Blackberry unveils its newest device, the Blackberry Passport, early this month with an unconventional approach relative to other smartphones in the market. From its surprise guest at the launch (Wayne Gretzky) to the subtle snubs at iPhones, Blackberry is recognizing a new era for the company and embracing the original innovations that had first made Blackberry a pioneer for smartphones.
The marketing and operations team at Blackberry have been collaborating to make the Passport the comeback product of the century as executives decided to market the Passport towards their first and most loyal target consumers: corporate and enterprise executives in sectors of health, finance, military, and government in order to bring the company back from the brink of bankruptcy merely a year ago. Blackberry is now focusing on what the professional would need, as opposed to the typical app-infused smartphone user; in fact, CEO of Blackbery, John Chen, states that “the phone is intended to appeal to fewer than one in 10 smartphone users”.
Everything about the Passport is different or even strange compared to the other competitive smartphones on the market; Blackberry is no longer competing with Apple in a predetermined doomed battle but is instead attempting to revolutionize the smartphone market once again. The design team at Blackberry customized features solely for the professional, prioritizing tasks such as receiving and sending emails, editing documents and spreadsheets, and multitasking over more common tasks such as playing CandyCrush or Snapchatting.
As a faithful and loyal Blackberry user, I still believe in the Canadian company and am excited to witness the success of the Passport.
John Chen, CEO of Blackberry, proudly holds up the new Passport – his first product since he took over and revamped the company
References:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/blackberrys-chen-on-new-passport-big-screen-lower-cost-than-iphone/article20718050/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-passport-why-it-represents-the-crux-of-ceo-john-chen-s-strategy-1.2776759