Blackberry..A Marketing revival?

A look of the stock graph below, gives only one logical solution; that it is time to get out before one gets erased from the map.

But in a shock to the business community, RIM has decided to back out. BB has not cut itself into pieces and sold itself off to the other competitors waiting to pounce of the valuable R&D that RIM had built up over the years. Maybe a few optimistic consumers might even dream to imagine a revival?

For once RIM could now stop thinking about bailing out on the mobile business & focus forward. Sure the heydays of supremacy might be over (at least for the short run), but the future for no reason need not be bright. Especially with multiple developing nations kicking into the act.

Blackberry's following in the business community was that strong that many Consumers struggled to use the IOS & Android platforms even though they were becoming popular. Then RIM themselves launched quite a few gems in Bold & Torch - but the marketing effort could be rated as 'poor' at best.

Blackberry might have even reacted quite a bit late when the disruptive technologies driving today's smartphones had come along, but react they did on the technology front; but the marketing campaign was a lot left to be desired for. 

The demise as I had indicated in http://fmcg-marketing.blogspot.in/2011/04/who-are-blackberry-boys.html started when RIM according me played their Defensive strategy incorrectly.

Instead of protecting their core faithful, they sprayed around their ammunition to capture the youth - the growing market. It was a matter of time before the fad of Android & IOS became the norm and bulldozed its way through the business community too.

I see no reason to believe that BB as a brand cannot become a powerhouse once again - Addressing the needs of the erstwhile core faithful, who I may add are definitely up for grabs.

Every manager & businessman from Junior levels till top management, crave for a better work management system. Tech cos are constantly trying to address different company needs through technology, but the gap still exists on manaer managing his own time - trying to make himself/herself more efficient. Oh sure there are apps in the market for such stuff, but no dedicated devices - made, built, positioned for business efficiency.

This is where RIM was successful & this is where they should re-enter as a Niche player. Understand that the pie to be captured here is not only the devices & its market share, but the amount of cyclic revenue that the professional crowd brings in.

There are people looking for a Harley Davidson kind of rise from the phoenix, & it is possible if it can be marketed right.

Who are the Blackberry Boys?

Raving reviews of O&M's new look for Vodafone Blackberry users. Now Blackberry services are no longer accessible only to the top & premium segment.

All guns blazing, anyone who can afford it, please access it.

The advertisement in itself, I agree is quite clutter-breaking & different. A group of typical top management executives dance to a catchy tune of being the ‘Blackberry Boys’. Then comes in a guy in summer wear & is followed by many more facets representing the Indian youth populace.

A simple & clear communication that a Blackberry is for everyone.

I agree that the market for smart phones have opened up; & coupled with growing consumerism, many companies have started betting big & spending top money to lure the young Indian.

Nokia is the company getting hurt, their dwindling market share, especially within the smart phone segment has been led by the growth of Blackberry & other competitors.

Now that the context has been set, the question I’m raising here is Blackberry’s strategy. Especially for a high involvement product – a smart phone costing upwards of 10 grand.

The manager who is paying top rupee to purchase the phone with the most gizmos & easiest access to business usage will now have his favorite Blackberry Bold being used by one and all. 

How is Research-In-Motion (RIM) differentiating between these varied sets of target groups by launching an umbrella Blackberry campaign?

Nokia had successfully managed to do the same by having extensions for their various consumer segments & price points. But within Blackberry these distinctions do not seem to come out that strongly. 

Not to say that Blackberry needs to go the Nokia way, but just to bring about the argument that it is easy for a smart company to take Blackberry’s place in the premium segment.

I thought maybe a HTC, but their recent strategy seems to be nothing in line, it seems like all the companies need their phones to be sold to anybody & everybody who can buy them.

Maybe something as basic as Targeting needs to be relooked.