase one until the 3rd generation of it in 2009. Somethings just take a little time to take off. I agree on the marketing, they definitely need to start with that.

    This is fail..



    Posted via rotary phone
    07-17-14 09:54 AM
  19. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    The relaunch of the BlackBerry Brand via BB10 failed. Only selling 6 million devices in the first years was worse the even the hardest critic here predicted that I can remember.

    But no BB10 hasn't really failed because it still has a chance to grow....
    07-17-14 11:25 AM
  20. goUSAFblue's Avatar
    True true. I would definitely say that so far, BB10 has not seen the sales that BlackBerry was hoping for, a point that is hard to argue against I would think.

    But yes, BB10 is still growing, and could definitely become 'more successful'.

    Posted with no typos using the Q10
    07-18-14 10:33 AM
  21. Jesse Stanghini's Avatar
    Nice post. With time, writing will improve. Constructive criticism I have is to do your homework (ie. benchmark, read competition, and scrutinize thoughts as if it were your enemies) With that being said, good step to a growing future. One blog at a time.
    goUSAFblue likes this.
    07-18-14 11:02 AM
  22. gebco's Avatar
    Interesting blog post. About advertising, my teenage daughter (owner of a Q10), was commenting on the Apple commercial showing the fitness apps. Her comment was that other phones do the same thing, it's just Apple advertises it and makes it look like their products do it the best.

    Posted via CB10
    07-18-14 12:22 PM
  23. Dr J39's Avatar
    There are three basic reasons that BlackBerry is dominated by Samsung: 1. BlackBerry has never had a strong marketing plan. 2. BlackBerry doesn't advertise. 3. BlackBerry doesn't let anyone know they exist. Oh - Wait! That all adds up to one basic reason: BlackBerry? What's a BlackBerry?
    07-18-14 12:26 PM
  24. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    There are three basic reasons that BlackBerry is dominated by Samsung: 1. BlackBerry has never had a strong marketing plan. 2. BlackBerry doesn't advertise. 3. BlackBerry doesn't let anyone know they exist. Oh - Wait! That all adds up to one basic reason: BlackBerry? What's a BlackBerry?
    Marketing was an issue.... but again having a product on the market that is competitive in the market it is being sold to is also a requirement.
    07-18-14 01:21 PM
  25. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    Marketing was an issue.... but again having a product on the market that is competitive in the market it is being sold to is also a requirement.
    Exactly.

    Marketing is/was not the biggest issue.
    07-18-14 01:55 PM
42 12

Similar Threads

  1. Connect to Salesforce app for BlackBerry 10 updated
    By CrackBerry News in forum CrackBerry.com News Discussion & Contests
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 12-01-14, 10:11 PM
  2. Replies: 29
    Last Post: 07-22-14, 09:52 PM
  3. Time Magazine talks BlackBerry 10.3!!!
    By Luca Dugaro in forum BlackBerry 10 OS
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 07-17-14, 01:00 PM
  4. Replies: 7
    Last Post: 07-16-14, 11:20 AM
  5. Blackberry contacts app
    By sjmartin007 in forum General BlackBerry News, Discussion & Rumors
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 07-16-14, 10:55 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD