[marvini]

We are all on board this emotional roller coaster hanging on for dear life. The news yesterday may have been expected by some but to most it hit hard. There is one man to blame for this lack of interest in the best OS that is BB10....Frank Boulben the Chief Marketing Officer at BlackBerry.
4500 more jobs are being lost, which from a business strategy perspective is an evil necessity. Is his head going to roll??
I recently came back from the US where I had the opportunity on a business trip to show many my Z10 and everyone was blown away by the look and futuristic feel of the OS. These were the comments made:
1. I had no idea that this new BlackBerry OS was different from the older devices.
2. I had no idea that BlackBerry had a new OS.
3. If Apple made this OS it would change the future of mobile computing forever.

This is the problem faced by BlackBerry and it all comes down to very poor and non existing marketing.

The media that constantly bash BlackBerry are mainly American mainstream. Stocks are bottoming because of the negative press on BlackBerry. It's a domino effect.

Had BlackBerry 10 been marketed like it should have been, we would not be in this situation where the company is on the verge of privatization (not necessarily bad) or being broken to pieces (not good).

Thorstein Heins should also take full responsibility for condoning garbage from one of his senior managers. But he is probably excitedly awaiting a buyout so he could walk away with his $55 million.

We as avid supporters of this wonderful platform can only sit on the sidelines and wait for the ship to sink because the captain and his crew are clueless and mostly our insights go unheard.


Posted via CB10

[mas_quemex]

BlackBerry is gradually turning into a niche product like Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Rolex,... instead of mass production like Ford, Peugeot,... So the management would probably soon change focus from mass marketing to niche marketing like Tupperware parties, Forever/Amway style networking,...

It will help boost profitability and sustain the BlackBerry brand as a status symbol.

The current craze about Android is similar to Symbian.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

I agree boublen needs to be made an example. Show him the door

[rtang1007]

Yes, marketing manager is the only guy to blame. There is nothing wrong with 4,500 hardworking employees that make (combined) not as much as a single manager makes.

Posted via CB10

[milo53]

We are all on board this emotional roller coaster hanging on for dear life. The news yesterday may have been expected by some but to most it hit hard. There is one man to blame for this lack of interest in the best OS that is BB10....Frank Boulben the Chief Marketing Officer at BlackBerry.
4500 more jobs are being lost, which from a business strategy perspective is an evil necessity. Is his head going to roll??
I recently came back from the US where I had the opportunity on a business trip to show many my Z10 and everyone was blown away by the look and futuristic feel of the OS. These were the comments made:
1. I had no idea that this new BlackBerry OS was different from the older devices.
2. I had no idea that BlackBerry had a new OS.
3. If Apple made this OS it would change the future of mobile computing forever.

This is the problem faced by BlackBerry and it all comes down to very poor and non existing marketing.

The media that constantly bash BlackBerry are mainly American mainstream. Stocks are bottoming because of the negative press on BlackBerry. It's a domino effect.

Had BlackBerry 10 been marketed like it should have been, we would not be in this situation where the company is on the verge of privatization (not necessarily bad) or being broken to pieces (not good).

Thorstein Heins should also take full responsibility for condoning garbage from one of his senior managers. But he is probably excitedly awaiting a buyout so he could walk away with his $55 million.

We as avid supporters of this wonderful platform can only sit on the sidelines and wait for the ship to sink because the captain and his crew are clueless and mostly our insights go unheard.


Posted via CB10

Bravo!

[milo53]

I agree boublen needs to be made an example. Show him the door

Show him the Cell Door. I'm pissed!

[mathking606]

I just do not see heins as the evil, greedy person everyone is making him out to be. He always seemed like he cared for the company a lot and wanted to see it succeed. He even had a BlackBerry helmet for motorbike.

[app_Developer]

You can't fire an executive without first knowing who will replace him. If you were a talented and experienced CMO, would you move up to Waterloo and take this job? Seriously? Imagine your first meeting where you try to lead the definition of what a "smartphone prosumer" is?

[AnandTaipan]

Moral of the story : Don't try to be hero by giving dates and failing! Over-promise and under-deliver. Will Thorsten Heins take a pay cut or reduce his bonus or his exit payout? He won't. He doesn't care. That is what Corporate Capitalism is all about! He blurts out a date and puts pressure then fails to deliver. Why not keep quiet, deliver and then blow your trumpet! Sad but that is not how most people think or see it.

Posted using my Q10

[BBnygel]

One of the major things why people turn around from BlackBerry is BIS. When browsing for my Z10 I didn't know that BIS is no longer required for BlackBerry 10! It wasnt advertised which they should to attract youngsters who cant afford BIS!

Posted via CB10

[potatoguy]

should have been kicked to the curb long ago! when that Super bowl commercial aired!

[aniym]

BlackBerry is gradually turning into a niche product like Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Rolex,... instead of mass production like Ford, Peugeot,... So the management would probably soon change focus from mass marketing to niche marketing like Tupperware parties, Forever/Amway style networking,...

It will help boost profitability and sustain the BlackBerry brand as a status symbol.

The current craze about Android is similar to Symbian.

LOL. Let me know when I can get a Rolls Royce with no money down on a two year lease.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[lnichols]

BlackBerry is gradually turning into a niche product like Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Rolex,... instead of mass production like Ford, Peugeot,... So the management would probably soon change focus from mass marketing to niche marketing like Tupperware parties, Forever/Amway style networking,...

It will help boost profitability and sustain the BlackBerry brand as a status symbol.

The current craze about Android is similar to Symbian.

Those niche brands you mention all have a strong brand and mind share associated with them. BlackBerry does not. It is not a status symbol anymore. It was in 2006 to about 2008/9, but it deteoriated severely from then till now.

Posted via CB10

[tomsobon]

Boulben is a joke,No wonder he got fired from Orange before joining bb

Posted via CB10

[xBURK]

I've been saying this for months. I have no experience in this field, but have said it just the same. Drives me up the wall. They missed the best opportunity to change their brutal public perception and relate to the consumers of today. I'm not into this whole conspiracy stuff, but it almost looks deliberate at this point. I don't know? Like I said, I don't have experience. It doesn't take much to realize something is not right with this current management team. Yes, Frank and Thorston must go. That's just me though.

Posted via CB10

[acadia1106]

Agreed they foo barred big time!!!!

Posted via CB10

[mas_quemex]

Marketing is the issue. Take a look at view count of HD videos on YouTube.

197,000 views - BlackBerry Z30
291,000 views - BlackBerry Q5
652,000 views - Lenovo K900
987,000 views - BlackBerry Curve 8520
1,009,000 views - BlackBerry Q10
1,081,000 views - LG Optimus G Pro
1,188,000 views - BlackBerry Bold 9900
2,355,000 views - HTC One
2,898,000 views - BlackBerry PlayBook
2,955,000 views - BlackBerry Z10
3,638,000 views - Samsung Galaxy Note 3
7,912,000 views - Apple iPhone 5S
8,166,000 views - Nokia Lumia 1020
8,652,000 views - Apple iPad 3
10,446,000 views - Sony Xperia Z1
14,989,000 views - Motorola Moto X

[speechlesskeith]

Want something fun to think about!? Maybe this was all planned this way get bb10 out to the loyals for testing, continue to work on major apps (which is happening) and get the software as bug free as possible 10.2 and Z30 release soon? Then blast the marketing on a secure, bug free as possible, and with good build quality phones?

Hey I'm an optimist and love BlackBerry so yes this is very objective but hey all the negativity around here is based on speculation! When rebuilding a company bigs steps have to be taken, it doesn't happen overnight.

Look at it anyway you like but I see a big marketing push in the near future whether towards a specific group or not. I mean ask any of your friends that are NOT BlackBerry loyal or fanboys if they have any idea of what's going on with BlackBerry? More than likely they have no clue about all the negative press going on! Just something to ponder.

Posted via CB10

[anon(4233493)]

I couldn't agree more!

[JasW]

While marketing has been horrible, there is a lot more to it. Even top notch marketing can't do it all. Look at MS -- they've had excellent marketing, but that hasn't been enough.

[Tre Lawrence]

While marketing has been horrible, there is a lot more to it. Even top notch marketing can't do it all. Look at MS -- they've had excellent marketing, but that hasn't been enough.

I mostly agree.

The original post had an anecdote that is all too common. to paraphrase: I showed my co-worker/fried/relative/dude outside the club what BB10 can do, and he/she/they/it was/were BLOWN away!

Okay. Did the go buy one?

I showed my old Palm handheld to a friend last week. He was blown away too.

I would love to see who some of y'all think could market BB10 as-is. I'd like to know what that person would do. IMHO, it's not about the marketing. It's the product. BBRY wasn't able to convert it's back-pocket clientele of 70+ million legacy users... people who, in theory, shouldn't need a whole lot of marketing to convince.

Apple's biggest strength isn't is ads (though, it does make a few good ones). It's the word of mouth from happy folks who are invested in the platform. Google doesn't run ads for Android. I bet you this though: when folk see an ad from a major corporation with an app for those two platforms, it does more for mindshare than a multi-million dollar Super Bowl spot.

As JasW poined out, WP is still a bit winded, even with all the marketing. Marketing didn't make Apple TV a runaway hit. it stats with a compelling product.

Mock it all you want... when John can order Chipotle from his phone, and Sarah can order Chipotle from her tablet, you're gonna have a hard time convincing David -- who loves Chipotle -- that he should subsist with a BB10 device and drive and wait in line while making due with Peek and Flow. Switch out Chipotle with any company you want. People want the functionality that friends and family have.

Yes, yes... I get it. Not everybody needs apps. The browser is all you need. Apple has tricked into thinking we need apps. Cool. Alright. Get the ecosystem well stocked and give people the option. Simple. Cater to the app folks and the browser warriors.

The overall product can sell itself. Way more people knew/know more about BB10 that we would like to admit. They just didn't buy.

[BlackBerry Guy]

I think Al Sacco put it best:

"But the bottom line is that BlackBerry's current situation is not the fault of one man, and BlackBerry's marketing efforts are actually better today than they ever were in the past. That's not to say that Boulben and his team couldn't have done a better job marketing the company's latest products�that Super Bowl commercial was pretty weak�but he's certainly not the only one to blame. Boulben does appear to be the scapegoat o' the day, though."

Twitter Users Call for BlackBerry CMO's Head | CIO Blogs

[CrackedBarry]

everyone was blown away by the look and futuristic feel of the OS. These were the comments made:
1. I had no idea that this new BlackBerry OS was different from the older devices.
2. I had no idea that BlackBerry had a new OS.
3. If Apple made this OS it would change the future of mobile computing forever

Was there by any chance LSD involved in the demonstration? Or massive amounts of marijuana?

Because if we look at it objectively: BB10 is such a resource hog, that it needs two GBs of RAM to perform at the level of Android or iOS on one GB RAM.

It lifted swiping as a user interface from WebOS and Meego, and though the implementation is improved in some ways, its also much less intuitive.

The design and look of BB10 is pretty boring, bland and uninspiring and does little to distinguish it from competing mobile OS.

And though it could be much worse, BB10 has also had quite a few issues with bugs, overheating, rebooting, etc.

BB10 is not bad for a 1.0 product, and it definitely has potential.
But I don't think anybody who pays attention to cellphones and tablets would call it futuristic or a massive improvement over competing mobile OS's.

[itzJustMeh]

I know this is off topic, but anyway: