1. jrlong's Avatar
    1. Call T-Mobile, say "you're right, I should have called before I Tweeted, I apologize, look forward to working together in the future. " The timing of this stupid distraction makes me think conspiracy. .
    2. Gather the best team of marketers and lock them in a room to develop the ultimate ad campaign to capitalize on the FB/WhatsApp deal. It needs to be out next week. Here are some ideas to get you started :

    - Figure out a character who is obviously Facebook. Someone who looks like Zuckerberg? Some blue and white blob? A blue kitten? An Agent looking person with FBEYE (get it?) in white print on a black jacket. I dunno. It has to be someone/thing that people get, can recognize, and isn't stupid.
    - run a print campaign with this character looking over the shoulder of an attractive person messaging on a smartphone using a non-branded app that is obviously WhatsApp. The title should be simply, "Worried? " Somewhere is smaller text stating a BBM ad line. About this ad line:
    - stick with calling it BB Messenger for iPhone and Android. Sorry folks, the word BlackBerry carries too much negativity
    - Suck up a little- we'd love to have you back, or, sorry we're late, or, welcome to our secure world - you get the gist.

    The TV ad needs to kick them squarely in the balls. Attractive guy and girl out and about messaging back and forth with FB character looking over their shoulders reading everything and then relaying it like an agent whispering into a lapel mic. First msg is to girl, "hey wanna grab a coffee " and immediately the environment around her is filled with coffee vendors all up in her face - she's shocked and scared. She texts back, "just going to buy some jeans" FB character whispers into mic a environment is filled with irritating jeans ads. The look on her face is. WTF? Guy texts back, "how bout pizza later?" and the girl gets a huge greasy pizza thrown right in her face. Voice over kicks in : "Want some privacy? Get free, secure BB Messenger on iPhone and Android" and then very simple URL and a scannable QR are shown.
    Or something like that.

    It needs to be tasteful (try to anticipate backlash) , tap the negative fears that people have about privacy and data collection, and it has to be clever with beautiful people.

    3. The BBM Team needs to create a WhatsApp contact importer that makes it easy to load users

    I have more ideas but need to sleep. The point is, this is a brilliant opportunity to highlight BB's security and put a relevant offer in front of consumers right away while everyone is panicking .

    Posted via CB10
    02-21-14 03:29 AM
  2. qbnkelt's Avatar
    Interesting ideas. But FB and WhatsApp together are a real problem.
    Sith_Apprentice likes this.
    02-21-14 03:53 AM
  3. koebi90's Avatar
    You cannot imagine a better market environment for BBM than these days...

    They got to act NOW!

    Posted on CB 10 and typed on the best Keyboard ever
    02-21-14 03:57 AM
  4. chopachain's Avatar
    Interesting ideas. But FB and WhatsApp together are a real problem.
    Why?
    02-21-14 04:18 AM
  5. qbnkelt's Avatar
    Why?
    WhatsApp uses phone numbers; I've got friends on FB who are not close, close friends, dime if whom I know tangentially, to whom I don't want to give my phone number.

    Also, FB and Whatsapp integration will be a competitor for BBM. I am worried about that.


    Sent from my AWESOME gold 64G iPhone 5s via Tapatalk
    02-21-14 04:50 AM
  6. Raestloz's Avatar
    Why?
    Facebook gathers your sensitive data in order to coerce you to give it even more sensitive data to protect the sensitive data you gave to it earlier. Basically, recursive data mining.

    WhatsApp simply gathers the data of your contact and doesn't even try to hide it.

    Together, they're the only thing that can match Google in infiltrating every single possible data of your life. It's only a matter of time before they can blackmail you.

    You can, of course, opt out of Facebook and WhatsApp altogether, the same way you can opt out of Google altogether. Opting out of Facebook won't have that much impact because the service they offer is not fundamental like Google search, but they don't need your data to know about you, they only need to catch your friends and extrapolate your data from whatever data your friends have about you. In fact, that's exactly what Facebook is doing. The data they'll mine from WhatsApp will only make them even better.

    Does such prospect terrify you?

    Z10 STL100-1/10.2.1.1925
    currentuser and Tatwi like this.
    02-21-14 04:50 AM
  7. cgk's Avatar
    All this is based upon an assumption that BBRY has more than a passing interesting in consumers rather than enterprises - nothing the company actually does now supports that assumption.
    Drew808, kbz1960 and JeepBB like this.
    02-21-14 05:20 AM
  8. chopachain's Avatar
    @qbnkelt & Raestloz. Scares the cr@p out of me, especially Facebook's, internet.org, reason. They both have a track record for security and privacy breaches. Now we have two sharks in one cage.
    02-21-14 05:22 AM
  9. pankaler's Avatar
    No, please just fix the bbm to use less ram, to stop making my friends phone lag, and to stop draining their battery.

    The problem will solve itself and people will start using bbm.

    As I said in another thread that's why my friends left bbm.

    I will continue posting this in hope someday the bbm team read it.

    Sent using Tapatalk
    02-21-14 05:38 AM
  10. koebi90's Avatar
    I just persuaded 5 of my friends to download and use BBM!



    Posted on CB 10 and typed on the best Keyboard ever
    BBFanatic4Life likes this.
    02-21-14 05:57 AM
  11. BerryRipe's Avatar
    I've witnessed many people say that as long as they have nothing to hide then why keep all data secure, I've heard this many times here on CB, I have even heard it in survival@prepping forums where people like us take security very important. What I'm trying to say is people in general aren't as worried about security as they should be and that convenience is key here especially when it comes to messaging.

    Keep The Faith ? BlackBerry Q10 ?
    02-21-14 06:14 AM
  12. xtrepador's Avatar
    Mr Chen. We need pandora. Netflix and many more apps that other phones have, we know it's not easy to do something that other could not do but we the BlackBerry community have faith in you. Thank you in advance.

    Posted via CB10
    02-21-14 09:51 AM
  13. vanrickman's Avatar
    Very creative. I can picture the scene. The focus on lost privacy is good.

    Sent from the phone of the gods.....Z30
    02-21-14 09:58 AM
  14. pagozahd's Avatar
    1-BBM needs to add SMS and MMS integration
    2-Make it easier for people to add other bbm user, i dont know maybe an option that can be turn on and off , of BBM user that have the phone number register with BBID.
    3- option to add Multiple Photo
    4-that request HD pic has to go.
    5- the limitation on sending files has to be at least 16mb like whatsapp or better
    6-bigger preview when receiving a pic
    7- option to change backgrounds
    8-better release video chat on ios and android and start working on wp before Whatsapp adds video and makes it available on all platforms.
    bob_tn, Loc22 and kbz1960 like this.
    02-21-14 10:08 AM
  15. propeller10's Avatar
    I disagree. He needs to take a shower first.
    Drew808, kbz1960 and AnimalPak200 like this.
    02-21-14 10:12 AM
  16. Loc22's Avatar
    No, please just fix the bbm to use less ram, to stop making my friends phone lag, and to stop draining their battery.

    The problem will solve itself and people will start using bbm.

    As I said in another thread that's why my friends left bbm.

    I will continue posting this in hope someday the bbm team read it.

    Sent using Tapatalk
    Try tweeting them at @BBM they are really listening & are also quite responsive too

    Posted via CB10
    spyeagle likes this.
    02-21-14 10:19 AM
  17. BBBoldismyDRUGofChoice's Avatar
    A big problem I think BBM will or maybe is already having is identifying people by pin. I understand the need for it and why Blackberry has to do it, but the Average Joe wont.

    I know personally, even when I was on a Blackberry and all of my co-workers and friends were, I found it very difficult to add a new contact. It took time to learn the ins and outs of it. Once you become familiar with it, it becomes pretty easy,but lets not forget that the overwhelming majority of folks have never used BBM.

    As far as security, I think the OP is simply overvaluing it. I understand his / her perception that its an opportunity for BBM to steal away users, but the users have spoken, security isn't a highly valued thing. I personally don't know of anyone who has left facebook over privacy concerns, I'm not saying it doesn't happen I'm saying its the exception not the rule. Therefore if your selling point is BBM is secure, it is hard to influence the masses to make the switch, especially when so many of your friends may already be using WhatApp.
    02-21-14 10:38 AM
  18. BBBoldismyDRUGofChoice's Avatar
    However, I will say I don't know why Blackberry doesn't invest in advertising simply for BBM. They don't have to push their phones to us, but get the wod out that BBM is back and better than ever. People loved BBM in its hayday, and people love being nostalgic get the word out that BBM is on iOS and Android.

    Blackberry can build their own brand by selling BBM. People may not rush out and buy Blackberry phones, but it puts the name in peoples head. Then from there when they are at a store they see a blackberry they remember BBM and how cool it is and not, oh look at that tired old blackberry sitting there.
    02-21-14 10:43 AM
  19. KemKev's Avatar
    I disagree. He needs to take a shower first.
    Mrs. Chen may have something to say about what he does first. I can think of a couple of things that can happen before showers are taken

    Re the subject at hand, I like the suggestions in the OP. I understand that BBRY doesn't have the resources for a full marketing blitz, but something constructively done is needed. This is one area that I am waiting to see what Chen and his team can come up with.
    02-21-14 11:11 AM
  20. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    However, I will say I don't know why Blackberry doesn't invest in advertising simply for BBM.
    The answer is simple: they can't afford consumer-level advertising. BB is BROKE. They just borrowed $1.25 BILLION dollars just to survive, and last quarter alone, they lost $4.4 BILLION dollars, between cash and other value. Chen is doing his best to keep the company as a whole alive, and that may very well mean that the phones won't survive. If they do, they're going to have to survive on word-of-mouth demand-creation, except for regulated enterprises, where BB is paying for corporate account repts to go into those businesses and work to convince them to stay with BB (because that's what matters to those enterprises, not consumer ads).

    Chen has made it VERY clear that the company cannot currently afford to target (mature-market) consumers, and so are focusing on the areas of their greatest strengths: regulated enterprises and emerging-market consumers. He hopes to return BB to profitability in 2016, which means you can look forward to BB losing money for the next 2 years. Remember, these are HIS words, not mine.

    A LOT is riding on the success of Jakarta. BB needs a high volume of sales in order for their smartphone business to survive, and their best bet is in the emerging markets where they've been strong with BBOS in the past: Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Malaysia, etc. But even those markets are dropping BB in droves, and it's still very much in question whether BB can be price-competitive in those markets, where sub-$150 Android phones are quad-core, 1080p and getting better every month. If Jakarta fails to sell like gangbusters, it's going to be VERY hard for BB to justify staying in the phone business. The "back-up plan" is clearly making BB a software-and-services company, which would mean it would be come a company of around 1000 people (from around 5000 right now), and I'm sure Chen is working hard behind the scenes to prepare for that, because it's far from clear that the phone business will be sustainable for BB.
    Drew808 and JeepBB like this.
    02-21-14 02:30 PM
  21. milo53's Avatar
    The answer is simple: they can't afford consumer-level advertising. BB is BROKE. They just borrowed $1.25 BILLION dollars just to survive, and last quarter alone, they lost $4.4 BILLION dollars, between cash and other value. Chen is doing his best to keep the company as a whole alive, and that may very well mean that the phones won't survive. If they do, they're going to have to survive on word-of-mouth demand-creation, except for regulated enterprises, where BB is paying for corporate account repts to go into those businesses and work to convince them to stay with BB (because that's what matters to those enterprises, not consumer ads).

    Chen has made it VERY clear that the company cannot currently afford to target (mature-market) consumers, and so are focusing on the areas of their greatest strengths: regulated enterprises and emerging-market consumers. He hopes to return BB to profitability in 2016, which means you can look forward to BB losing money for the next 2 years. Remember, these are HIS words, not mine.

    A LOT is riding on the success of Jakarta. BB needs a high volume of sales in order for their smartphone business to survive, and their best bet is in the emerging markets where they've been strong with BBOS in the past: Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Malaysia, etc. But even those markets are dropping BB in droves, and it's still very much in question whether BB can be price-competitive in those markets, where sub-$150 Android phones are quad-core, 1080p and getting better every month. If Jakarta fails to sell like gangbusters, it's going to be VERY hard for BB to justify staying in the phone business. The "back-up plan" is clearly making BB a software-and-services company, which would mean it would be come a company of around 1000 people (from around 5000 right now), and I'm sure Chen is working hard behind the scenes to prepare for that, because it's far from clear that the phone business will be sustainable for BB.

    Many people just don't understand reality, you have laid out, exactly, the BB situation. Chen has been liquidating everything, and borrowing huge money to remain operational. Huge ads and marketing campaigns are not in the cards.

    Also, he needs the cash for his daily commute on that nice 20 passenger Jet to Northern California. That's #1 for the mighty Chen.
    red_devil_fan_1999 and JeepBB like this.
    02-22-14 12:45 PM
  22. red_devil_fan_1999's Avatar
    The answer is simple: they can't afford consumer-level advertising. BB is BROKE. They just borrowed $1.25 BILLION dollars just to survive, and last quarter alone, they lost $4.4 BILLION dollars, between cash and other value. Chen is doing his best to keep the company as a whole alive, and that may very well mean that the phones won't survive. If they do, they're going to have to survive on word-of-mouth demand-creation, except for regulated enterprises, where BB is paying for corporate account repts to go into those businesses and work to convince them to stay with BB (because that's what matters to those enterprises, not consumer ads).

    Chen has made it VERY clear that the company cannot currently afford to target (mature-market) consumers, and so are focusing on the areas of their greatest strengths: regulated enterprises and emerging-market consumers. He hopes to return BB to profitability in 2016, which means you can look forward to BB losing money for the next 2 years. Remember, these are HIS words, not mine.

    A LOT is riding on the success of Jakarta. BB needs a high volume of sales in order for their smartphone business to survive, and their best bet is in the emerging markets where they've been strong with BBOS in the past: Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Malaysia, etc. But even those markets are dropping BB in droves, and it's still very much in question whether BB can be price-competitive in those markets, where sub-$150 Android phones are quad-core, 1080p and getting better every month. If Jakarta fails to sell like gangbusters, it's going to be VERY hard for BB to justify staying in the phone business. The "back-up plan" is clearly making BB a software-and-services company, which would mean it would be come a company of around 1000 people (from around 5000 right now), and I'm sure Chen is working hard behind the scenes to prepare for that, because it's far from clear that the phone business will be sustainable for BB.
    This post is def going to rustle some jimmies
    02-22-14 06:30 PM
  23. anon(3732391)'s Avatar
    My only question is:
    Why is the OP posting on this website, while Mr.Chen happens to be the CEO of a Well know Corporation?
    Better yet, why aren't you pitching this to BlackBerry rather than wasting it on people here who can't do more than debate the issue?

    When trouble arises and things look bad
    there is always one individual who perceives a solution
    and is willing to take command.

    Very often, that individual is crazy!

    Omnitech likes this.
    02-22-14 09:01 PM
  24. spyeagle's Avatar
    My only question is:
    Why is the OP posting on this website, while Mr.Chen happens to be the CEO of a Well know Corporation?
    Better yet, why aren't you pitching this to BlackBerry rather than wasting it on people here who can't do more than debate the issue?
    Maybe looking for further input or improvements before putting it to BlackBerry? That would make sense to me, and being a BlackBerry fan site, there are lots of people here interested in doing just that.

    Also it is known that BlackBerry employees and some higher level management do browse through the forums here, so might just catch someone's eye that can bring this idea forward
    02-23-14 12:26 AM
  25. spyeagle's Avatar
    I really like this idea, and think the security issue should really be played up by BB as much as possible. There is a change happening and people are becoming more security conscious. Good post OP.

    Personally I have always thought it would be good to use the example of your home, show a home totally unlocked with random strangers rummaging through the personal items in that home, then show a home that is locked with a security system. Then ask which would you prefer? (I actually use that example when trying to convince friends to give BB a try, and it works)
    02-23-14 12:33 AM
36 12

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