[Thunderbuck]

If RIM really thinks that BB10 is going to save them then they're in the toilet. What could save them is a cool phone, not an OS. Take a tip from Apple: what was the big deal recently that buzzed the news and sold 5 million phones in 3 days, the iPhone5 or iOS6? Because the operating system was sent to phones this week. See any news about that? Operating systems are not what makes you money, phones make you money. Apple almost gives away their OS updates for iMacs. They sure don't give away those phones.

How do you define a "cool phone", exactly?

[BrizzadMan]

If RIM really thinks that BB10 is going to save them then they're in the toilet. What could save them is a cool phone, not an OS. Take a tip from Apple: what was the big deal recently that buzzed the news and sold 5 million phones in 3 days, the iPhone5 or iOS6? Because the operating system was sent to phones this week. See any news about that? Operating systems are not what makes you money, phones make you money. Apple almost gives away their OS updates for iMacs. They sure don't give away those phones.

Bad analysis.

RIM needs a new OS, period. No one will argue that. They are also in a place where new, competitive hardware is a must as well. They need it all.

Apple is in a better place in that respect, having only to add marginal features updates to their existing iOS, no doubt about it.

[TBacker]

cover the BB logo at the bottom and just give it to them to play with and show them features etc.

Their ad campaign needs to start no later than October, and needs to build on this great idea.

• Up to a week or two before release, the commercials for BB10 need to have NO BlackBerry or RIM logos in them ANYWHERE. Also avoid Black Eyed Peas music (or any other previous RIM commercial style use). This would be hard for RIM to do because they want to have pride in their company, but they need to spoon feed the public to get them over their current visceral response to the brand ("yuck - BlackBerry? They can't do anything and are for old business guys").
  
• Start with :15 second spots (commercials) that are glimpses of the phone styling and a few flashes of the slickest OS features. Very stylized, somewhat vague, appetite whetting stuff.
  
• Each successive week, add a commercial into rotation that shows just the phone and a key feature or two demoed by "hand models". Make people focus on the phone and the feature, and make them say "that looks awesome - what is it?"
  
• In the last month, broaden out the commercials to show REAL people using the mystery device. A 20/80 mix of business users and general consumers (show they still care about business, but pump the consumer).
  
• In the last two weeks before release, up the commercial load and add that it's BlackBerry 10 - this is not your Daddy's BlackBerry - available January xx from your favorite provider.
  

Bottom line - make people salivate for it like a line-waiting, lawn chair wielding, iOS fanatic - THEN tell them who it's from.

It appears RIM software engineers and UI architects have done their job - don't fumble in the red zone with 2 minutes left on the clock.

[DuexNoir]

Outside of the CrackBerry & tech sites (that represents a lot of eyeballs you do know?) the recent BB10 news has reached all traditional media platforms - TV interviews & newspaper articles. Heck, even stock prices moved during the event as BB10 details emerged - the world is indeed watching...

Your statement that the "world is...watching..." makes me re-look at this at a slightly different aspect: despite RIM and the BB products getting bad press and people scoffing at the BB brand, it is curious to see that everyone is indeed watching. Anything about RIM or BB, be it large or minute, is instantly jumped upon by the media (and I use media here loosely to include tech sites, social networks, business, etc.). You don't quite see the same reaction with the Windows Phone and Nokia relation (which I hardly hear mentioned on any media channel - at least where I live).

Negative or not, RIM, BB, BB10, are still getting active press coverage and, I think, that is good. Although a lot of the press coverage are pessimistic and/or outright negative, it does help to constantly keep the BB brand in people's mind and not allow it to be forgotten (although the negativity is a thorn itself). To disappear completely from people's thoughts may actually be worse for the coming BB10 launch I think - fewer will pay any attention when that day comes. In this way, people are still curious (skeptical, yes, but still curious nonetheless)...and that may give RIM a certain leverage for the BB10 launch. Anything after that depends on how well RIM can overcome the negativity, which is the downside in this case.

On second thought, would it actually be better for RIM to disappear from radar altogether and suddenly reappear near debut day? Personally, I still can't see that being good. Alas, it is difficult to tell without a crystal ball.

[bmantz65]

Flash back to 2007 when the iPhone was released. At that point, the iPod had been out for six years and had millions of users and fans. It was a household name. The iPhone was released and I remember co-workers and I who did mobile device support at my company back then panned the iPhone as being an iPod that can make phone calls. A lot of other people thought the same. Who wanted that when the Blackberry was just fine? I remember we compared the iPhone to a rock because it couldn't do basic things that a BB could, like MMS and copy & paste.

Well, lots of people wanted it. I remember friends who used a BB and an iPod switched to an iPhone. They loved it. Some even switched cell carriers to AT&T just to get the iPhone.

Can RIM get those defectors back?

[bbinsight]

Their ad campaign needs to start no later than October, and needs to build on this great idea.

• Up to a week or two before release, the commercials for BB10 need to have NO BlackBerry or RIM logos in them ANYWHERE. Also avoid Black Eyed Peas music (or any other previous RIM commercial style use). This would be hard for RIM to do because they want to have pride in their company, but they need to spoon feed the public to get them over their current visceral response to the brand ("yuck - BlackBerry? They can't do anything and are for old business guys").
  
• Start with :15 second spots (commercials) that are glimpses of the phone styling and a few flashes of the slickest OS features. Very stylized, somewhat vague, appetite whetting stuff.
  
• Each successive week, add a commercial into rotation that shows just the phone and a key feature or two demoed by "hand models". Make people focus on the phone and the feature, and make them say "that looks awesome - what is it?"
  
• In the last month, broaden out the commercials to show REAL people using the mystery device. A 20/80 mix of business users and general consumers (show they still care about business, but pump the consumer).
  
• In the last two weeks before release, up the commercial load and add that it's BlackBerry 10 - this is not your Daddy's BlackBerry - available January xx from your favorite provider.
  

Bottom line - make people salivate for it like a line-waiting, lawn chair wielding, iOS fanatic - THEN tell them who it's from.

It appears RIM software engineers and UI architects have done their job - don't fumble in the red zone with 2 minutes left on the clock.

I will not comment on the campaign ideas as they rolled out in your post, it's all subjective. My 2 cents will be submitted around the issue of the BB brand. To do great hype marketing for a brand with poor consumer respect is tossing money down the drain. I agree that "cool" needs to factor into the brand awareness, but this game is a marathon not a sprint. BB can win major points by just coming out with a great device on time ( win), then introduce that much discussed ecosystem to augment the new BB experience (win), then expose fresh new app partners who have joined up (win). etc , etc

These activities and more will prove to current fans and media that the brand BB has turned a corner. Let the non-believers see the momentum build.....people like winners!!

From what I have seen, if you like to or need to "get stuff done" this new platform works .......but that alone won't sway the negative sentiment, please understand, the climate RIM operates in was not created by accident. I am very sure that all of their missteps were great fodder for the competition to leverage as news, blog posts and "community" postings.

People do not line up because of GREAT ads!! there were no lines for Samsung phones ( Samsung did not pay people to line up-wink). That type of brand loyalty and fandom takes many years of doing things right and spending $$$$.

My point, like the other points made today is: marketing is very important, but BB does not have the leeway to blast out "cool" and sexy ads just yet...block and tackle, win some kudos, stick out your chest...get competitive .. no more head in the sand BS...then throw for the endzone baby.

[bbinsight]

Flash back to 2007 when the iPhone was released. At that point, the iPod had been out for six years and had millions of users and fans. It was a household name. The iPhone was released and I remember co-workers and I who did mobile device support at my company back then panned the iPhone as being an iPod that can make phone calls. A lot of other people thought the same. Who wanted that when the Blackberry was just fine? I remember we compared the iPhone to a rock because it couldn't do basic things that a BB could, like MMS and copy & paste.

Well, lots of people wanted it. I remember friends who used a BB and an iPod switched to an iPhone. They loved it. Some even switched cell carriers to AT&T just to get the iPhone.

Can RIM get those defectors back?

Quite simply: there is no for certain: Those defectors jumped to the winner......those lines were less for the device and more for the brand selling the device, they had cool and sexy products, back from the brink and plastered everywhere. You are correct, the phone was actually not complete, yet.

That marketing strategy is now taught in marketing classes, it worked very very well, and still is. Do you read how tech bloggers fawn over the products from Apple? Do you read how rabid the bloggers defend the brand online? if you think that is by fluke, then there is ton to learn. RIM/BB first has the opportunity to stave off becoming Palm. Once that is accomplished...
they can turn the job toward becoming number #2 or #1. What we learn from life is, what goes up must come down.

[MichaelPowellA]

This is completely true. For years i had a BlackBerry went to the iPhone in the first release year and got over that quickly. Went to Android for the next couple years and just got back to BlackBerry a couple months ago. I can honestly say that i should have never left, I love being back on the BlackBerry. The main reason is the simplest BlackBerry feature the unified inbox. When i moved back everyone that saw me back to BlackBerry asked why I went back in technology or what made me do it. Funny thing now is there are a couple friends that have mentioned looking at them again since I went back, although I am the geek of the group and they have a tendency to follow me when I make a technology change. Peoples minds are closed now a days and need to be opened up again.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9350 using Tapatalk

[thebignewt]

How do you define a "cool phone", exactly?

Touchscreen only. Samsung Galaxy is cool. iPhone is cool. You can have one big screen and one regular screen and one with keyboard for the diehard thumbers. It's all about the screen.

[TBacker]

I will not comment on the campaign ideas as they rolled out in your post, it's all subjective. My 2 cents will be submitted around the issue of the BB brand. To do great hype marketing for a brand with poor consumer respect is tossing money down the drain.

But it is money well spent if you get people curious, interested, even a bit excited - THEN over the hump of brand-apathy. In effect, get them to get over their preconceptions despite themselves.

And money well spent to introduce those who haven't known BlackBerry at all to what it will/has become (BB10).

Respect cannot be built if no one is compelled to try it. And you have to get a lot of people to try it to get anywhere near critical mass where word of mouth is enough to propel it. So you need to prime the market with some powerful, well done marketing.

[cbvinh]

I hope the commercials show you the gesture interface in little short snippets... like...

-----

Shows close-up BB10 phone bedside. Night time.

"This is Set"

Shows setting the alarm.

"This is Goodnight"

Shows swipe down gesture to put phone to sleep.

"This is Wake"

Same bedside. Morning.

Shows swipe up gesture to wake the device.

"This is the /NEW/ Blackberry 10"

-----

Hand holding BB10 phone. Notification light flashes with new email.

"This is Peek"

Shows peek gesture, swipe from bottom.

"This is Flow"

Gesture continues with swipe to right. Shows flow into BB Hub. Selecting an email. Selecting an attachment. Sliding back to reveal all the panels.

"This is the /NEW/ Blackberry 10"

-----

etc...

What I would hope people would get out of the commercials is that BB10 is simple to use, since most mobile OS'es have gotten more complicated. Second, by showing usage, BB10 gestures are taught to the audience, who will immediately know how to use a BB10 device when they pick one up. (I have to admit, when I picked up a Playbook for the very first time, I had no idea how the gestures work and it wasn't intuitive. Having a "panic" Home button on other tablets does help the first time user, however gestures are more powerful, once learned.)

[richardat]

I hope the commercials show you the gesture interface in little short snippets... like...

-----

Shows close-up BB10 phone bedside. Night time.

"This is Set"

Shows setting the alarm.

"This is Goodnight"

Shows swipe down gesture to put phone to sleep.

"This is Wake"

Same bedside. Morning.

Shows swipe up gesture to wake the device.

"This is the /NEW/ Blackberry 10"

-----

Hand holding BB10 phone. Notification light flashes with new email.

"This is Peek"

Shows peek gesture, swipe from bottom.

"This is Flow"

Gesture continues with swipe to right. Shows flow into BB Hub. Selecting an email. Selecting an attachment. Sliding back to reveal all the panels.

"This is the /NEW/ Blackberry 10"

-----

etc...

What I would hope people would get out of the commercials is that BB10 is simple to use, since most mobile OS'es have gotten more complicated. Second, by showing usage, BB10 gestures are taught to the audience, who will immediately know how to use a BB10 device when they pick one up. (I have to admit, when I picked up a Playbook for the very first time, I had no idea how the gestures work and it wasn't intuitive. Having a "panic" Home button on other tablets does help the first time user, however gestures are more powerful, once learned.)

I see what you're saying. To me, those commercials seem like they have 2 problems. The first one being that they sound underwhelming, almost to the point of highlighting how far BB had fallen behind. I doubt anyone with ios or android will be impressed by setting alarms and swiping...they might even mock them.

The other is, and this isn't directly a problem with the commercial, but the concept of the commercial implies that the new UI (which may or may not be very intuitive) could potentially be a problem, and that this kind of tutorial to get comfortable.... if you're right, and you may be, it's troubling.

[LuvULongTime]

Your statement that the "world is...watching..." makes me re-look at this at a slightly different aspect: despite RIM and the BB products getting bad press and people scoffing at the BB brand, it is curious to see that everyone is indeed watching. Anything about RIM or BB, be it large or minute, is instantly jumped upon by the media (and I use media here loosely to include tech sites, social networks, business, etc.). You don't quite see the same reaction with the Windows Phone and Nokia relation (which I hardly hear mentioned on any media channel - at least where I live).

Negative or not, RIM, BB, BB10, are still getting active press coverage and, I think, that is good. Although a lot of the press coverage are pessimistic and/or outright negative, it does help to constantly keep the BB brand in people's mind and not allow it to be forgotten (although the negativity is a thorn itself). To disappear completely from people's thoughts may actually be worse for the coming BB10 launch I think - fewer will pay any attention when that day comes. In this way, people are still curious (skeptical, yes, but still curious nonetheless)...and that may give RIM a certain leverage for the BB10 launch. Anything after that depends on how well RIM can overcome the negativity, which is the downside in this case.

On second thought, would it actually be better for RIM to disappear from radar altogether and suddenly reappear near debut day? Personally, I still can't see that being good. Alas, it is difficult to tell without a crystal ball.

The only thing worse than bad press coverage is no press coverage at all. RIM is still relevant. I think many people are curious to see how this story plays out.