[garpt]

I am a Passport owner and I believe it is the best Blackberry to date. I've owned 6 models over the years. The Passport is unique, innovative (in ways), powerful, and versatile.
Problem is, in the U.S., the only carrier supported phone we will be seeing is the Classic. Did BB make another blunder by more heavily promoting the Classic rather then the Passport? It appears to me anyway that they are much more invested in the Classic becoming a success when in reality the money and attention may have been better spent on the Passport, a marvelous device. And it's not because the Passport market is "limited"- so is the Classic. The Passport is a much more exciting device.

[dslocumb]

The Classic is aimed at the enterprise market, hoping all the people hanging on to the Bold 9900 and otherwise, will upgrade to BlackBerry 10.

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[Dmessenger]

Passport is a powerful device and it's the best BlackBerry I have used till date. The screen itself trumps many high end phones out there.

Passport deserve some marketing budget...comon BlackBerry show the world your innovation

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[redlightblinking]

OP- to be fair, they haven't marketed any phone...Passport or Classic....and the fact that carriers aren't offering the Passport isn't because BB didnt' market it. Clearly BB would love to have that support, but I'm guessing that carriers didn't want to take a chance on this odd phone when they were already not selling many BB's. Passport at least opened the door a bit, and perhaps because Passport had some success and carriers are at least cautiously looking at BB again. Plus, classic had a built in sell factor even if they just sold bunches of them to replace 9900's.

[rleo25]

Will this be another marketing fiasco as it was the PlayBook? An advanced device when it was launched?

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[garpt]

Passport is a powerful device and it's the best BlackBerry I have used till date. The screen itself trumps many high end phones out there.

Passport deserve some marketing budget...comon BlackBerry show the world your innovation

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This is a main point- forget the "markets" the phones were designed for. It's more of an investment in their image as much as the product itself. Put some dollars into showing the world (particularly the U.S.) that you have a unique and world class product and that BB isn't just a middling "old school" company anymore. People who see my PP are impressed and were totally aware that the product exists at all. That is an important image to create and build on.

[redlightblinking]

This is a main point- forget the "markets" the phones were designed for. It's more of an investment in their image as much as the product itself. Put some dollars into showing the world (particularly the U.S.) that you have a unique and world class product and that BB isn't just a middling "old school" company anymore. People who see my PP are impressed and were totally aware that the product exists at all. That is an important image to create and build on.

BlackBerry has completely given up on marketing. I think their only marketing at this point is a group of 23 year olds on their Twitter team. They've proven that they are so horrible at it (can you say Super Bowl commercial) that perhaps they've decided to not do it anymore. Unfortunately this is a problem when you are trying quell the rumors that you are extinct.

[rleo25]

Beyond marketing there is the distribution channels, sales division must resign entirely its strategy is due... blackberry is not sold everywhere... it is niche... and this is not the Porsche


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[Gadgetgirl38]

It's funny. I saw one at a Rogers booth over Christmas, held it in my hands and was like "Newp! No Way! I don't like it!" My fianc� was shocked to hear that out of my mouth because i am the one who if there is a weird phone out there, I'm all over it. Well.......the more videos I watched, the more that I saw it could do, the more I knew I needed to change my opinion. So much so that I am buying one TODAY. I feel there really has not been enough marketing of this device. I believe Blackberry should continue to stick with what they know.....the business market and those who appreciate that type of device. They are a niche market. No need to ram a passport into a star cookie cutter just to appeal to the android/ios fans.

[onlybuggin]

Marketing is a funny thing. It's different in all areas, age groups and markets. When I think of the phone commercials is see, I only see samsung commercials. Apple and all of its followers have no advertising.
BlackBerry needs to begin to find real and relevant product placements showing off their devices. But what's more is that they need to think out of the box in that. Find and highlight uses inside of and outside if their wheelhouse. People use product not only for their intended uses but also for where those products get jobs and where those products excel. This is what BlackBerry needs to bring out. But waiting for someone to come in to a store to make that pitch is the wrong time.

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[GeoK]

Yup. Marketing only works when it is directed to the group you want it directed to.
maybe we haven't been directed to yet?
Business and doctors, as we have seen in the ads so far, they have.

[dbmalloy]

These posts will disappear when people accept the fact BB has effectively left the consumer market.... There will be no advertising campaign.. there will be no product placement... there will be no celebrity spokesperson... BB has made it crystal clear that enterprise is the focus... as such there will be advertising directed at enterprise which is a totally different marketing approach.. if you look at the past news... BB has invested in direct sales people which go to the targeted businesses. You see very little media advertising as that is not how Enterprise makes purchasing decisions... bottom line... the USA consumer market does not care about BB and at this point BB feels the same... not as bad in the rest of the world but is going in that directions in certain market.... Maybe when BB rights the ship ( which has not happened yet ) they may stick their toe back into the consumer market .. till then we need to lower expectations where the consumer market is concerned...

[rleo25]

Yes, you are right... in the meantime sales figures are getting down... and shares too..

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[knighty2112]

The only real marketing I ever saw from BlackBerry was when they launched the first BB10 phone the Z10. There were billboards over here in the UK, and adverts too on mainstream TV. Since then it has been pretty dismal, and now is hardly anything at all. BlackBerry only has themselves to blame for putting themselves in the very niche market place they now precariously hang onto.

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[rleo25]

Good said Sir Knighty...

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