[VeGiTo]

We are only a few months away from the BB10 launch. I agree with RIM's decision to avoid the busy holiday season for launching their phones. I also agree with their decision to withhold marketing to consumers until we are closer to the launch date, keeping the ammo dry.

But now we are approaching crunch time. The only major launch between now and BB10 is the Lumia/Windows Phone 8. With their launch date of November, this is what RIM should do: RIM needs to steal WP8's thunder and absolutely SWAMP the media with marketing of BB10 during the WP8 launch. I mean carpet bomb it. They need to give potential buyers of WP8 second thoughts - even if we make them delay their purchase decision until BB10 comes out so they can compare, we already won half the battle.

And then, following the ramp up of marketing and hype in November, they should allow pre-sale of BB10 VOUCHERS during the December holiday season, thus stealing business from all 3 major platforms with an unreleased phone. Even if the phone is not launching for another 2 months, they can sell pre-orders that people buy as gifts, as long as they come in some kind of physical form like a voucher or gift card.

Frank Boulben, I hope you're reading this. Let's have the cake and eat it, guys! There are ways to give yourselves 2 more months to polish the device AND not lose holiday sales.

[lnichols]

You also have to remember that the carriers, especially AT&T are going to be putting in marketing dollars behind WP8. I'm sure RIM has to be careful not to off the carriers. Also if they start advertising two months or more before the phone is here then it wouldn't be good because people will want to buy it then be told by some carrier store monkey the usual lines and try to sell something they have in stock now. RIM needs to start some grass roots types hype. Maybe even get some early units in Blackberry people's hands before the actual launches to help build hype.

[howarmat]

You also have to remember that the carriers, especially AT&T are going to be putting in marketing dollars behind WP8. I'm sure RIM has to be careful not to off the carriers. Also if they start advertising two months or more before the phone is here then it wouldn't be good because people will want to buy it then be told by some carrier store monkey the usual lines and try to sell something they have in stock now. RIM needs to start some grass roots types hype. Maybe even get some early units in Blackberry people's hands before the actual launches to help build hype.

this^^

RIM cant advertise something that dont have available. The kinda did that with the PB and it didnt really work to well

[VeGiTo]

You also have to remember that the carriers, especially AT&T are going to be putting in marketing dollars behind WP8. I'm sure RIM has to be careful not to off the carriers. Also if they start advertising two months or more before the phone is here then it wouldn't be good because people will want to buy it then be told by some carrier store monkey the usual lines and try to sell something they have in stock now. RIM needs to start some grass roots types hype. Maybe even get some early units in Blackberry people's hands before the actual launches to help build hype.

It wouldn't be a problem if RIM shares the pre-sale revenues with the carriers. Or have a contract that's attached to the pre-order and allow the customer to pre-order this 3 months before they are up for renewal.

This launch is do-or-die for RIM - you've got to be creative if you're in this to win.

[VeGiTo]

this^^

RIM cant advertise something that dont have available. The kinda did that with the PB and it didnt really work to well

Not sure if there's any equivalence - was there a pre-order period immediately following the marketing hype for PlayBook, like what I was suggesting?

[howarmat]

Not sure if there's any equivalence - was there a pre-order period immediately following the marketing hype for PlayBook, like what I was suggesting?

deosnt matter. You going to try and get a preorder on a phone that has no release date but MIGHT be as late as march 31st? Not many people are going to do that for cell phones. Especially on something that has no track record at all. People buy cell phones when their contract expires and they expect to walk out with that phone that day or have it shipped very shortly. Not wait around for 3 months for it. They have better ways of spending $200+

[VeGiTo]

deosnt matter. You going to try and get a preorder on a phone that has no release date but MIGHT be as late as march 31st? Not many people are going to do that for cell phones. Especially on something that has no track record at all. People buy cell phones when their contract expires and they expect to walk out with that phone that day or have it shipped very shortly. Not wait around for 3 months for it. They have better ways of spending $200+

Of course not. As part of the November/December marketing campaign, they should officially announce the release date, and the release date must be no more than 2 months away. Everything has to be perfectly choreographed.

I don't think they are launching in March anyway. There's nothing to base that on except for a comment about Argentina and a bearish analyst's notes. Given that the phones are probably in carrier testing now, a late Jan/early Feb launch is doable.

[richardat]

There are numerous reasons why I think this a bad idea, but let me just say this: voucher for a phone which may be released in 2-3 months = WORST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!!!

(sorry, but the same goes for phone with new platform, even with firm date 2 months from now....)

[Bla1ze]

IMO, RIM doesn't need to do anything aside from what they've already been doing. Dealing with the media, fighting the negative news and helping developers in every way they possibly can. There is a time for marketing but it's not now -- it's when they have a fully baked product that they are ready to show off in its entirety and they're not there yet. Final stretch, yes. But not there yet. They don't need to "steal" anyone's thunder -- they need to be making their own.

No matter when BlackBerry 10 comes, it's going to have to make the loudest noise possible and let's be real here. Brand loyalty is slim on the charts these days. If RIM offers something with great hardware, nice specs and plenty of apps, people will jump ship from whatever they're on to give it a go. Even if they do eventually end up not liking it and returning back to where they came from, it's up to RIM to keep them and that remains to be seen if they can do that. Humans for the most part don't give a damn about loyalty anymore and just jump to the next thing that sounds epic.

[VeGiTo]

IMO, RIM doesn't need to do anything aside from what they've already been doing. Dealing with the media, fighting the negative news and helping developers in every way they possibly can. There is a time for marketing but it's not now -- it's when they have a fully baked product that they are ready to show off in its entirety and they're not there yet. Final stretch, yes. But not there yet. They don't need to "steal" anyone's thunder -- they need to be making their own.

No matter when BlackBerry 10 comes, it's going to have to make the loudest noise possible and let's be real here. Brand loyalty is slim on the charts these days. If RIM offers something with great hardware, nice specs and plenty of apps, people will jump ship from whatever they're on to give it a go. (Even if they do eventually end up not liking it and returning back to where they came from) Humans for the most part don't give a damn about loyalty any more and just jump to the next thing that sounds epic.

Well FWIW I also said the timing is not now. I said a good time to start will be around when WP8 launches next month - at least put BB10 on consumer's radar by then.

[Bla1ze]

Well FWIW I also said the timing is not now. I said a good time to start will be around when WP8 launches next month - at least put BB10 on consumer's radar by then.

Define what being on the "consumer's radar" means to you.

Considering you know of BlackBerry 10, this site and I'm sure numerous other tech sites.. What do you know of the avg. everyday consumer out there who doesn't even know what OS their phone is on aside from "Apple", "BlackBerry" and "DROID".

What avg. Joe Blow do you know would plunk down $200 - 600 for a new smartphone they can't physically reach out and touch in final form? The people who do such things like pre-order are already informed and are not the avg. consumer or they're just filthy rich and just don't give a damn, lol

[shingi_70]

Could rim carpet bomb all of the windows phone 8 marketing.

Microsoft is reported to have 1 billion dollars to market windows 8 and windows phone 8. This holiday we will probably see.

General windows phone 8 ads from microsoft
HTC ads from microsoft
Samsung ads from samsung
Nokia ads from nokia
WP8 ads from each of the carriers.

Seems like a bad idea wasting marketing and advertising assests now instead of saving them for the BB10 launch.

Not only that but microsoft has the advantge of being in stores now through retailers and the microsoft pop up stores.

I think rim is actually going to come out with a advantge of not lanuching this holiday season.


Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

[texazzpete]

LMAO at the OP saying the only major launch between now and BB10 is WP8.

There's a Nexus device coming from Google before Christmas with superlative specs on par with the BB 'Aristo' which won't even come out until mid next year.
Also a rumoured Nexus device too from Sony

There's the Galaxy Note II, good for a couple million sales.

There's CES 2013 in January. Expect product announcement there with next gen specs like the Tegra 4 and the next PowerVR GPU...also rocking the superior ARM 15 chipset

MWC 2012 in February 2013...potentially before BB10. More product annoucements of latest Android and WP8 devices.

So...that's the true picture of things....and it ain't nearly as rosy as you paint it.

[robsteve]

Could rim carpet bomb all of the windows phone 8 marketing.

Microsoft is reported to have 1 billion dollars to market windows 8 and windows phone 8. This holiday we will probably see.

I don't know how it works for cell phones, but typically there would be co-op advertising, which basically means for every dollar the carriers spend on advertisments, Microsoft gives them fifty cents. In other words, it could be two billion in advertising dollars if you include the carrier's advertising spend.

Back to the OP, RIM is better off waiting until the carriers are ready to start marketing the new BB10 phones because they can share some of the marketing costs with the carriers.