In response to Trent Abraham’s insightful blog post, I agree that BlackBerry’s biggest downfalls were that “the company failed to be forward thinking, deviated from its strategy, and is consequently nearing inferiority in an industry it once owned.”

To add on to what has been said, I believe that BlackBerry’s failure to dominant the smart phone market is mainly due to their lack of a distinct point of differentiation. Their signature keyboard with physical buttons is what they are well known for – it is user friendly amongst older generations and easy to type on. It’s a no fuss, no brainer solution made for everyone of any age. Keeping their most prominent point of differentiation was an vital component to their survival.

         

Instead of focusing on what they are known for, they strayed from their original brand reputation, confusing customers in the long run. In class, we learned that a company should propel their marketing strategies considering the mind sets of their customers first and foremost. Once upon a distant time, BlackBerry was placed at the top of the ladder when it came to user friendliness, thanks to their practical keyboard buttons. If they present their products differently from how they present their company, they will blur their main focus and as a result, BlackBerry’s popularity will ultimately suffer.

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