[Acvdm]

It appears BlackBerry ended their contract. 😢

[ardakca]

Was looking at the same thing. Well it was the only good marketing as of late.

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[The Big Picture]

Probably couldnt afford the new fees

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[Jeff07]

They're no longer listed on the Mercedes team site either.

Not surprising, given the astronomical costs of F1 and the fact that there was no measurable sales increase. Remember, this deal was signed when they were still trying to push BB10 to the masses.

The fact that F1 viewing is on the decline makes me think that you're going to see more and more sponsors pull out. There are at least a few teams now that don't even have a title sponsor.

Posted via CB10

[sandman10]

all that advertising they had, world exposure to a massive market in many countries, as nice as it was, didn't seem to help BB at all.

They still sold a silly amount of devices.

Why bother spending money to renew sponsorship?

[FCSC]

It was the only reason I ever saw the blackberry name on espn the past few years.

Posted via CB10

[Deckard79]

Yeah, was going to comment on the same.

Probably for the best - it did nothing to halt the slide in sales and revenue.

[kfehling]

Hamilton is now free to sport his iphone with impunity.

[grumpyaeroguy]

The long and short of it is.... F1 sponsorship is more a vehicle to get executives access to the sport and teams more than it is about advertising and selling. When is the last time YOU bought something because "billy bubba racing" had it plastered on a car".. I certainly can't remember when I did. It's a prestige sponsorship not connected to sales, except in the most rare circumstances, and this wasn't one of them.

Now, the beneficiaries of F1 wins? the engine manufacturers and car.

Bob Lutz pulled all of GM's various sponsorships from various racing venues when he held the reigns some years ago for that very reason many years ago. He said the only reason he could see it was there was for executives to get good access and free buffets... LOL

I say, "whatever"

[Acvdm]

Hamilton is now free to sport his iphone with impunity.

He's so big in to his music I think he owns everything Apple. He tweeted a pic of his studio not long ago.

[eldricho]

Oh well, was nice when it lasted. Kinda my only connection with F1. Guess they are stopping their BBM Channel too now, if they didn't already?

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[early2bed]

The long and short of it is.... F1 sponsorship is more a vehicle to get executives access to the sport and teams more than it is about advertising and selling.

Wow. If so then Blackberry spent $45 million of shareholder money over the past three years for an executive prestige perk - quite an indictment of the previous management team. It would also mean that not only would John Chen never consider renewing the deal but would look at it with distaste over the past couple of years. He never did do anything like attend any of the races or get any pictures taken, did he?

[grumpyaeroguy]

Wow. If so then Blackberry spent $45 million of shareholder money over the past three years for an executive prestige perk - quite an indictment of the previous management team. It would also mean that not only would John Chen never consider renewing the deal but would look at it with distaste over the past couple of years. He never did do anything like attend any of the races or get any pictures taken, did he?

It would appear you kind of made my point, as well as that of Bob Lutz.

Just a small snippet:

The NASCAR engagement was fun, and Exide executives were made to feel important. Therein, I darkly suspect, lies some (not all) of the corporate support for racing: the VIP treatment—wining and dining, meeting drivers, touring the track—bestowed on mid-level executives who fund the programs out of their marketing budgets.

If so then Blackberry spent $45 million of shareholder money over the past three years for an executive prestige perk - quite an indictment of the previous management team. I agree. To be fair, BB is FAR from alone in this endeavor. I mean, GE sponsors the Olympics. I suspect most of their executive have far better seat than we would ever see, even if we could pay for it (without sponsoring it).

It would also mean that not only would John Chen never consider renewing the deal but would look at it with distaste over the past couple of years. most likely....

He never did do anything like attend any of the races or get any pictures taken, did he? If so, his presence was about as effective as present Priv marketing (non existent)...

Also, a casual Google Search of "John Chen Formula 1" yields not one pic I can find with him near a driver or track. Doing the same search with our buddy TH vs. JC, the first thing that appears is (with a CB credit no less... LOL ):



I suspect TH was a F1 fan (interestingly he is from Europe where F1 enjoys far more popularity than on the American continents). Not condemning him, he can enjoy what he desires. Make's Bob's point IMO.

qed

[Acvdm]

Wow. If so then Blackberry spent $45 million of shareholder money over the past three years for an executive prestige perk - quite an indictment of the previous management team. It would also mean that not only would John Chen never consider renewing the deal but would look at it with distaste over the past couple of years. He never did do anything like attend any of the races or get any pictures taken, did he?

He did RT and Tweet to recognise the success of them but that was just about it.

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[Frosty_Power]

Nooooo!!!!! My two favorite things, BB and Mercedes split up!!!! So sad....

[jic999]

blackberry is a ghost town on the mercedes site and mercedes is a ghost town on the biz.blackberry blog site ...hope Mercedes Petronas is still a client of blackberry.....boy John Chen took the axe to everything

[Frosty_Power]

blackberry is a ghost town on the mercedes site and mercedes is a ghost town on the biz.blackberry blog site ...hope Mercedes Petronas is still a client of blackberry.....boy John Chen took the axe to everything

He took the axe to everything but his paycheck.

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[Deckard79]

He took the axe to everything but his paycheck.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

All we need next is a reverse-merger with JTS Storage.

Posted via CB10

[kfehling]

Mercedes hasn't posted to their BBM Channel since Dec 27. Guessing it is dead as well.

[kfehling]

Looks like it is official:

[markf]

Watched the race and Blackbury is not a sponsor anymore. Another, albeit small in the US, advertising venue is gone. Another nail in the coffin!