Rob Sandall's Blog

The technology company who once held a near-monopoly on the smartphone marketplace has taken another hit in the global market, falling 37 spots from 56th to 93rd in Interbrand’s annual list of best global brands. The fact that new Research in Motion products have been met with lukewarm response, such as the PlayBook, as well as the delay of the anticipated BlackBerry 10, have led to the freefall of the the Research in Motion brand. RIM is also plagued with harsh competition in the smartphone market, including the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy SIII, both of whom are already on the market while the BlackBerry 10 is awaiting release. Interbrand also noted that RIM’s shipments are down 41% in the past year, and their market share has fallen from 11.5% in 2011 to 4.8% now.

This is a clear example of what happens to a corporation when they stop innovating and lose their value proposition to the competition. It is much easier to maintain a good reputation in the market than to regain one, and it appears this is exactly what RIM is going to be forced to do. They must regain that competitive advantage that they rode for so long, and rehabilitate their global image, as well as the BlackBerry’s “cool factor” that Apple and Samsung have taken from them. Let’s hope the new BlackBerry 10 will be just the thing that RIM needs to recover its market share, because RIM’s margin for error is small, and this may be one of its last chances to redefine its image in the market before it is drowned by the competition.

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