[kbz1960]

Gotta be bold to put that crap out. One has to really wonder wtf are they thinking. Too much good Canadian weed going around there or what.

[soogriff]

I don't get the superhero cartoon character campaign either. Now I really liked the Bold 9930 and Torch commercials I've been seeing lately. The commercial that showed the media player, then one that showed off BBM and Facebook. I think those are done in a very classy way. I have no idea who the cartoons are supposed to be appealing to.

[kojisan]

I agree with much of the constructive comments regarding the cartoons. It's a misstep IMHO and other posters are exactly right, it fails to highlight the competencies of the devices.

On the other hand, I do like the aggressive marketing they have been doing by sponsoring the new years event and the heavy presence they had during the NHL All-Star weekend. The iconic Blackberry name was everywhere and it was good to see. Re-affirms the fact that they are still a player in the smartphone market and are not out of the game (yet).

[dandbj13]

Lord help me for looking at something from Fox News, but here's their take on RIM's cartoon heroes:

RIM's Comeback Plan For Blackberry: Cartoon Superheroes? | Fox News

Frankly, I thought the FN treatment was overly kind and understated.

Gotta be bold to put that crap out. One has to really wonder wtf are they thinking. Too much good Canadian weed going around there or what.

I don't know that the universe can handle this, but we find ourselves in full agreement. That is the only evidence needed that this campaign was a really bad idea.

[kbz1960]

I don't know that the universe can handle this, but we find ourselves in full agreement. That is the only evidence needed that this campaign was a really bad idea.

LOL yes. The end is near dandbj13 and I actually agree on something.

[BigBadWulf]

UPDATE: We’ve noticed The BeBold Team has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, and wanted to clarify – this infographic is just intended to be a bit of fun.

How #TeamBlackBerry will Be Bold in 2012 [Infographic] �Inside BlackBerry - The Official BlackBerry Blog

[houshinto#IM]

If the reaction to this infographic shows anything, it's that EVERYONE is way too eager to bash RIM.

The immature side of me would love a statement from RIM saying something to the regards of "you trolls are so predictable and desperate to take a dump on us."

OS2 is coming out in a few weeks....
BUT THE RELEASED LAME CARTOON CHARACTERS!!!! MUST REPORT! MUST BASH!!! MUST REPORT!!!

Yeah, real credible trolls and MSM...

Stupidity? Bias? Desperate?

Check-Mate.

[BigBadWulf]

If the reaction to this infographic shows anything, it's that EVERYONE is way too eager to bash RIM.

The immature side of me would love a statement from RIM saying something to the regards of "you trolls are so predictable and desperate to take a dump on us."

OS2 is coming out in a few weeks....
BUT THE RELEASED LAME CARTOON CHARACTERS!!!! MUST REPORT! MUST BASH!!! MUST REPORT!!!

Yeah, real credible trolls and MSM...

Stupidity? Bias? Desperate?

Check-Mate.

To be fair this seems to have entrapped more fans than trolls, some of whom I thought had a great sense of humor.

I'm reassessing my opinion.

[decypher44]

What they said:
UPDATE: We’ve noticed The BeBold Team has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, and wanted to clarify – this infographic is just intended to be a bit of fun. On New Year’s Eve, we asked BlackBerry Twitter followers and their friends to submit their resolutions on how they plan to Be Bold in 2012. More than 35,000 resolutions streamed across Twitter�, Facebook�, and giant billboards in Times Square. As we looked at the resolutions and the data, majority patterns and categories emerged. We decided to organize the data and share it in a fun way, and the result is the infographic. This is not a new ad campaign.

What they meant:
Holy crap! We screwed up again. We tried something we thought was cool, and yet again got slammed across the globe. Ok, we're pulling it. Sorry for all the blunders. Please stop leaving us. Pretty please???

[myfairkadie]

What they said:
UPDATE: We’ve noticed The BeBold Team has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, and wanted to clarify – this infographic is just intended to be a bit of fun. On New Year’s Eve, we asked BlackBerry Twitter followers and their friends to submit their resolutions on how they plan to Be Bold in 2012. More than 35,000 resolutions streamed across Twitter�, Facebook�, and giant billboards in Times Square. As we looked at the resolutions and the data, majority patterns and categories emerged. We decided to organize the data and share it in a fun way, and the result is the infographic. This is not a new ad campaign.

What they meant:
Holy crap! We screwed up again. We tried something we thought was cool, and yet again got slammed across the globe. Ok, we're pulling it. Sorry for all the blunders. Please stop leaving us. Pretty please???

I was waiting for someone to scream "Back-peddling." Thank you for being so predictable.

[decypher44]

I was waiting for someone to scream "Back-peddling." Thank you for being so predictable.

Of course it was back-peddling. So of course it was predictable! Sheesh. Take off the blinders, people! It's OK to like your BB (or RIM product) and still call the company out for their missteps.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: What usually happens to the careers of those who have nothing but yes-men at their side? They tend to crash. Decent example: George Lucas. The OT was great. The Prequels? Not so much. Why? GL has nothing but yes-men surrounding him. "Jar-Jar is gonna be the next big thing!". Yeah, George, whatever you say...

[dandbj13]

The next time a marketing team wants to have a bit of fun, maybe they should try skydiving. Having a bit of fun with your marketing message is malpractice.

[BigBadWulf]

Please, anyone too dense to see it's to be taken as humor, and in no way is designed as "marketing", step out of the thread now. Ya'll are getting uber-silly.

[houshinto#IM]

To be fair this seems to have entrapped more fans than trolls, some of whom I thought had a great sense of humor.

I'm reassessing my opinion.

I don't know...

Several Tech blogs/sites are jumping all over this. If people considered this blogs/sites a joke then that's fine but sadly most people don't.

These people are not fans. And you can be a troll and still be a supposed "tech blogger". BGR is a good example of that.

Fans of BB will agree that it's a pretty lame graphic, but I doubt any fan will use this instance as the back breaker, get fed up and start bashing RIM.

[app_Developer]

Please, anyone too dense to see it's to be taken as humor, and in no way is designed as "marketing", step out of the thread now. Ya'll are getting uber-silly.

If it wasn't supposed to be a marketing piece, and a Twitter mini-campaign (#BeBold), then why did a RIM agency (or someone on RIM's payroll) think to do this using company resources? What was the purpose?

[myfairkadie]

Of course it was back-peddling. So of course it was predictable! Sheesh. Take off the blinders, people! It's OK to like your BB (or RIM product) and still call the company out for their missteps.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: What usually happens to the careers of those who have nothing but yes-men at their side? They tend to crash. Decent example: George Lucas. The OT was great. The Prequels? Not so much. Why? GL has nothing but yes-men surrounding him. "Jar-Jar is gonna be the next big thing!". Yeah, George, whatever you say...

Not once did RIM ever state that this would be an ad campaign, nor was it pushed out like one. It was clear that it was an info-graphic, at least to me. It was a "fun" way (maybe not to you,) to present the data that was collected. The overall tone in no way screams ad campaign but, of course, so many people are quick to jump on RIM that they were just looking for one more reason to do so.

Does their current marketing plan need a lot of work? Yes. RIM is in major transition, it might be nice to give the new guy a change before assuming he's failing already. Especially since its likely that this was in place to come out even before the transition was made.

[dandbj13]

Please, anyone too dense to see it's to be taken as humor, and in no way is designed as "marketing", step out of the thread now. Ya'll are getting uber-silly.

Humor? It's comedy gold! The media won't stop laughing at this for some time to come.

[houshinto#IM]

What they said:
UPDATE: We�ve noticed The BeBold Team has received a lot of attention over the last couple of days, and wanted to clarify � this infographic is just intended to be a bit of fun. On New Year�s Eve, we asked BlackBerry Twitter followers and their friends to submit their resolutions on how they plan to Be Bold in 2012. More than 35,000 resolutions streamed across Twitter�, Facebook�, and giant billboards in Times Square. As we looked at the resolutions and the data, majority patterns and categories emerged. We decided to organize the data and share it in a fun way, and the result is the infographic. This is not a new ad campaign.

What they meant:
Holy crap! We screwed up again. We tried something we thought was cool, and yet again got slammed across the globe. Ok, we're pulling it. Sorry for all the blunders. Please stop leaving us. Pretty please???

Seriously, GROW UP.

[houshinto#IM]

If it wasn't supposed to be a marketing piece, and a Twitter mini-campaign, then why did a RIM agency (or someone on RIM's payroll) think to do this using company resources? What was the purpose?

You make it seem like they've just rolled out a huge marketing endeavor using this info-graphic as their "piece de resistance".

It's not.

Stop twisting the facts and making this thing bigger then it has already become. Unless of course you purposely want to, which makes what you are all the more clearer.

[app_Developer]

You make it seem like they've just rolled out a huge marketing endeavor using this info-graphic as their "piece de resistance".

It's not.

Stop twisting the facts and making this thing bigger then it has already become. Unless of course you purposely want to, which makes what you are all the more clearer.

I don't recall saying it was a "huge marketing endeavor".

But it looks very much like a Twitter campaign (#BeBold) and an accompanying marketing piece. Is that not a marketing thing? And if not, what is it then? Supply-chain management?

I'm not sure why everyone who criticizes RIM is seen as the enemy. I suppose there is a bit of a siege mentality going on here. But really, I want to see RIM pull this off so we have a new and interesting market to work on.

But seriously, how could RIM not know by now to be very careful with Twitter and their public statements, and everything else until they get a proper CMO on board?

[NJPhilliesPhan]

RIM is doing some awesome back peddling. Glad they knew it was lame sooner than later.

[decypher44]

Seriously, GROW UP.

Think I'm wrong? Go outside of cb.com and see for yourself. Look at the dwindling marketshare. Look at all the hits they keep taking because of a lot of really bad decisions. I'm grown, thanks. I get what's going on. Do you?

They decided to try out the #BeBold campaign to get people talking. Well, they did. Sorry that it wasn't positive...

Just because we love our BBs, doesn't mean that we need to be blind to see what RIM has been doing (and failing to do) over the past three years.


OH.....

I was quoted in the Globe and Mail hahahaha!!! Too bad I wasn't named, though.

[dandbj13]

When I first saw this on the CB blog, I dismissed it as some silly CB initiative to get the fan base excited. I thought it was silly and didn't bother to read it. I was shocked, this morning, to discover that this was actually coming out of RIM.

I think what makes this so bad is that RIM never saw this coming. If they had run this idea by any of us: fan, or foe, we would have said, "No! He11 No!" There would not have been a moments hesitation. The scary thing is they have no one in the food chain at RIM who saw this as a bad idea. They thought this was OK and saw no realistic possibility of backlash. I think the problems run deeper than the lack of a CMO.

[BigBadWulf]

Humor? It's comedy gold! The media won't stop laughing at this for some time to come.

It's the media for Pete sakes! Sheesh, I can't believe anyone would think RIM was truly serious about using this.

[decypher44]

It's the media for Pete sakes! Sheesh, I can't believe anyone would think RIM was truly serious about using this.

Not to put myself in too much danger of disagreeing with a MOD, but..

RIM DID USE THIS. Info-graphic, failed media campaign, cute bumper sticker - whatever it was, it was used. And publicly.