[houssamad]

So i was sitting in the tramway going back home from uni and there were like 3 kids aged 11-13 sitting across trying to figure out what phone I'm holding in my hand. Until one of them asked me if it was an iPhone. I said no it's a blackberry Z10. None of them ever heard of that before. I think BlackBerry is doing a pretty bad job at advertising over here in Germany. Have you guys experienced anything similar to that?

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

[ONLYuseBB10]

yes. in hamburg there are still some students asking me if i've got the new Z10 and if they can touch it. i think before all the students could affort using a smartphone, there was BlackBerry. now everyone has one, but now it's iphone, iphone, iphone.

Posted via CB10

[ESCON]

Breakfast TV SAT.1
i think they need some time to come up....

[--TommesJay--]

There are exactly two exceptions here in Germany: either you don't know BlackBerry at all or it's a business phone and nothing to consider for a smartphone purchase for the average consumer.

Very simple. BBRY has no clue HOW to spread the RIGHT message. From the point of view of a German consumer the way you get to know BBRY and the brand here is the following:

1. Maybe you see their sponsoring efforts in F1, but unless you already know BBRY their logo barely tells you anything
2. By the time the Z10 launched you have seen the one or the other TV ad at primetime on major channels. But as BBRY is maybe the master of TV ads which are not only boring but also tell you nothing about their products you very likely forgot the ad the moment it was over
3. When you walk into a major carrier store you'll see Samsung and Apple devices and ads all over and maybe one or two BBRY devices somewhere hidden between other phones, mostly displayed, advertised and positioned as business phones (offers with special business contracts and claims like 'power for your business')



Posted via CB10

[houssamad]

That's at least something. But i think tv ads should be aired at prime time where most people watch tv supposedly. The other day i saw at Punkt 12 that they were giving away a Z10 and a Playbook as a price on a quiz. In my opinion it's still not enough for a country like Germany

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

[houssamad]

Hey TommesJay glad to see you here on CB. I've been reading a lot of your comments on bestboyz.de and i totally agree with everything you said there. And you're right. I also saw some ads shortly after the Z10 was available here in Germany. But there is nothing on tv or even on billboards etc. I agree that the carriers here play a big role with advertising. They don't show any support at all, considering how they promote Apple, Samsung and Sony or even Nokia. It's pretty difficult i think to solve this advertising problem

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

[kraschute]

There has been a lot of selling of the Playbook and users bying them were not their old business customers but people also curious in the new BB10, lets call them early adopters and one knows that this group has a lot if influence on their friends, colleagues, family, etc.

Why should someone buy a Playbook if he/her
a) was never a BlackBerry customer before?
b) knows that the current PB OS is outdated and has no apps and will not get new ones
c) there are Android tablets for a comparable price

Of couse people hoped for BB10 as it was advertised everywhere that BB10 will come to the Playbook. Guess what reputation BlackBerry has now among this group of new custoemrs in Germany??? I let you guess, but I will tell you that a bit of advertising on TV won't help to change that "new" reputation!

[rthonpm]

How many kids aged 11-13 know that much about anything? I wouldn't take that as a strong indication of the success or failure of BlackBerry's marketing, but it is interesting to get some opinions from outside the US on how common BlackBerry's marketing is.

[houssamad]

I'm not sure about everything that you're saying. Of course you're right that those "early adopters" have a big influence on friends and family. No doubt. But the fact that a lot of people were buying because of a BB10 update is highly doubtful. The other thing is that i haven't seen anywhere in German media that a BB10 update for the Playbook was advertised, except of some websites maybe. Of course not bringing OS10 to the Playbook caused a big mistrust towards BB. But imagine they would release a laggy or even no proper working OS on it. That would cause an even bigger ****storm. Personally i think not bringing OS10 on the Playbook is the right choice, but promising it would come was not right at all.

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

[ESCON]

they should go the Red Bull way... and yes use the TV commercials to show ppl what a Z10 can do!!!

[houssamad]

How many kids aged 11-13 know that much about anything? I wouldn't take that as a strong indication of the success or failure of BlackBerry's marketing, but it is interesting to get some opinions from outside the US on how common BlackBerry's marketing is.

I actually have to disagree with you. Here in Germany kids that age know a lot more than you might think. I'd say that almost 50 % of them carry smartphones, but are too much influenced by Apple and Android products. Simply because its "trendy". Why can't BlackBerry do the same advertisement job as the others do. I think that would influence naive kids of that age. You maybe they then want a BlackBerry phone for xmas..and i think that indirectly influences their parents as well

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

[peter9477]

Something to keep in mind is that until BB10, BlackBerry had almost no presence in Germany. It was never one of the mainstay markets for the company in the past.

Looking at my app sales since BB10 launched, I see that Germany has already been relatively successful, with sales slightly stronger than either Indonesia or the UK. (Also worth noting, it has one of the highest ratios of Q10 to Z10 sales for my apps.)

I wouldn't expect kids to know much about it yet though. They're not exactly the target market for the devices available there yet.

[nhanken]

yes. in hamburg there are still some students asking me if i've got the new Z10 and if they can touch it. i think before all the students could affort using a smartphone, there was BlackBerry. now everyone has one, but now it's iphone, iphone, iphone.

Posted via CB10

Are you in Hamburg NY or NJ? I choose BlackBerry for security and features & I missed everything about BlackBerry when I switched to Samsung Google Nexus S - hated that phone with a passion because of the bloatwares and apps that magically started themselves after I manually forced stop them. I'm not a fan of Apple because I hated iTunes and I hate getting the same phones that pop out everywhere I go - ain't a fan of the one size fits all fiasco & the home button. At least with BlackBerry I have choices on a range of BB's that suits me.

Posted via CB10

[ESCON]

so the american way ?? hamburg in NY or NJ........ what about the original Hamburg ???

[mrfreetruth]

There has been a lot of selling of the Playbook and users bying them were not their old business customers but people also curious in the new BB10, lets call them early adopters and one knows that this group has a lot if influence on their friends, colleagues, family, etc.

Why should someone buy a Playbook if he/her
a) was never a BlackBerry customer before?
b) knows that the current PB OS is outdated and has no apps and will not get new ones
c) there are Android tablets for a comparable price

Of couse people hoped for BB10 as it was advertised everywhere that BB10 will come to the Playbook. Guess what reputation BlackBerry has now among this group of new custoemrs in Germany??? I let you guess, but I will tell you that a bit of advertising on TV won't help to change that "new" reputation!

What are you talking about? You done with your ridiculous made up story?

Posted via CB10

[TgeekB]

What are you talking about? You done with your ridiculous made up story?

Posted via CB10

So BB10 is coming to the Playbook???

[nhanken]

so the american way ?? hamburg in NY or NJ........ what about the original Hamburg ???

I see a Buddha on CB so I think you're Asian?

Posted via CB10

[Coachbulldog]

How many kids aged 11-13 know that much about anything? I wouldn't take that as a strong indication of the success or failure of BlackBerry's marketing, but it is interesting to get some opinions from outside the US on how common BlackBerry's marketing is.

Agree most kids age 11-13 don't know much about a lot of things but most of them know about phones. The OP point that Blackberry must to a better job educating the global public about the new devices is valid.

[Jtaylor1986]

Are you in Hamburg NY or NJ? I choose BlackBerry for security and features & I missed everything about BlackBerry when I switched to Samsung Google Nexus S - hated that phone with a passion because of the bloatwares and apps that magically started themselves after I manually forced stop them. I'm not a fan of Apple because I hated iTunes and I hate getting the same phones that pop out everywhere I go - ain't a fan of the one size fits all fiasco & the home button. At least with BlackBerry I have choices on a range of BB's that suits me.

Posted via CB10

I hope this is a joke otherwise it's says something bad about American naivet

[ONLYuseBB10]

Are you in Hamburg NY or NJ? I choose BlackBerry for security and features & I missed everything about BlackBerry when I switched to Samsung Google Nexus S - hated that phone with a passion because of the bloatwares and apps that magically started themselves after I manually forced stop them. I'm not a fan of Apple because I hated iTunes and I hate getting the same phones that pop out everywhere I go - ain't a fan of the one size fits all fiasco & the home button. At least with BlackBerry I have choices on a range of BB's that suits me.

Posted via CB10

ehmm... i'm in hamburg, germany...

Posted via CB10

[Tim-ANC]

So i was sitting in the tramway going back home from uni and there were like 3 kids aged 11-13 sitting across trying to figure out what phone I'm holding in my hand. Until one of them asked me if it was an iPhone. I said no it's a blackberry Z10. None of them ever heard of that before. I think BlackBerry is doing a pretty bad job at advertising over here in Germany. Have you guys experienced anything similar to that?

Posted via CB10 on my beautiful Z10

You said it wrong.


It's SchwarzBerry.

www.907outdoors.com

[MrPommeroy]

Blackberry in Germany is perceived as a business phone, no Hipster, Apps, Multimedia, Gaming or Fun Phone. Since large parts of Germany tend to be conservative and business driven, the 9000 and 9900 had a good reputation and was bough by many individuals prioritizing PIM, texting and communicating.

What you US guys need to see, is, that you have been far progressed in terms of user behavior regarding apps usage. Here in Germany apps used are maps, communication (WhatsApp) and social networking. By now streaming services like spotify entering the market. Also the architecture backing the phone up, like cloud services, syncing issues is just in the coming.

To Germans their cell phone is more about image, since all OS serve their "basic" needs. The camera might be an exception for those, who value it. The rationalized buying arguments are looks, build quality, camera, screen resolution. Unfortunately the iPhone hast taken its toll on BB among business user over the last years. It is just more fashionable in this consumer group, despite its lack of an physical keyboard and non replaceable battery. In Germany its iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. For those, who cant afford it, similar looking androids devices like "HTC One" are selling well, for those who don't give a damn on image and like to game its samsung with its plastic build.

To reenter the German market BB should have a clearer image strategy targeted to the serious business user, but coming on par on perceived image value. On the other hand, Germans will discover the value of apps within the next step of their usage profile progressing, which is an android or iPhone strength. Either way, I don't think Blackberry will play a substantial role in the German market. They just might be lucky, that apple product will be so broadly used, that apple products loose appeal to early adopters and then open up for a "niche anti-image trend". You can see that in Berlin, where WP8 seems to get stronger, since apple is especially to the young crowd not cool enough anymore and android never was. Also WP8 Nokia devices get some attention for their camera quality.

Also currently you have only 2 phones available. Q10 and Z10. Since phones are available after an introduction period per 1 € on a 2 year contract, the Q5 wont matter that much. Its an Apple like strategy. Andorid is availble in all shapes. So, the only selling point left that really matters is the keyboard of the Q devices. To me, by now BB should have been in the market with two more devices, a larger touchscreen and a slider to gain more shelf presence and offer more options. Despite Apple has one model only they gain great visibility with their tablets here. You wont see any playbook, remember, OS is not so important, the hardware facts of the playbook is dated.

I am German and have been living in Germany and the US, currently in Germany: Berlin, Munich and a mid sized town.

MrPommeroy

[nhanken]

ehmm... i'm in hamburg, germany...

Posted via CB10

Ah I knew there's another Hamburg somewhere! - should have guessed from the thread title but I saw the word "NY" on sweaters from your avatar lol

Posted via CB10

[kraschute]

I'm not sure about everything that you're saying. Of course you're right that those "early adopters" have a big influence on friends and family. No doubt. But the fact that a lot of people were buying because of a BB10 update is highly doubtful. The other thing is that i haven't seen anywhere in German media that a BB10 update for the Playbook was advertised, except of some websites maybe.

I haven't ever seen the Playbook in any electronic market or really appear on the market or advertised at all before you read on all tech sites of the relatively good hardware + low price + update plans... Of course you will never see a phone/tablet advertised in a market with a tag update coming on it. I guess that most of the Playbooks were sold in Germany after the price was lowered and you could read everywhere about the plans to update the Playbook!

[hannes89]

In my opinion the biggest problem for BlackBerry in Germany (and maybe elsewhere) is the lack of good marketing/advertising. If you want to sell phones, people have to know that there are some fantastic phones out there!

As already mentioned, there is no advertising on TV anymore (and the spot which was on air after the launch didn't show much of the abilities BB10 provides).

One solution would be to re-use the Super Bowl Ad. It's really good and it sticks in one's mind (as the people ad for OS7 did).

Posted via CB10