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Good to see some statistics from how BBM is performing in certain regions of the world. Always knew middle east had a high adoption rate, but 99% is awesome to see. These stats seem credible as they come from David Proulx, a senior director of BBM business development. Also, of the people that have a BlackBerry in the UAE, 99% are using BBM. Full article below:

BlackBerry pins hopes for growth on instant messaging app BBM

Companies are increasingly turning to instant messaging applications to drive brand recognition, according to BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and WhatsApp have become the most convenient and quickest form of communication for millions around the world.

As more and more people turn to these applications in place of SMS messages, the potential for growth is difficult to avoid.

Canada�s BlackBerry is now pinning much of its growth on BBM. There are currently 113 million registered users, of which 85 million are active on a monthly basis. When BBM was launched on Android and Apple�s iOS, it recorded 10 million downloads on its first day. The company is now also launching the instant messaging (IM) application on the Windows mobile platform, as it looks to expand its presence across all platforms.

While BlackBerry does not break down its user numbers on a per country basis, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has traditionally been a stronghold. The UAE has a BBM penetration rate of 99 per cent, that is 99 per cent of BlackBerry device owners are active on the messaging app.

To compete with other IM tools, BlackBerry incorporated voice and video capabilities to provide a internet protocol (VoIP) service, although it is banned in most GCC countries.

�Messaging is a very interesting space from a commercialisation perspective,� said David Proulx, a senior director of BBM business development. �There is a breadth of opportunity in mobile messaging. We�re not taking one approach, we have four distinct approaches to commercialisation.�

These four approaches include selling virtual goods in the BlackBerry store; encouraging brands and enterprises to use BBM channels and its social networking service that is integrated into the chat service to sponsor content.

�We�ve seen great uptake of the service, the basic principle of BBM channels is an opted-in relationship between the end user and a business or brand or celebrity which gives them a publishing vehicle to disseminate content out to BBM users,� said Mr Proulx. �We See BBM channels and sponsored content as being a very low investment, but direct and effective to complement mobile marketing strategies.�

This helps to drive affinity for brands, according to BlackBerry, which already has Mercedes-Benz and Virgin Atlantic on board.

The third approach is BBM for Enterprise, providing encryption for the messaging service specifically for enterprise customers and the fourth is to introduce monetisation to the platform, to enable users to transfer money between one another.

�We will introduce monetisation to BBM as a key imperative to business [users],� said Mr Proulx. �We think it is a great point to alignment for ourselves and financial partners looking to deliver their services through the mobile channel.�

The company has already launched a pilot service in Indonesia, before rolling it out across other regions.

While BBM�s plans are likely to be well received, most eyes are on WhatsApp, with its 500 million active users. Back in February, Facebook acquired the start-up for US$19 billion in cash and Facebook shares.

The acquisition pointed at one thing � the future is in mobile. According to the Global Web Index, there are more than 15 million active daily users across Mena, which is the region with the highest teenage usage of the app at 69 per cent of the teenage population.

�Facebook�s purchase of WhatsApp is more about the data. If you have 500 million people using WhatsApp, you have their data, their profile, their location which is important, it has massive amounts of information about the user,� said David AbiDaoud, the regional director of innovation and engagement at Leo Burnett.

This information, along with further data mining, is one of the most lucrative aspects of IM applications, which can be used by advertisers and marketeers to directly target a specific demographic and as Facebook and Google will attest, targeted advertising is what drives digital business.

BlackBerry pins hopes for growth on instant messaging app BBM | The National

[howarmat]

i honestly cant see how its 99% but really dont have any data to back that up either way. Really need to see that 85 million number grow. It hasnt really gone anywhere in the last 6 months at all

[anon(3896606)]

I really hope they market BBM with the Z3 when it's released in Indonesia.

[Munx]

It's 99% of blackberry users, not to be confused with 99% of smartphone users.

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[RubberChicken76]

You said "penetration". <giggle>

[gpompeus]

Just moved from UAE after 10 years, the BlackBerry market is very strong since BBM is the most popular messenger that everyone uses..



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[BBZ10wannabe]

Can anyone think of any BlackBerry user that doesn't use BBM? ( unless they have no friends that use BBM) This is a silly statistic. While I suspect their message may be true in that BBM has strong adoption in UAE, this statistic only cheapens that assertion.


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[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Can anyone think of any BlackBerry user that doesn't use BBM? ( unless they have no friends that use BBM) This is a silly statistic. While I suspect their message may be true in that BBM has strong adoption in UAE, this statistic only cheapens that assertion.


Posted via CB10

Until my daughter got a Z10 I didn't have any BBM contacts. In the US I'm sure that is pretty common, and one the reason it is taking BBM a while to catch on. Four years ago that was a much different picture, maybe 20% of the people I knew had smartphones and most of those were Blackberries with BBM. Now that like 80% I know has a smartphone, but only three have Blackberries. And two don't use BBM.

User base is important in what has become a very crowded Market...



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[FSeverino]

Can anyone think of any BlackBerry user that doesn't use BBM? ( unless they have no friends that use BBM) This is a silly statistic. While I suspect their message may be true in that BBM has strong adoption in UAE, this statistic only cheapens that assertion.


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Is it silly? I had an iPhone and turned off I message bc it either never worked or delayed my messages. (this was when it first came out)... so not everyone that has a OS specific service uses it, that means if 99% of people do use it it must be good.

Remember the article saying that around zero people use bloat ware from one company (was It samsung?).

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[asianzone]

USE is a small market but good to know that there are markets out there that blackberry is holding its own! Can?t wait to see some shipment numbers for Z3 in Indonesia!

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[AnimalPak200]

Does following a channel count as being an active user?

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[vinniesworld]

Can't argue with some penetration...

[howarmat]

Does following a channel count as being an active user?

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yes..any data use via BBM in a month counts as an active user

[FSeverino]

yes..any data use via BBM in a month counts as an active user

Would that also include when BBM sends contract updates to you?

I'm only wondering bc what's app claims a lot of users and I know dozens of people that have it, but it is sitting on their phone not being used.

Doesn't that skew the term 'active'?

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[Raddin]

Would that also include when BBM sends contract updates to you?

I'm only wondering bc what's app claims a lot of users and I know dozens of people that have it, but it is sitting on their phone not being used.

Doesn't that skew the term 'active'?

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The problem is that after a lot of initial hype, BBM hasn't been downloaded very often. I can't speak for itunes because I don't use iOS, but on Google Play, BBM ranks lower than every single messaging app I can even think of. Yahoo messenger is even still being installed more often than BBM.



In comparison, KiK Messenger is ranked #10 and WhatsApp is #13.

If something don't change soon, BBM won't even show up in the list of top 500 free apps on Android.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

The problem is that after a lot of initial hype, BBM hasn't been downloaded very often. I can't speak for itunes because I don't use iOS, but on Google Play, BBM ranks lower than every single messaging app I can even think of. Yahoo messenger is even still being installed more often than BBM.

In comparison, KiK Messenger is ranked #10 and WhatsApp is #13.

If something don't change soon, BBM won't even show up in the list of top 500 free apps on Android.

There are some markets where BBM is the #1 Messenger...

What matters is GROWTH.... if BlackBerry wants to say there are 100 active users this quarter, and then next quarty there are only 105 active users. That is a clear indication that BBM is not being adopted, regardless of how many of those active users are really active.

On the other hand if they come back and show strong growth of 20% or 30%... most likely that indicates some growth. No matter how many install and the stop using or uninstall the app.

But yeah markets like the US, even if BBM were great on iOS and Android (and it isn't), the lack of a user base is going to take time and some unique abilities to overcome - free QUALITY Voice and Video over data (for the 1st year at least).

[Raddin]

True, it will vary by market, but I remember seeing BBM in the top 10 during the first weeks of availability in my market. Hopefully it is performing much, much better in many other markets, but I don't think that is necessarily the case based on them still using the 85 million active users figure.

I wish we had more details of how Google divides markets for that list. Like is the view I see for all of the US or just certain reginons of it?

[Bdot-1]

In comparison, KiK Messenger is ranked #10 and WhatsApp is #13.

If something don't change soon, BBM won't even show up in the list of top 500 free apps on Android.

I can't believe it's between flashlight apps..


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