[Jonathank]

1st let me say that I haven't been so excited for a phone to come out since the BlackBerry 10 OS was 1st announced. I will definitely be picking 1up. I have posted via Facebook Instagram Twitter u name it I Shared the Passport from it. The reaction to my 500 Android and Apple friends wasn't even a splash in the water. Not 1 comment actually I did get 1 comment (I thought they stopped making that crap, well they should) I was hoping for more of a What's that?, wow, Interesting, different. Nope I got no feedback

when I don't get a warm feeling from my friends it's good enough to say we won't see a difference. I called it with BBM and I'm calling it with the Passport. People are done with BlackBerry. No phone will make them even try when we all know (People just need to try BlackBerry 10) we all know it will amaze anyone once you give it a shot. But that's the main problem, nobody is giving them a shot.

With BBM out of my 500 friends I got about 100 to download it (Not even Try It) then there right back to whatsapp. So all those millions and millions added when BBM went cross platform probably 1 million if not more are now just DEAD accounts.

What BlackBerry needs is a commercial like Buick (That's not a buick) Buick recognized it was an old people car and now they are showing off the change. Like We know we were old but if u look at us now u won't even recognize it's a buick. Great advertising BlackBerry should take note because at this route it's only going to get worse.

Chen fired the Marketing team and replaced them with crickets. 1 simple commercial wouldn't hurt for BlackBerry. I'm sure they can figure out the funds for 1 commercial. They should even do a contest. Ask a fan to come up with an add, make it interesting.
I know (There's a website to give BlackBerry ideas and honestly I'm tired of giving ideas to them cause they really don't listen.) But again I challenge EVERYONE to post the BlackBerry Passport to there social media accounts and see the feedback that u get because the hype of the passport is within the BlackBerry community and no where else. And of course the passport is going to be welcomed by the BlackBerry faithful but we need more than that.... What Feedback have you guys gotten from friends?

Posted Via This Thing They Call The BlackBerry ?Z30

[Jtaylor1986]

It doesn't have to be game changer it just has to do better that the Q10. Also with all due respect I don't think your friends are the target market for the phone either

[budsfan1970]

Unfortunately I believe you are pretty much bang on with your prediction. The name "BlackBerry" is now considered a joke, a has been. Especially in the most important market on Earth, the USA. Fortunately, I do believe BlackBerry is aware of this, and is really focusing the Passport as a Enterprise/Small business user phone. Any climb back into some sort of relevance in the consumer market will have to be done incrementally. Baby steps. Even then, BlackBerry's chances to become mainstream in the USA again is highly unlikely.

Posted via CB10

[okanagan]

It's sad, but I have to agree with you on some points if not all, and surprise there still no commercial ad. about up coming release at all, I just have to wonder why the Bell represent just told me today that Blackberry will soon out of bussiness, even though I quite upset to hear from him.

[bakron1]

I think the OP was spot-on with his assessment, but I an still going to buy one, I think BlackBerry will be a niche product and will never regain the glory they once had here in the USA.

I can only hope they can sell enough units to still be be able to come out with a new product each year, only time will tell.

Sent from my lovely z30 on T Mobile USA

[grover5]

500 friends is a lot.

Posted via CrackBerry App

[AnimalPak200]

I still wouldn't buy a Buick.

No. A commercial (I'm assuming you mean TV) is too short to convey enough information to change a long-held misconception. All it can do is create enough confusion or doubt in a viewer that turns into curiosity, which you hope is followed through into "looking into it" (online, stores, magazines, asking your peers).

Now tell me,.. if I researched BlackBerry online right now, or went into a store and asked about BlackBerry, or asked a friend about BlackBerry,.. what exactly do you think I would find/hear? Mostly stories of doom and gloom, app gaps, sarcastically skeptical (at best) reviews, outright discouragement at the stores, etc.

So the millions spent on that TV ad, would only serve to further drive people into negative information. One "free" negative article on CNN or CNET or whatever, will negate tens of millions of dollars in paid advertisements.

OK so what to do? Instead of spending on marketing, BlackBerry needs to divert that funding into subsidizing devices, so that they can offer them at lower prices. As has been seen, BB10 devices do sell, but at lower prices. Once these units get moving, reports will start to come out that "Hey, BlackBerry is actually selling devices!", changing the general tone of the BlackBerry story. Once enough 'organic/grassroots' positivity is out there, they can then start to bootstrap their limited marketing based on that.

Posted via CB10

[bigbadben10]

The most important market in the world "USA" Oh please.....

Posted with my gorgeous Z30

[the_real_mikeyb]

+1

Posted via CB10

[bambinoitaliano]

1st let me say that I haven't been so excited for a phone to come out since the BlackBerry 10 OS was 1st announced. I will definitely be picking 1up. I have posted via Facebook Instagram Twitter u name it I Shared the Passport from it. The reaction to my 500 Android and Apple friends wasn't even a splash in the water. Not 1 comment actually I did get 1 comment (I thought they stopped making that crap, well they should) I was hoping for more of a What's that?, wow, Interesting, different. Nope I got no feedback

when I don't get a warm feeling from my friends it's good enough to say we won't see a difference. I called it with BBM and I'm calling it with the Passport. People are done with BlackBerry. No phone will make them even try when we all know (People just need to try BlackBerry 10) we all know it will amaze anyone once you give it a shot. But that's the main problem, nobody is giving them a shot.

With BBM out of my 500 friends I got about 100 to download it (Not even Try It) then there right back to whatsapp. So all those millions and millions added when BBM went cross platform probably 1 million if not more are now just DEAD accounts.

What BlackBerry needs is a commercial like Buick (That's not a buick) Buick recognized it was an old people car and now they are showing off the change. Like We know we were old but if u look at us now u won't even recognize it's a buick. Great advertising BlackBerry should take note because at this route it's only going to get worse.

Chen fired the Marketing team and replaced them with crickets. 1 simple commercial wouldn't hurt for BlackBerry. I'm sure they can figure out the funds for 1 commercial. They should even do a contest. Ask a fan to come up with an add, make it interesting.
I know (There's a website to give BlackBerry ideas and honestly I'm tired of giving ideas to them cause they really don't listen.) But again I challenge EVERYONE to post the BlackBerry Passport to there social media accounts and see the feedback that u get because the hype of the passport is within the BlackBerry community and no where else. And of course the passport is going to be welcomed by the BlackBerry faithful but we need more than that.... What Feedback have you guys gotten from friends?

Posted Via This Thing They Call The BlackBerry ?Z30

You need new friends! They are not at the edge of what's trending in the current social media. Lol!! I kid! I kid!

Posted via CB10

[budsfan1970]

The most important market in the world "USA" Oh please.....

Posted with my gorgeous Z30

Absolutely it is! This is coming from a Canadian. The USA is still the #1 economic power on the planet. The home to the largest media on the planet, and is the pop culture centre of the planet. Name me another nation that even comes close to the USA in any of those facets?

Posted via CB10

[bigbadben10]

If you say so.... combine China and India and those two countries eclipse the US by a country mile. Economic growth is in these countries not the US. Travel to Hong Kong or Mainland China to see that first hand! India is on the same crusade. The US is being left far behind these economic power houses.

Posted with my gorgeous Z30

[haringfish]

I did that with the Z10. Sadly the results were lackluster.

Posted via the almighty Z

[Jtaylor1986]

I find it really hard to believe after john Chen has said we are focusing on enterprise in NA a million times that people still don't get it. BlackBerry is not trying to become a mainstream consumer product in NA in the next 24 months because it's not realistic and they know it. They are trying to stabilize/grow their enterprise user base here for now by marketing, designing and branding for this sector and the passport is for this market, not for high school and university students.

[dpeters11]

I have a friend that said Blackberry needs to do something different to standout. Fast forward, show him pictures of the Passport. Response: It won't sell, should look more like an HTC or iPhone.

Sometimes, you just can't win.

[bigbadben10]

Totally true. Differentiate your product lines. Market to enterprise with software and services which are BlackBerry's strengths = profits = ability to compete in the consumer market down the road.

Let Joe blow buy his iPhone or Samsung. It's a herd mentality. Simple as that with enormous marketing dollars behind it.

John Chen knows exactly what to do!





Posted with my gorgeous Z30

[potatoguy]

sorry but I don't think your friends are the target that BlackBerry is after, unless you and your friends are lawyers ,Medical professionals and engineers etc....
I wont be buying it either because it doesn't suit my needs. But that's not saying it wont be what others are looking for.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be an "IPhone killer"

[bambinoitaliano]

He's got 500 friends, I'm sure some of them are lawyers and doctors.....

Posted via CB10

[budsfan1970]

Last time I checked, China AND India do not constitute a single nation. I said in my previous post that the USA is the most important nation on Earth economically, as well as in terms of media and pop culture. China and India still don't come close to global influence as the USA does with the latter two facets I listed...That being said, I do agree with you that BlackBerry doesn't have to be the phone for Joe Blow to be a successful company. Those days are gone regardless. BlackBerry can be a successful company which caters for business and government institutions, as well as having a niche consumer following. I believe Passport was designed with that in mind.

Posted via CB10

[donnation]

Why do any of you think that the Passport is aimed at the consumer? It isn't. Do regular consumers need to have a screen optimized to view spreadsheets? No. Do regular consumers want a keyboard? No.

Why some of you continue to think that the Passport is designed for consumer use is beyond me. Its designed as a business phone for business use. Blackberry isn't going to do much advertising for this phone because advertising is aimed at the consumer, which this phone is not. Those of you thinking this device is going to be some type of game changer where people are walking around with Passports are going to be very disappointed. The goal of this phone is to get it into the enterprise customers hands. I don't know how many times BB has to say "We are focused on Enterprise" before some of you will actually let that sink in and stop worrying about how many people you know are going to buy one.

[collinc93]

Absolutely it is! This is coming from a Canadian. The USA is still the #1 economic power on the planet. The home to the largest media on the planet, and is the pop culture centre of the planet. Name me another nation that even comes close to the USA in any of those facets?

Posted via CB10

....at the moment its a perception--not the reality

[collinc93]

I am just going to concentrate on buying one instead of giving a damn what my friends think....

[targnik]

Target the lawyers and doctors etc. charge them the earth for it and use the profits to make some consumer based all touch beasties!!

Z10STL100-2/10.2.2.1531

[MmmHmm]

....at the moment its a perception--not the reality

The USA has the highest GDP in the world, by far. More than 16 trillion dollars. China has more than 9 trillion, and that's the number two spot. It's popular to knock the USA like its economic power is about to come crashing down (reminds me of Apple). But it's just not. For all its problems, the USA is still an economic powerhouse and will remain so for some time yet.

[Timbosaurus]

The economy of the EU is bigger than the USA and China combined. It also contains vastly more potential customers than the USA.

Posted via CB10