[Prem WatsApp]

Just spotted this Samsung lady in a tech store here in North Queensland this afternoon. Mind you, it's a place of maybe 150,000 people, and the next city is 350km away, the state capital Brisbane 1700km.

We have four D.i.c.k Smith (remove the dots, that's the company's real trading name!) stores, 2 JB-Hifi stores, a Good Guys, a Harvey Norman and a few Optus, Telstra and Vodafone shops. One Officeworks. That's about it.

Yet, Samsung has the dollar apparently to send someone OUT HERE to fix and update the devices, and make sure the retail display software is running properly. This is a relatively small city, and very remote compared to other places in Australia.

As I picked up a Samsung tablet that wasn't doing much, she told me "This one is running an update for the retail display software,..."

I went like, "Um, ok..." That's when I realised she was wearing a Samsung shirt with a logo stitched onto it. The coin dropped, that's why she was fumbling with that USB stick and her Note 3. I think she also wore a Gear.

Unbelievable, and the display Z10 at JB Hifi was still running 10.0 when I checked last time. Had mercy on it, and clicked the update button. Haven't checked whether it actually went through...

Any input, guys?



"No Q10?" -> "Buy from Chen... "

[Soulstream]

I do this sometimes in tech stores (as a customer). I just saw an Android phone that had an update available and updated it. I don't know if it's legal or not for me to do it, but i think it's the right thing to do

[irweezyy]

This is the kinda stuff my wife does for samsung, but here in Ontario. They are in top of their game, as soon as a device fails, the store calls her, she gets someone to the store within a few days or just goes there herself.

Posted via CB10

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Very smart move to have someone go around to retail locations and make sure displays are up to date.

I wonder if she has to do any training with the sales staff at the stores. Possibly giving out a few "incentive" (shirts, usb sticks....) to the staff to build brand loyalty.

Marketing involves much more than a few ads or sponsoring a race-car (or a whole race... even the Duck Commander guys can do that)

[trsbbs]

It's an issue that many companies have.
Look at HTC and it's new M8.
Just terrible marketing, again. Thus it's not moving and is one of the best Droids built!

Keep tossing money at F1. while slowly bleeding to death. While cool it doesn't do a thing to sell a phone.
Product and name recognition is great if you have the cash to blow. If the add is effective and returns 2 to 3 times the cost in sales profits. Don't think it's doing that.

So far all I have seen is what JC personally likes and not what BlackBerry needs or even the market dictates.

Thor was more focused it appears but terrible at execution.

JC is all over the road and has yet to prove he can execute. The stock will reflect this more and more unless he changes.

Having a successful launch also includes turning a profit.
The Z3 is his. We shall see. Oh but then it's a touch screen not a physical keyboard. Hmmm...
Why wasn't a keyboard phone if that is do vital. Saying one thing and doing another JC?
So if it is widely profitable JC is wrong about keyboards.















Posted via Verizon Z10 - OS v10.1.2.2174

[irweezyy]

Very smart move to have someone go around to retail locations and make sure displays are up to date.

I wonder if she has to do any training with the sales staff at the stores. Possibly giving out a few "incentive" (shirts, usb sticks....) to the staff to build brand loyalty.

Marketing involves much more than a few ads or sponsoring a race-car (or a whole race... even the Duck Commander guys can do that)

Ya this is the kind of stuff she does too, set up roadshows, give away swag, hold training events, select top reps from stores to get free devices. They do an awesome job marketing and pushing the brand. She used to work for BlackBerry doing the same thing until samsung made her a better offer lol.

Posted via CB10

[kye2000]

Every store I go to the Z10, Q10 and Q5 were on 10.1 and the hub consistently shows an update to 10.2.1. Been like this since last year

Posted via My Z30 on 10.2.1.2947

[Prem WatsApp]

It's an issue that many companies have.
Look at HTC and it's new M8.
Just terrible marketing, again. Thus it's not moving and is one of the best Droids built!

Keep tossing money at F1. while slowly bleeding to death. While cool it doesn't do a thing to sell a phone.
Product and name recognition is great if you have the cash to blow. If the add is effective and returns 2 to 3 times the cost in sales profits. Don't think it's doing that.

So far all I have seen is what JC personally likes and not what BlackBerry needs or even the market dictates.

Thor was more focused it appears but terrible at execution.

JC is all over the road and has yet to prove he can execute. The stock will reflect this more and more unless he changes.

Having a successful launch also includes turning a profit.
The Z3 is his. We shall see. Oh but then it's a touch screen not a physical keyboard. Hmmm...
Why wasn't a keyboard phone if that is do vital. Saying one thing and doing another JC?
So if it is widely profitable JC is wrong about keyboards.















Posted via Verizon Z10 - OS v10.1.2.2174

trsbbs, I think we need to differentiate this a bit. He's right about a full touch screen in the consumer game, but for corporate, keyboard still rules, hence the Q20 with tool belt to get all those Bold users to upgrade and phase out BBOS7.

You are right about the new HTC, the phone is great, but the marketing is sub-standard, hence they're suffering the same fate as BBRY, bleeding cash despite having excellent devices like the Z30.

"No Q10?" -> "Buy from Chen... "

[rhon3g]

Even here in saudi arabia, where BlackBerry is also popular, all BB10 are in10.1. I tried to update them but it did not went through. They should update the OS.

Posted via CB10

[iN8ter]

trsbbs, I think we need to differentiate this a bit. He's right about a full touch screen in the consumer game, but for corporate, keyboard still rules, hence the Q20 with tool belt to get all those Bold users to upgrade and phase out BBOS7.

You are right about the new HTC, the phone is great, but the marketing is sub-standard, hence they're suffering the same fate as BBRY, bleeding cash despite having excellent devices like the Z30.

"No Q10?" -> "Buy from Chen... "

Most of those BBOS7 users are still Consumers who bought cheap devices in developing markets.

Corporate users are only a blip in the overall massive smartphone market.

It's not 2006 anymore. Focusing on Keyboards and Tool belts won't do much to gain them much market share. Most other OEMs have dropped their keyboarded phones because they performed terribly compared to the full touch models.

And the small screens on the Q series devices make them unattractive offerings to a lot of media-junkie consumers. They don't even consider a phone that looks like that.

Businesses may buy them, but they'll be upgrading from Blackberries anyways, in most cases. That doesn't do much and they won't make much headway with that strategy. They'll just slow down the bleeding a little (cause other platforms will continue to eat away at them there).

Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Lenovo, Google, etc. are all going to be focusing pretty intently on corporate users moving forwards.

[RubberChicken76]

Very smart move to have someone go around to retail locations and make sure displays are up to date.

And expensive. Retailers can be arses. They know full well they have lots of companies that want product on their shelves so they refuse to do almost anything themselves.

[cgk]

I was surprised to find out yesterday that BBRY actually outspend HTC in North America and they spend $90 million on marketing and advertising:

Apple Closes U.S. Ad-Spending Gap With Samsung - Digits - WSJ

[lnichols]

I was surprised to find out yesterday that BBRY actually outspend HTC in North America and they spend $90 million on marketing and advertising:

Apple Closes U.S. Ad-Spending Gap With Samsung - Digits - WSJ

Wow. This just shows how poor the spending was. They spent a quarter of what Apple did, and you hardly saw anything.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

I was surprised to find out yesterday that BBRY actually outspend HTC in North America and they spend $90 million on marketing and advertising:

Apple Closes U.S. Ad-Spending Gap With Samsung - Digits - WSJ

Interesting.

[Troy Tiscareno]

I was surprised to find out yesterday that BBRY actually outspend HTC in North America and they spend $90 million on marketing and advertising:

This report is from all of 2013, which includes the BB10 launch. Out of this money, they paid for a Superbowl ad, co-branded TV ads with Verizon and AT&T, millions of flyers, the contracted street teams, the BB vans, and more. All of those display kiosk things they had in all of the carrier stores alone ate up a decent chunk of that budget, most of which have already been tossed in the trash by now.

The point being - much of what they spent represented a minimum of what is required for any company to succeed, and BB really needed to (be able to) spend much more, since not only were they trying to market a whole different OS and ecosystem, but also a brand new one that no one had ever heard of before. You can't launch an entirely new ecosystem and go "small."

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Have to say that during the early summer, I saw a number of adds on TV. Had to "rewind" the DVR to watch them.

Problem is they were pretty boring and didn't really highlight what the "HUB" was or how a BlackBerry was special. They were nothing like HTC ads showing a solid aluminum body being built (and they still struggled).

I agree with Troy, they need to spend much more than 90 Million to get the point across that BB10 isn't you parents BlackBerry. This year I think 80% of the budget is going to putting stickers on a car..... The fact is they weren't ready to launch and they knew it and they went into ot too timid and afraid they were going to fail. Look at Nokia/Microsoft... they spent big, and they were rewarded. No WP8 isn't breaking records, but it has soundly taken the 3rd spot that everyone talked about.

[ssbtech]

I wish shops around here would keep a tidy BlackBerry display.

The one at Future Shop is around the corner and away from all the other phones. The phones aren't running any demos, they're no up to date and the display seems to be a place for litter to be placed. Oh, and they only have a Q5 and a Z10.

Pathetic.

[chalx]

Same in my country. All displayed BB10 devices running 10.0.xxxx.

Posted via CB10

[Troy Tiscareno]

The one at Future Shop is around the corner and away from all the other phones. The phones aren't running any demos, they're no up to date and the display seems to be a place for litter to be placed. Oh, and they only have a Q5 and a Z10.

As the first post in this thread shows, it's up to the manufacturer to keep on top of their brand's displays, to make sure the phones are present, charged/powered up, updated, and working, and to keep the sales staff informed of the latest info.

Last week, someone was arguing with me on another post when I told them that Apple, Samsung, HTC, and LG all do this (the latter two send them out less often, but they do send them). It's part of the costs of doing business, and you can't expect to do well in the consumer market if you don't.

I'm sure The Gap would rather NOT pay people to re-fold sweaters 20 times a day, every day, in every store, forever, but again, that's part of the costs of the business they are in.

[mjdimer]

All BlackBerry seems to care about is up to the point where the device hits the store.

Samsung does as the OP stated, they want to ensure their devices are best represented in the store, and that the staff are trained, and love the devices.

Apple even ensures that their devices are in a unique spot, away from other brands. Bose does this also.

It's so simple, yet BlackBerry just doesn't seem to get it. Experience sells, and the decision, for the majority of people, it's made on the shop floor.

Posted via CB10