Marketing Blog Post 4: Which Blackberry? The fruit, the phone, or the firm?

Here’s my confession: before coming to Canada not so long ago, I was not even aware that BlackBerry is a Canadian brand, and the name RIM was something completely foreign to me. Two years into my stay in Canada, now I can not only recognize these names, but also comprehend some BlackBerry’s lingo, such as BBM. However, it still frustrates me that my family and friends back in Asia have virtually no knowledge about this company, or if they know one thing or two, they believe it’s an American entity. They can’t be blamed though, after all, the name BlackBerry appears in far more Hollywood movies than in any Canadian productions. Thus, in my opinion, the recent developments in RIM’s marketing strategy, which include the release of the newest BlackBerry Z10, among other things, is a strategic, yet necessary move by the firm to reinforce its position in the smartphone market.

The new BlackBerry Z10

My classmate Karen Lee mentioned that RIM’s change of name is part of the promotion strategy. I wholeheartedly agree with this. I am also on the same page with Karen on how this name change will allow them to capitalize on their existing reputation. The company could afford to rebrand itself because of its existing strong brand. BlackBerry management knows that the consumers will not resist to this change to such an extent that they would replace their familiar product with one from the competitor. Thus, in my opinion, this name switch is simply a natural response of the company to many misconceptions or misidentifications on the consumers’ part that have been working to the company’s advantage. Making it easier for the customers to identify and refer to the company by taking on the household name will facilitate the decoding stage in the communication process between BlackBerry and its consumers, as well as increasing brand awareness (the first A in the AIDA model) among the market.

BlackBerry also named R&B diva Alicia Keys as its Global Creative Director. During her “initiation” speech, Alicia Keys affectionately referred to BlackBerry as the other end of her “long-term relationship”. Such celebrity endorsement will surely augment the interest and desire from the consumers for the product (the I and D in the AIDA model).

Alicia Keys at the release of BlackBerry Z10

That’s quite an impressive campaign. I’m curious to know how many consumers will actually be persuaded by these messages. To be honest, I don’t see myself switching from my Android phone to a BlackBerry any time soon.

Karen Lee’s Blog http://sittingatthecrossroads.wordpress.com/