1. esk369's Avatar
    No it's not a non disclosure agreement. The agreement you sign for the Dev Alpha is no where near as strict as that. The only part of the Dev Alpha agreement that is concerning is that you are not supposed to publicly release information about it. CrackBerry did that before we even left Orlando

    Some may remember that BGR got all sad because RIM wouldn't give him a Dev Alpha. That was because the press wasn't really supposed to have them. But I am a real developer with several apps in BlackBerry App World. So they were cool and let me have one. Other websites also left with a Dev Alpha, I don't know if they were told what I was told. But Alec Saunders himself told me I had to agree to not publish any photos of it's software on the site after I left Orlando. I haven't done that, even thoug 3h a lot of the other sites with one has.

    See during BBWC they took Dev Alphas to the press room and we were allowed to photograph it all we want. BUT those press room photos were all we was supposed to use (according to what I was told) on our sites. That is where BGR got their photos of it and that is why whenever BGR talks about BB10 they always recycle the same few photos of the Dev Alpha.

    So I think I've done pretty good at keeping my agreement. The BlackBerry blogs have show the Dev Alpha off to a heck of a lot more people than I have.
    I will say what I said a few pages back you shouldn't get in trouble you should get a job offer rim needs more people with the passion that you possess.
    I applaud you and thank you for your efforts.
    You da man double B
    Saiga and Neely2005 like this.
    09-26-12 03:23 PM
  2. drjay868's Avatar
    RIM needs to try something different with BlackBerry 10. I think they may end up advertising without BlackBerry mentioned. Just "Bold" or "Curve", etc. It will show the sizzle reel with all the cool stuff then at the end just "Be Bold" or "Light up the Torch".

    The biggest take away from the posters comments is: everyone loved it, until they were told it was BlackBerry. That's how it needs to be advertised, show it off and just have a name. This will at least get people into the stores to take a look and let them decide for themselves. I would like to believe the reaction would be different if they could have tried the phone there and then bought it at that moment, instead of being told it's not available. Being told it's not available plays into the perception that BlackBerry is on the verge of destruction(which we know it isn't).
    This experiment is exactly why I don't want the BB10 devices released with any current BB name. No Torch, Storm, Pearl, Curve, or I'm sorry to say, no Bold. They need to find a new name, but had better make it good.
    10-08-12 09:23 AM
  3. drjay868's Avatar
    On one hand, I find this reaction a bit disturbing; on the other, it doesn't surprise me, as I've long ago come to the conclusion that American consumers are mostly idiots.

    My opinion, as much of a 'fun' exercise as this may have been, your findings should be brought to the attention of Frank Boulben (RIM's new CMO) ASAP. They need to know now what kind of public sentiment is out there regarding the BB brand that they are going to have to contend with, and shape their marketing campaigns around it. It's one thing to try to reverse a generally negative perception of your brand; but this is borderline loathing.
    OP should send in the info he acquired anonymously.
    pantlesspenguin likes this.
    10-08-12 09:38 AM
  4. sydsam's Avatar
    i assume this experiment was done in the US, maybe someone should try this in other countries.

    I guarantee the reaction wouldnt be any where near the same in the UK.
    Couldn't agree more. I think it's Europe in general. We still like blackberry. So that leaves us with only one problem area with huge market though -US. The question is, does RIM need this market right now, is ROI worth it? Or it can easily make the same money in the territories where people still love bb = rest of the world.
    11-18-12 05:10 AM
  5. Cesare21's Avatar
    Hey OP great experiment!! RIM needs to buy back mindshare from the general NA public and elsewhere with whatever it takes.

    I recently did a small experiment on my own. I'm in India and RIM is still considered cr�me de la cr�me here. There was a post a while back of the iphone 5 vs BB10 Dev Alpha; I put my BBM display picture as that and a message asking my contacts which one they liked better. A whole lot of them liked the Dev A better than the iPhone 5!! Some even asked me if the new BB phone was launched, how much it was, where can I buy it, what's the price and so on. Most of them felt the Dev A is sexier than the iPhone 5. WoW!
    Neely2005 likes this.
    11-18-12 06:34 AM
  6. anon(3310921)'s Avatar
    Great idea OP. . .But I'm sure if you did this with a much bigger and diverse group of people the results wouldn't be as one sided (I can only hope more people would be more open minded than what you've seen so far). . .Also, I think RIM's approach here in terms of marketing should resemble what they have always done; market the devices as primarily business/enterprise oriented devices and let that segment of the market prove its worth (Maybe a similar blind test but with the more business/ corporate crowd and ask specifically about productivity, ease of use, etc.). Eventually the more consumer side of things well get the message. I still believe that there is a segment of wall street, higher tier, corporate type section of the market who are patiently waiting for BB's best. If you get BB to be the go to standard in the corporate world again , the sheep with eventually follow. I got my first BB only 3 years ago and the reason I got it was because all the really productive people I knew all had one. . .
    11-18-12 06:44 AM
  7. ibpluto's Avatar
    RIM's challenge is not unlike the challenge domestic car brands face. Even thou Many vehicles built today are on par or much better then foreign brands, the perception is that Foreign vehicles are better with much higher quality. The sentiment is changing, but slowly....It takes time. I think RIM understands this and will be in it for the long haul.

    I think to build a brand you first need an excellent product (BB10 seems to fit that bill nicely), from there you need to create a perception (que the amrketing dollars). The OP posted this in September, I bet the sentiment would be already slightly different doing the same experiment today. RIM has used the internet very well to plant the seeds of BB10 inthe past couple months. They have also very strategically released some major selling points of BB10 to the media which has been flogged in a positive light.

    Consumers will be cautious, they should be to be honest. If BB10 works, and works well, it will catch on. As a minimum if BB10 can stop the market share bleeding and maintin in the short to medium term where RIM is it can be deemed a success. The iOS and Droid ecosystem is powerful, and for as fragmented as some claim they are becoming, they will still supoort the current technology curve for a few years yet. RIM needs to push the mobile computing angle, and grow the ecosystem. Major aps will have to be available at launch. (Instagram, Skype and to a lesser extent Netflix).

    Here is hoping the marketing folks at RIM are better then the domestic car brand marketers ....
    Neely2005 likes this.
    11-18-12 09:25 AM
  8. calicocat2010's Avatar
    I wonder if the OP should give this experiment Another try when the Final SDK API stuff comes out November 29th. I mean a lof of things have improved from September and since Thor has been relatively and slowly changing the media's perspective, let alone knowing that the public does watch the news and read the news online then maybe another test of his device would suffice.
    11-18-12 11:46 AM
  9. RECOOL's Avatar
    MEH ''OH its a blackberry'' those sound like the people who just hop on trends want to be seen as trendy they are the types if they see celebrity X have the phone it will be considered cool to have one .They do not appreciate something unless its in someone else's possesion.Dont need to worry about them they usually end up crawling back sheep.
    11-18-12 11:51 AM
  10. Tablet 1996's Avatar
    Excellent Expirement.
    Rim really needs to kick into gear with blackberry 10 advertizing, and blow android's doors off.
    Those people who don't buy blackberry phones just because they are blackberry are just idiots who just want a trendy phone.:banghead:
    11-18-12 12:06 PM
  11. Harry_III_UK's Avatar
    Great experiment OP.

    Funny, but my reaction would be the opposite. However, I remember being given my first BB (a 7290) and loving it. So, for me it would be like rediscovering something I used to love.

    I think a lot of people have never had that initial experience - so they will be harder to be sold to.

    AND - it just goes to show how important marketing is. From your experiment it seems that BlackBerry as a brand is negative in value. Shame, it still seems true that it is easier to build a rubbish product and convince people it is good via marketing than it is to build a great product and have it sell itself. :-(
    11-18-12 12:40 PM
  12. anon3969612's Avatar
    If there was an Apple on the back, those same people would be calling the OS revolutionary and ground breaking. Most people eat up what the media is dishing out. Hopefully the media will be honest in their reviews of BB10(if it turns out to be a great product), but I can't see that ever happening, at least not in the US.
    Yup, and in a completely different area, back when I was a concert piano technician, you could solve any problem with a piano for a perfomer by putting a Steinway & Sons name on an piano. I actually did this once at a store demo we had for some music teachers one evening. I replaced the name on an old, beat up Yamaha grand piano that nobody liked we had in one corner of the showroom with a spare Steinway & Sons decal I had in the shop for fun and listened at the teachers wandered over throughout the evening and tried it. Whereas the comments in days before by people playing it were "awful, noisy, tinny, hard to control" the comments coming forth that evening were "brilliant, shimmering, soulful, full of character"... the level of pretension was hilarious. It was an 'Emperor Has No Clothes' moment, for sure.

    No different with this experiment. People are easy to fool.

    Cheers,
    11-18-12 01:07 PM
  13. Harry_III_UK's Avatar
    I've tried this with whisky too - put blended Bells into a decanter - tell someone it is aged single malt and listen to the comments flood in.

    "Chalk and Cheese" hmmm...

    Sometimes people believe what they want to believe - it is just sad that so many want to believe that BlackBerry are no good.
    11-18-12 04:07 PM
  14. SCrid2000's Avatar
    I've had a Dev Alpha for months (I was actually the 5th person in line to receive one at BlackBerry Jam in Orlando) and since I've had it I've been doing an experiment with random people.
    ...
    I just find it really strange that people really liked a BlackBerry until they found out it was a BlackBerry. This negative sentiment is really going to hurt BlackBerry 10 if RIM doesn't do something to drastically change the opinions of the masses. Thoughts?
    I was a couple people ahead of you at Jam, we probably chatted while we waited lol.
    I've actually done a slightly different thing. Several times I've struck up a conversation with family/friends/people on campus campus (usually with people who know I have some BB apps made) about Android/iOS/BlackBerry, and generally it starts off with them saying they don't like BlackBerry. Then I let (make? lol) them try the Dev Alpha, and most of them are pretty blown away. I do occasionally get some hesitation, but it ends with them having a much more positive opinion of RIM than they had at the start of the conversation.
    kbz1960, Neely2005 and Bobcat665 like this.
    11-18-12 07:52 PM
  15. southlander's Avatar
    Carriers, and specifically sales reps, have played a large part in trashing blackberry and creating negativity. They will be somewhat curious and will be some of the first to get a hands on bb10. If it can wow them out of the box, they will see the opportunity to sell it.
    Yep. The carriers are the most cost effective and efficient way for RIM to change this perception.

    When bb10 phones come out the first thing I am doing is spending a couple of hours at the local Verizon store to see how the sales reps are handling bb10. That's all I will need to know.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk
    Neely2005 likes this.
    11-18-12 10:01 PM
  16. BBMak's Avatar
    the experiement just shows RIM needs to adjust the negative blackberry image to change the general perception. The way I see it, RIM did a great job showing off the great features of BB10, but that's not enough, they still have to work on rebranding blackberry, at least in the US. In other parts of the world, people are more interested in the features than in the brand name.
    11-19-12 12:47 AM
  17. ichat's Avatar
    Now that's called, hating by brand. No matter how good the device, fails because people close minded just go and shut it out of their head. God, how people can be.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9860 on 7.1.0.714 with Tapatalk and my fingers
    11-19-12 05:45 AM
  18. SlcCorrado's Avatar
    I've had a Dev Alpha for months (I was actually the 5th person in line to receive one at BlackBerry Jam in Orlando) and since I've had it I've been doing an experiment with random people.

    I loaded my Dev Alpha up with apps and the PlayBook HD demo video, then I let total strangers at wireless carrier stores (shoppers, employees and even a VZW store manager) use it. I just got up to random people and I ask them if they would like to try out an unreleased, development smartphone that isn't finished yet. I explain that isn't a retail product and it never will be and that once a version of it is released it will look completely different. All of that good stuff, I just don't say who it is made by. The people have no idea it is a BlackBerry until they have had a chance to play with it and I get their opinion of the device.

    Most of the people I have asked have agreed to play with it and the results are pretty funny and depressing at the same time. Each time I have done this experiment the same thing happens. I walk them through how to use it a little bit. I let them play some games, I show them the incredible multitasking, they surf the internet some and watch the PlayBook HD demo video (started by me and skipped to avoid the first few seconds). After they've spent 5 or so minutes with the device I simply ask "What do you think of it and would you buy it?"

    The compliments flood in. People have told me that they love the speed it has. That it is the best looking display they have ever seen. They love the browser. One person commented on literally being blown away by the multitasking. Pretty much everyone said they would either buy it or strongly consider buy it if it was released right now. A few mentioned the bugs that do happen on a Dev Alpha, but they were understanding about them because it isn't finished yet. It was universally liked or LOVED by everyone I've ever let play with it.

    Then I tell them it's a BlackBerry and remove the skin to show them the BlackBerry logo on the back. Immediately after, they all change their minds about the Dev Alpha. One women simply rolled her eyes at me and said "BlackBerry is worse than a dumb phone, no way would I ever own one". I pointed out to her that she just told me she loved it and she literally walked away from me in disgust without saying another word.

    Not everyone I've done that to has been so rude about it, but they've all turned negative as soon as I told them it was a BlackBerry. Every single one of them. One person was kinda nice by saying "that's a really nice phone, but it's a BlackBerry" Most just repeat the same non sense we always here - BlackBerry is about to go bankrupt. They have no apps. Android is better.

    I just find it really strange that people really liked a BlackBerry until they found out it was a BlackBerry. This negative sentiment is really going to hurt BlackBerry 10 if RIM doesn't do something to drastically change the opinions of the masses. Thoughts?
    That's a cool experiment. However it really just reaffirms my belief that most people are morons when it comes to tech. I mean look at some of the official reviews of blackberry products. Even some of the pros don't know what they are talking about, so how is the average, non-techy (iphone) user gonna figure it out? I'm not worried though. If RIM kicks with their new line, people will adopt it by default. They'll still be morons, but at least their emails will be relatively secure .
    11-19-12 06:35 AM
  19. coldsword's Avatar
    thanks OP for this experiment. This is true but sad. if Kevin or Crackberry admins can bring this up to the Crackberry main page, I'm sure RIM ppl will notice it. Pls ask Crackberry admins.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk
    11-19-12 07:48 AM
  20. abass's Avatar
    It's actually really funny/ridiculous, I can't say that I am overly surprised by this though.. My girlfriend always gives me crap becase I have a BlackBerry over an iPhone (which all of her family has). I told her to just wait until January/February, and she'd be hanging out with me JUST to play with my new phone. She asked what kind of phone it was, and I told her that it's a surprise.. I knew that if I told her that it was a BlackBerry, she would already write it off before even seeing/using it. It's really sad that this is how BlackBerry is viewed in the eyes of so many people, I just hope that people can open up their eyes a little bit and actually choose actual functionality (BlackBerry 10) over perceived functionality (IOS) simply based off of the brand name alone. Cmon RIM, we can do this! Your marketing team just has to do a of a job, it seems that the media is really eating up the new OS though which is great. Just a little bit longer! <3
    11-19-12 09:27 AM
  21. knowledge_6's Avatar
    i thought of this experiment and posted it somewhere too ; > haha... but either way... i think it comes down to not only a good marketing campaign but to get in the hands of key players on the internet..

    i.e. BLOGGERS... like technobuffalo, the verge etc etc.. if they can get these bloggers on board to support it i think it's a good start to getting rid of the stigma..

    i think a lot of bloggers are afraid to support BB10 because they do not know how good its going to be.. there is a risk.. and why take that risk on a product that isn't out yet.. it can decrdit your whole site..

    but after the bloggers play with it and use it and see what's coming they might have a better view and can draw a positive perspective and start writing articles about how BB10 can be a competitor.
    11-19-12 10:22 AM
  22. ichat's Avatar
    i thought of this experiment and posted it somewhere too ; > haha... but either way... i think it comes down to not only a good marketing campaign but to get in the hands of key players on the internet..

    i.e. BLOGGERS... like technobuffalo, the verge etc etc.. if they can get these bloggers on board to support it i think it's a good start to getting rid of the stigma..

    i think a lot of bloggers are afraid to support BB10 because they do not know how good its going to be.. there is a risk.. and why take that risk on a product that isn't out yet.. it can decrdit your whole site..

    but after the bloggers play with it and use it and see what's coming they might have a better view and can draw a positive perspective and start writing articles about how BB10 can be a competitor.
    To add to your point, bloggers are sometimes scared to post blackberry information because they get afraid they might have a riot on their blog!

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9860 on 7.1.0.714 with Tapatalk and my fingers
    11-19-12 10:34 AM
  23. Neely2005's Avatar
    I've had a Dev Alpha for months (I was actually the 5th person in line to receive one at BlackBerry Jam in Orlando) and since I've had it I've been doing an experiment with random people.

    I loaded my Dev Alpha up with apps and the PlayBook HD demo video, then I let total strangers at wireless carrier stores (shoppers, employees and even a VZW store manager) use it. I just got up to random people and I ask them if they would like to try out an unreleased, development smartphone that isn't finished yet. I explain that isn't a retail product and it never will be and that once a version of it is released it will look completely different. All of that good stuff, I just don't say who it is made by. The people have no idea it is a BlackBerry until they have had a chance to play with it and I get their opinion of the device.

    Most of the people I have asked have agreed to play with it and the results are pretty funny and depressing at the same time. Each time I have done this experiment the same thing happens. I walk them through how to use it a little bit. I let them play some games, I show them the incredible multitasking, they surf the internet some and watch the PlayBook HD demo video (started by me and skipped to avoid the first few seconds). After they've spent 5 or so minutes with the device I simply ask "What do you think of it and would you buy it?"

    The compliments flood in. People have told me that they love the speed it has. That it is the best looking display they have ever seen. They love the browser. One person commented on literally being blown away by the multitasking. Pretty much everyone said they would either buy it or strongly consider buy it if it was released right now. A few mentioned the bugs that do happen on a Dev Alpha, but they were understanding about them because it isn't finished yet. It was universally liked or LOVED by everyone I've ever let play with it.

    Then I tell them it's a BlackBerry and remove the skin to show them the BlackBerry logo on the back. Immediately after, they all change their minds about the Dev Alpha. One women simply rolled her eyes at me and said "BlackBerry is worse than a dumb phone, no way would I ever own one". I pointed out to her that she just told me she loved it and she literally walked away from me in disgust without saying another word.

    Not everyone I've done that to has been so rude about it, but they've all turned negative as soon as I told them it was a BlackBerry. Every single one of them. One person was kinda nice by saying "that's a really nice phone, but it's a BlackBerry" Most just repeat the same non sense we always here - BlackBerry is about to go bankrupt. They have no apps. Android is better.

    I just find it really strange that people really liked a BlackBerry until they found out it was a BlackBerry. This negative sentiment is really going to hurt BlackBerry 10 if RIM doesn't do something to drastically change the opinions of the masses. Thoughts?
    This is a great little experiment that you're doing. I'm going to assume that you are located in the USA? I think that the BlackBerry Image is the most damaged in the USA which is unfortunate since it's a key market. Here in Canada the BlackBerry image has remained pretty strong and I think they'll rebound quickly in Canada once BlackBerry 10 launches.

    Can anyone else comment on how BlackBerry is viewed in their country?
    11-19-12 12:09 PM
  24. Cesare21's Avatar
    This is a great little experiment that you're doing. I'm going to assume that you are located in the USA? I think that the BlackBerry Image is the most damaged in the USA which is unfortunate since it's a key market. Here in Canada the BlackBerry image has remained pretty strong and I think they'll rebound quickly in Canada once BlackBerry 10 launches.

    Can anyone else comment on how BlackBerry is viewed in their country?
    BlackBerry is still going strong in India.
    11-19-12 12:11 PM
  25. Thunderbuck's Avatar
    You realize that what the OP is doing has a parallel in actual, legitimate market research. There are focus groups and individual interviews where respondents are recruited to take part in exercises and demos with no branding. Some are told in the end, some aren't. It's a very safe bet to say that such research is going on as we speak.

    There would be an additional market research effort going on to evaluate marketing approaches and specific advertising.
    11-19-12 12:21 PM
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