[AMWausau]

I want to start a thread "Why Does Blackberry Have NO Marketing? Give me a break. The products are great. Who knows. I love my Playbook. Smaller, more durable, and works better than any android or for that matter the iDont Tablet. Why do so many buy the iPad, because they have a gazillion apps and accessories. Blackberry does not need hardware anymore "killer" or "cool" than what they have now. They need to remind everyone how cool function is. Since when is "it works better not cool?" But who knows?

[Economist101]

When you make a generalization like "all RIM needs is marketing," all you do is make RIM look bad for not recognizing your point. However, by now it's clear marketing will not save the PlayBook, as PlayBook sales are trending downward despite the positive word of mouth from many users (500K in the first six weeks, 200K in the subsequent 12 weeks, 150K in the most recent quarter, all numbers are sell-in).

[KoreAairlines]

Nothing would happen imo.... the US want RIM out of their market.
RIM does make marketing just not in the US .... it would be a waste of money anways.
For ever commercial they do there are 10 hypocritically negative articels about RIM the next day.

[Snowman888]

A killer camera! partner up w. Nikon or Canon or someone to help build a legitimate phone camera. Everyone uses their phone now instead of point and shoot camera.

RIM Marketing
'Keep the memories as you see it'
followed by great pictures taken with BB phones...
Cool hipster kids showing off their pictures taken on BBs

Done like dinner Insta-sales

[anthogag]

Once OS2 is out RIM's marketers will be able to market a more complete consumer product. Even people selling it in stores will stop saying "it's great hardware...but..."

They definitely need to change the way they sell BB devices. They came from business where selling products is more through channels and less about out-right advertising. I read in another post they hired another firm for advertising. I hope we start to see this change on the lead-in to Christmas and up-to the launch of BBX phones.

Let's start with emails, bus stop posters, and TV commercials......

[llllBULLSEYE]

They spend 0 dollars on marketing.
in NYC i see lots of huge billboards with the ipad2.
I drive through 2 of them 6 days a week oh how I wish it was a Playbook.
Believe it or not a person driving through this huge beautiful sign 5days a week going to work might actually pick one up.
not a single Blackberry Billboard in the entire NYC smh.
if someone sees one please let me know.
geez at least a poster in the subways or bus stations.
They really believe in word of mouth.

[inicophone]

I think that's the reason of their decline in the US - absolute no marketing. Word of mouth will only go so far when you've got users, but when they all go - who's going to give the word of mouth!

[ugahairydawgs]

They'd still be in the spot they are in.

People want content and an ecosystem and a BB hardly provides any of that. Hardcore BB users may be fine with a putrid app selection, but a great majority of the consumer market does not share that sentiment.

Marketing is not RIM's problem...the difficulty developers face to create quality apps for the platform is.

[darkmanx2g]

They'd still be in the spot they are in.

People want content and an ecosystem and a BB hardly provides any of that. Hardcore BB users may be fine with a putrid app selection, but a great majority of the consumer market does not share that sentiment.

Marketing is not RIM's problem...the difficulty developers face to create quality apps for the platform is.

Agreed. A lot of people think its marketing. Its really about the ecosystem and content. That makes the experience of a smartphone and tablet. Apple is dominating with the ipad because of the wonderful ecosystem and abundance of fun resourceful apps. Android is gaining steam as I'm seeing more cool tablet apps on honeycomb. I can't wait for ice cream sandwich to push for more development.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[AMWausau]

Eco System Smeeko System. Of course that is what people want. And if the could actually market a superior product the would have developers coming up with cool apps, cool accessories etc. In just about every case Blackberry has superior products today. OK their browser is a little lacking. But who is out there telling people this product is superior. Who is out there talking about outages, what they really mean and how the Blackberry EcoSystem is vastly superior.
Word of mouth is great. But people want cool.
Who is arguing that function is cooler than form
Reliability is cooler than form.
My small regional carrier will not let me upgrade to my 7th Blackberry until January. They are saving the 9930's at the moment for the business customers buying this handset. I can't wait for it. I am fully aware that it might be my last Blackberry.
Why? Because Blackberry is incapable of marketing. Period. Full Stop.
If they were they would be screaming their superiority from the highest roof tops.

[jelp2]

Its a 2 edged sword. If they market and advertise it will lead to more app development since there is a larger consumer base. You can also say if developers start making new apps, more people will look at the PlayBook. So which comes first. RIM can only control the advertising secanrio, so that's what they need to focus on.

[anthogag]

They'd still be in the spot they are in.

People want content and an ecosystem and a BB hardly provides any of that. Hardcore BB users may be fine with a putrid app selection, but a great majority of the consumer market does not share that sentiment.

Marketing is not RIM's problem...the difficulty developers face to create quality apps for the platform is.

Written like a person who knows nothing about BB phones. "putrid app selection" - wrong choice of words...I have 100 apps on my Torch 9800

The BB 'ecosystem' is much better than Apple's offerings. Every BB user, right off the bat, has BB Messenger, BBM Music, BBMaps, BB Protect, BB News Feeds, and BB Traffic...and these are all high-quality services from RIM...and of course we have peace-of-mind knowing security is paramount with RIM

Marketing is the problem. From my experience, many people don't really care about the latest game on a phone. If people learned from advertising that BB's play music and videos, take pictures, can give you driving directions, handle email and social feeds like a pro, etc...more people would be interested in BlackBerry....

[anthogag]

Agreed. A lot of people think its marketing. Its really about the ecosystem and content. That makes the experience of a smartphone and tablet. Apple is dominating with the ipad because of the wonderful ecosystem and abundance of fun resourceful apps. Android is gaining steam as I'm seeing more cool tablet apps on honeycomb. I can't wait for ice cream sandwich to push for more development.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Define ecosystem...

[kilted thrower]

Written like a person who knows nothing about BB phones. "putrid app selection" - wrong choice of words...I have 100 apps on my Torch 9800

The BB 'ecosystem' is much better than Apple's offerings. Every BB user, right off the bat, has BB Messenger, BBM Music, BBMaps, BB Protect, BB News Feeds, and BB Traffic...and these are all high-quality services from RIM...and of course we have peace-of-mind knowing security is paramount with RIM

However, app choices are important. In my experience, 100 apps on a phone isn't too high of a number. When you have a large app offering, people tend to download more. Whether they need the apps or not or use them everyday, they like having choices.

I wouldn't have a need for any of those apps that you listed. So if a device has a billion apps but very few appeal to the user, then it's a moot point how wide of a choice is offered in the app store. What Apple did right was to create marketing in situations in which we've all been in and to say "Hey! We've got an app that will take care of that!" And the catch line caught on. So now everyone is walking around saying "There's an app for that". Apple gets ingrained in peoples heads. The commericals make it look super user friendly in combination with eye candy.

[MartyMcfly]

Written like a person who knows nothing about BB phones. "putrid app selection" - wrong choice of words...I have 100 apps on my Torch 9800

The BB 'ecosystem' is much better than Apple's offerings. Every BB user, right off the bat, has BB Messenger, BBM Music, BBMaps, BB Protect, BB News Feeds, and BB Traffic...and these are all high-quality services from RIM...and of course we have peace-of-mind knowing security is paramount with RIM

Marketing is the problem. From my experience, many people don't really care about the latest game on a phone. If people learned from advertising that BB's play music and videos, take pictures, can give you driving directions, handle email and social feeds like a pro, etc...more people would be interested in BlackBerry....

RIMM needs more marketing + better/cooler devices. If Rimm's ecosystem is as strong why are they so busy playing catchup?

[MartyMcfly]

Cc

Define ecosystem...

Ecosytem IMO =providing a robust media experience, whether it's apps, music, movies, and storage. If a company excel at those things, customers are less likely to switch to another device.

[AMWausau]

Anthogag said: Marketing is the problem. From my experience, many people don't really care about the latest game on a phone. If people learned from advertising that BB's play music and videos, take pictures, can give you driving directions, handle email and social feeds like a pro, etc...more people would be interested in BlackBerry....
Exactly, but who knew? Any reader of Crackberry, but who else. Joe Business User is handed a blackberry by his IT guy and says you have to use it for email. He knows nothing else about the device and goes to a cocktail party at his friends who has an iDont. The friend says look at how cool my iDont is.
If Blackberry had a marketing department we would not be having this thread!

[anthogag]

However, app choices are important. In my experience, 100 apps on a phone isn't too high of a number. When you have a large app offering, people tend to download more. Whether they need the apps or not or use them everyday, they like having choices.

I wouldn't have a need for any of those apps that you listed. So if a device has a billion apps but very few appeal to the user, then it's a moot point how wide of a choice is offered in the app store. What Apple did right was to create marketing in situations in which we've all been in and to say "Hey! We've got an app that will take care of that!" And the catch line caught on. So now everyone is walking around saying "There's an app for that". Apple gets ingrained in peoples heads. The commericals make it look super user friendly in combination with eye candy.

Those apps I listed are use-every-day apps, I was making the point that RIM does more than just build the phone or develop the OS...

"there's an app for that" is a phrase I don't like. I don't know why exactly but it sounds stupid The very first time I heard it - it was like "shut up...". Maybe it's because some of these apps 'replace' other purpose-built gadgets - i.e. here comes the pretentious amateur

[tmelon]

I want to start a thread "Why Does Blackberry Have NO Marketing? Give me a break. The products are great. Who knows. I love my Playbook. Smaller, more durable, and works better than any android or for that matter the iDont Tablet. Why do so many buy the iPad, because they have a gazillion apps and accessories. Blackberry does not need hardware anymore "killer" or "cool" than what they have now. They need to remind everyone how cool function is. Since when is "it works better not cool?" But who knows?

What you're lacking is a single reason why it "works better" than any other tablet.