[BBUK14]

This conversion issue from WhatsCrap to Facebook is a challenge, but as long as BBM can keep expanding its user base, this problem will decrease and go away. People don't want to keep BBM just for one contact, but they'll keep it for three or more in most cases, and if they do that for a while, they won't really be satisfied with WhatsApp afterwards.

The key is for BlackBerry to do a bit of advertising for BBM now - just a bit, and for us to keep converting people. Here is today's BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing image to help the cause... have a great day.




Posted via CB10

[georg4BB]

Nice article from SA : Buy BlackBerry For The Turnaround, Not Only For The BBM Hype

...
Conclusion

Facebook's WhatsApp acquisition has implications for BlackBerry's BBM valuation. The acquisition highlights that BlackBerry sits on a promising asset that could develop into a crown jewel if BBM continues to be a success with Android and iOS users and user engagement remains high. However, BBM alone is not BlackBerry. While the valuation implications are attractive, the Facebook deal is likely to make for a quick pop in BlackBerry's share price only.

I still think that the long-term prospects of a restructured BlackBerry with a strong enterprise business, QNX and potentially a hardware unit define the core intrinsic value of the company. BlackBerry's stock price is likely to remain volatile in the short term because of the deal economics laid out above and because speculators will try to make a quick dollar. Long-term investors, however, should benefit from a fundamental turnaround and repositioning of the company that will happen slowly and without much excitement at the beginning. Investors who are only focusing on BBM and buy on the hype surrounding the Facebook deal are likely to miss the bigger turnaround story unfolding in front of us. Strong, long-term BUY.

[BBUK14]

On the BBM monetisation front...

I don't think it would be a bad idea for BlackBerry to charge an upgrade fee for Video Calling and Screen Share on non BlackBerry devices. So long as it's not too much, I reckon people would go for that as an in app purchase.

Obviously offering it for free will be great for building the user base, but grabbing a quick $40-50 million next year from Apple and Android full BBMx upgrades wouldn't hurt either.

Posted via CB10

[_dimi_]

On the BBM monetisation front...

I don't think it would be a bad idea for BlackBerry to charge an upgrade fee for Video Calling and Screen Share on non BlackBerry devices. So long as it's not too much, I reckon people would go for that as an in app purchase.

Obviously offering it for free will be great for building the user base, but grabbing a quick $40-50 million next year from Apple and Android full BBMx upgrades wouldn't hurt either.

Posted via CB10

And let's add the ability to call land lines /.. and charge them for it :-)

Posted via CB10

[BBUK14]

And let's add the ability to call land lines /.. and charge them for it :-)

Posted via CB10

Good idea. A very good idea.

Posted via CB10

[BBUK14]

OT but help me out folks...

How to I add the little tagline thing at the bottom of my posts? I've just make a BBM Channel called 'BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel' for those of us who wish to share pro-BB images and social media ideas. I started a separate thread as well, but I thought it might be worth getting folks involved that aren't in here as well. Cheers!

Posted via CB10

[BBUK14]

Never mind - got it lol

How do I get the Channel code to hyperlink though??


Join the Cause!
BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel C003483F4

[Komoto]

I'm not from Canada FYI.

I think Chen has seen a lack of traction for BBM, hence the change in strategy, taking it down the enterprise route.

There have been a couple of negatives.

1) the bodged launch where they lost all momentum.
2) delivery problems to its and android.
3) difficulty of adding contacts.

This has all made it difficult to gain traction.

Now you also have increased competition as whatsapp Viber and Co all hop into overdrive.

Go enterprise where competition is small and you don't have to compete with marketing dollars of big boys.

It is also easier to monetise users here. Innovate in this space then branch out.

Better to do this than have another failed product. I think this is why we saw management changes in BBM.

Thoughts???

Posted via CB10

[jake simmons3]

Every consumer market is based on trust. Do you really think any consumer or company will trust Whatsapp lol. I think not, we all know that Facebook will be parsing every single last one of your messages so they can sell the information and keywords to advertisers. Think about that for a minute, I believe Facebook buying Whatsapp is great for BlackBerry and bad for Whatsapp

Posted via CB10

[_dimi_]

I'm not from Canada FYI.

I think Chen has seen a lack of traction for BBM, hence the change in strategy, taking it down the enterprise route.

There have been a couple of negatives.

1) the bodged launch where they lost all momentum.
2) delivery problems to its and android.
3) difficulty of adding contacts.

This has all made it difficult to gain traction.

Now you also have increased competition as whatsapp Viber and Co all hop into overdrive.

Go enterprise where competition is small and you don't have to compete with marketing dollars of big boys.

It is also easier to monetise users here. Innovate in this space then branch out.

Better to do this than have another failed product. I think this is why we saw management changes in BBM.

Thoughts???

Posted via CB10

Very good post. I hope you're right.

It would mean we'd see a enterprise /prosumer desktop version and I'm a big fan of revenue :-)

Posted via CB10

[BBUK14]

Every consumer market is based on trust. Do you really think any consumer or company will trust Whatsapp lol. I think not, we all know that Facebook will be parsing every single last one of your messages so they can sell the information and keywords to advertisers. Think about that for a minute, I believe Facebook buying Whatsapp is great for BlackBerry and bad for Whatsapp

Posted via CB10

I think you have a point, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's great for BlackBerry. I think we sometimes are guilty of assuming that the general public give a damn about which is better, or about their privacy. The vast majority of people don't want to be spied on, but still won't care, even if articles are posting in the major media explicitly saying that they are being spied on. We've seen overwhelming evidence of this.

What people care about is what the people around them are doing. If their friends are using WhatsApp, they will use it. Likewise for BBM of course, especially when BBM is a much better offering. This whole game is very time sensitive. BBM need a huge aggressive push RIGHT now.

I don't know what Chen and the boys have in mind, but as I've said before, if they plan to cling to the silverware while the house burns around them, then we're toast. If BlackBerry get out and fight hard and aggressively with BBM and the next line of phones, and of course in enterprise, I don't think we need to worry about WhatsApp.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[jake simmons3]

Having Bbm preloaded on iPhone woukd be nice

Posted via CB10

[OMGitworks]

Every consumer market is based on trust. Do you really think any consumer or company will trust Whatsapp lol. I think not, we all know that Facebook will be parsing every single last one of your messages so they can sell the information and keywords to advertisers. Think about that for a minute, I believe Facebook buying Whatsapp is great for BlackBerry and bad for Whatsapp

Posted via CB10

You assume the average consumer cares about these things. They don't. Enterprise does care, but MS and BBRY will have to fight that out. Whatsapp cleans BBM's clock in # of users because it is easy to use and all of their friends use it andi is free. Those users won't care about ads or having their IM's searched for more targetting ad.

The aren't going to switch or pay for BBM. You have to try to serve the market that exists, not what you wish exists or what it should want, in your opinion. This was the mistake BBRY made that killed its market share when they thought the touch screen iphone wasn't a threat.

FB buying WA is only good for BBRY if BBM is spun off and sold soon. Other wise its another nail in the coffin. The #'s speak for themselves. Can 100's of millions of people be wrong. (of course they can, but it won't matter).

[BBUK14]

You assume the average consumer cares about these things. They don't. Enterprise does care, but MS and BBRY will have to fight that out. Whatsapp cleans BBM's clock in # of users because it is easy to use and all of their friends use it andi is free. Those users won't care about ads or having their IM's searched for more targetting ad.

The aren't going to switch or pay for BBM. You have to try to serve the market that exists, not what you wish exists or what it should want, in your opinion. This was the mistake BBRY made that killed its market share when they thought the touch screen iphone wasn't a threat.

FB buying WA is only good for BBRY if BBM is spun off and sold soon. Other wise its another nail in the coffin. The #'s speak for themselves. Can 100's of millions of people be wrong. (of course they can, but it won't matter).

If numbers spoke for themselves, BlackBerry would still be at the top. Numbers change when reality changes. All this talk of slashing and selling is a terrible idea.

BlackBerry don't need to focus on WhatsApp ; they need to focus on themselves. Phones have room for both WhatsApp and BBM, and that is going to be the medium game. So long as BlackBerry grow their numbers, it doesn't matter if WhatsApp grow theirs, so long as BBM remains a superior app.

How is 'spinning off and selling' going to help? Then you've got a BlackBerry with no messaging service - great plan (sarcasm).

WhatsApp is popular garbage. Most people don't know anything about BBMx. BlackBerry need to focus on their own lane, and keep hustling. Before Audio calling etc came to BBMx, there was little incentive for people to switch. Now is the time to push for and expect a real increase in users, but they need to know about it first.

2014 belongs to BBM if BlackBerry can push it properly and not fall victim to defeatism and fear.


Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[jake simmons3]

Bbry is not going to spin Bbm off and sell it that's for sure. The bottom line is Bbry isn't going to charge for Bbm and what apps does have more users. More important is Bbm cleans Whatsapp clock when it comes to features. Bbry really needs to push on this front and show people thay Bbm is better the whatsapp

Posted via CB10

[slipstream89]

What was the valuation BBRY need to get back to $15 worth? 5.7 billion?

This is from the bloomberg article

The Facebook deal for WhatsApp, with more than 450 million monthly users, implies a valuation of about $3.4 billion for BlackBerry�s BBM service, which has 80 million users. BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer John Chen, named to run the company in November after a scrapped sale attempt, has singled out BBM as a pillar for growth to help revive the struggling smartphone maker. BlackBerry has a market value of $4.7 billion.

BlackBerry Rises as WhatsApp Highlights Messaging Value - Bloomberg

btw another heavy pre market trading 600K already

[bungaboy]

http://forums.crackberry.com/crackbe...tomers-907368/

Starting this Friday, we�re offering $200 credit toward a new device when you trade in your current BlackBerry and upgrade to one of the latest, greatest devices. Purchase any device we offer at T-Mobile. It�s that simple. Bring in your old, working BlackBerry and we�ll give you $200 toward a new BlackBerry or any of our other state-of-the-art smartphones. In addition, for those existing T-Mobile BlackBerry customers trading-in and choosing a new BlackBerry Q10 or Z10, we're offering an ADDITIONAL $50 off the purchase price of that new BlackBerry. These offers will be available for a limited time.

Well, from what I have read. You have to do this deal in a T-Mobile store . . . where they don't stock BlackBerry phones anymore. So, guess what? The pushy salespeople will push an Android or iPhone on you for that $200 discount.

Some deal!

[Komoto]

Quite simply, yes 100's millions of people are wrong very often. This is how you get bubbles.

You never make money by following the herd. You make money by leading the herd!

Posted via CB10

[leafs123]

What was the valuation BBRY need to get back to $15 worth? 5.7 billion?

This is from the bloomberg article

The Facebook deal for WhatsApp, with more than 450 million monthly users, implies a valuation of about $3.4 billion for BlackBerry�s BBM service, which has 80 million users. BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer John Chen, named to run the company in November after a scrapped sale attempt, has singled out BBM as a pillar for growth to help revive the struggling smartphone maker. BlackBerry has a market value of $4.7 billion.

BlackBerry Rises as WhatsApp Highlights Messaging Value - Bloomberg

btw another heavy pre market trading 600K already

FB paid about $35/user on WhatsApp. Using that as a base, BBM would be valued around $2.8B. If you add voice/video, can certainly be valued higher.

My biggest concern with BBM is the lack of significant user base growth. I love using the product for messaging and it is my daily driver but after the cross-platform launch momentum and excitement, how do you push for more users and sustain growth?

[Komoto]

I think people are getting ahead of themselves with the numbers. Don't forget whatsapp is growing etc. If BBM flops then that 35/user is too high.

The issue with this segment of the market is the following, at some point Facebook will need a return.

At this point there are two routes to follow. One a subscription model. Or two an advertising model.

Subscription model is dead in the water as as soon as this happens people jump to the free version, whether it be Viber line etc. Or a new free start up begins and the cycle replays.

Advertising becomes annoying and they will lose some of their base, not all but some.

This is why for monetization, enterprise is the way to go. The issue here is your product has to be the best. Businesses will take the cost into account, but they have to justify that cost.

Look at other software companies for examples, anti virus etc.

This is why I think if you can make bbm: video, IM and a social media platform (channels), link it with LinkedIn and twitter, Payment platform (bbm money). Remember all of this secure through NOC

Take this, now roll it into your BES10 as either an add on, or part of the offering.

Now bes10 becomes not just an mdm or emm solution, but a communications solution for enterprise.

Tell me which one of their competitors is offering all of that under one roof? I hope Chen is working towards this.



Posted via CB10

[georg4BB]

Sorry folks, I need to vent a bit:
I have shown the Z30 to some my colleagues (developer) during the last days and convinced one of them to buy one
But most of the others did not show any interest in this device.
They even didn't want to see features or anything else. They turned the head in the other direction.
Or just plain laughing about BB and the zero-marketshare in USA... and how dead BB is - and how stupid I am...
It's not a problem for me because I like to feel like an alien, but the perception of BB is so bad here in Germany and it's frustrating to see the ignorance.
Then I read an article in the "S�ddeutsche Zeitung" (very big, important newspaper in Germany) about alternatives to whatsapp (after the facebook deal). The "journalist" mentioned every other IMS - except BBM. I think it's the same reason: BB already stands for dead company, not worth to mention.
BB has a long way to go here. I hope it's different in other countries.
Now I need a coffee...

Premarket up today almost 5% - will be an interesting day.

[BBUK14]

Who could possibly believe in the efficient markets hypothesis after watching these tech stocks lol? Facebook overspends on WhatsCrap and now BlackBerry is supposedly getting a boost because of BBM, when not a darn thing has actually changed. Were the analysts and investors stupid idiots before, are they now, are is it just obvious that the experts just haven't got a bloody clue?

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[greggebhardt]

Looks like another wild ride today, hopefully in the RIGHT direction.

Time will tell!

[greggebhardt]

Sorry folks, I need to vent a bit:
I have shown the Z30 to some my colleagues (developer) during the last days and convinced one of them to buy one
But most of the others did not show any interest in this device.
They even didn't want to see features or anything else. They turned the head in the other direction.
Or just plain laughing about BB and the zero-marketshare in USA... and how dead BB is - and how stupid I am...
It's not a problem for me because I like to feel like an alien, but the perception of BB is so bad here in Germany and it's frustrating to see the ignorance.
Then I read an article in the "S�ddeutsche Zeitung" (very big, important newspaper in Germany) about alternatives to whatsapp (after the facebook deal). The "journalist" mentioned every other IMS - except BBM. I think it's the same reason: BB already stands for dead company, not worth to mention.
BB has a long way to go here. I hope it's different in other countries.
Now I need a coffee...

Premarket up today almost 5% - will be an interesting day.

Blackberry brought this on themselves. Most my friends who used to use Blackberry do not even consider it anymore. Some think they are out of business but most simple no longer care.


When you have such a small user base, it is very hard to get new buyers interested.

[Bilaal]

Let's not forget, folks, the BlackBerry brand is still damaged, Chen is still working on that and this isn't going to happen over night. Anyone I've shown my Z10 to is actually impressed. Will they consider buying it if they were out looking for a phone? Probably not. This is what BlackBerry has to sort out. The devices are fine. Keep the coming.

Posted via CB10