RIM Co CEO Mike Lazaridis talking Playbook

WES renamed Blackberry World

      

     We kind of saw this one coming, and in an official announcement today RIM has rebranded the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) to BlackBerry World. A very fitting title given the history of the conference. It is definitely worldwide and the past few years we've seen our fair share of device announcements (maybe a Storm3 this year?!) and more. The conference will still hold the same breakout sessions, hands-on labs and certifications as in the past, while incorporating more from other areas of the BlackBerry platform as well. Attendees of BlackBerry World will be able to:

• Hear the most current information about the BlackBerry solution, new application partners, and roadmaps for the future
• See live demonstrations of the BlackBerry solution at work
• Get answers from BlackBerry experts to develop value-driven wireless solutions, as well as carriers and vendors who can help provide valuable wireless research information
• Meet and connect with key executives who are making the BlackBerry solution part of their business planning, and the industry leaders who are shaping the future of global wireless technology
• Get training on the BlackBerry platform, with additional opportunities for technical certification

The flagship BlackBerry conference will be entering its tenth year and will be held from May 3-5 2011 in Orlando FL. Registration opens in January. For more check out blackberry.com

Segmenting and Targeting Markets: If you're a market, watch out !

     We all have products. We use them, we wear them, and we even eat them. If you look at it in a more broad sense, our entire lives are made up of products. How does this affect us? Well, because our lives are filled with product after product, we as marketers have to work twice as hard to ensure the proper delivery to the consumer. Long away are the days of traditional business when one product and one segment were present. People have evolved, markets have shifted, and many characteristics make up a consumer.

     Let’s take Blackberry for instance. Blackberry started out with one idea: put into the hands of businessmen and businesswoman a device that could keep them connected to their clients and the office. They did just that, and then some. Their first market was undifferentiated and didn’t contain multiple segments. Now having five top selling smart phones, on the top four US carriers, Blackberry continues to expand and strengthen itself in each market.

     Let’s talk Curve. The Curve was a new breed of phone when first released and quickly, the non-business user gravitated toward it. Ironic, since now a large percentage of Curve users label themselves “personal” users. The Curve and The Storm were both developed and marketed to the younger, more leisurely customers and left The Bold for the business men and woman. Plus, with the increase in popularity of smart phones and applications such as facebook and twitter, Blackberry and other sellers are catering the services and the devices themselves to meet their needs. So RIM’S target market went from a small, general segment to a massive multi-segmented market.

Goldman Sachs / BMCC Leadership Program 2010 Final Presentation

   

  Learning should be a continual process throughout our lives. I had the opportunity this semester to be a part of the Goldman Sachs / BMCC Leadership Program and would like to share this experience. We began by being divided into teams and were given the task of creating a business proposal and presenting it at the end. I don’t believe any of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. The program kicked off and key note speakers came in to discuss a variety of topics including communication, presentation and relationship-building skills.

     My team, Innovative Solutions we appropriately named, decided to offer marketing, branding, and consulting services to clients who were small business owners. After 8 weeks, we had our final presentation. Much preparation went into this and I am happy to say, it was a solid presentation.

     The program had very little downsides and more benefits than anything I’ve ever been a part of thus far. Working in a group setting was different, but we all we able to adapt and quickly became acclimated with each other’s way of doing business. We met on a consistent basis and often times, on weekends or whenever possible. Communication was important and I can mention that my entire inbox on my Blackberry contains over 60 emails from my team. Thank you T-mobile for that data plan!

     The experience was amazing and I feel like I have grown individually both in the personal and professional sense. As marketers, we’re selling a good or service. As people, we are selling ourselves. This means that we are truly a product in and of itself and just as the products we market, investments should be made. Investing into improving your skills and character can only help never hurt you. Below are several slides from the presentation and pictures I shot of my team members.

To view slide and zoom, please click:





India wants Blackberry access: As security risk or privacy issue ?

Click on the picutre to see the Reuters article.

Hey can I see your Blackberry? Usually this means you just want to look at someone’s phone but in India, it means something completely different.  The Indian government wants access to companies using the RIM Blackberry server because of increased security risk.

Developing and Managing Products: Bringing Life to a Product

As a consumer, we see thousands of new products on a daily basis. What distinguishes these products as new products? A new product is NOT a modification of a younger model. For example, The Curve by Blackberry is a model that has modifications and newer technology but is not a new product. A new product would be, the Blackberry Torch released earlier this year.When releasing new products, we the marketer must incorporate many strategies to help the product reach the consumer. This includes functions such as Research and Development (R&D), business analysis, and testing. So many factors play a pivotal role in the success of a new product.

When Blackberry released the Torch, much of the force behind the product came from consumer, research and market analysis. Iphone and Droid had been leading the mobile technology world in touch screen devices, and Blackberry attempted to compete with the Blackberry Storm. The Storm didn’t compete as well across the touch-screen field and thus, the Torch was created.



As discussed in an earlier blog post, products go through a life cycle- very much like life itself: Birth, Life, and death. The cycle isn’t as heavy but the cycle begins with the introduction or conception. After the release it begins to grow and reaches maturity. Unfortunately in the last stage, decline, the product loses momentum and sales decrease.

If you look at statistics and market research, decline usually corresponds to a new product release or modification. How ironic. We, as the marketer, must continually be finding new strategies and tactics to keep the product in the growth and maturity stages for as long as possible. To accomplish this, a strong effort and initiative on our end must be present that gives the product enough momentum to sell. Think of it as a rocket. If you had a perfectly designed rocket, yet no fuel, no lift would occur. If that rocket had only a small amount of fuel, it wouldn’t reach the heights it could if it were to be properly fueled. Further, if you want to get to your destination, you need to make sure there is gas in the car. Otherwise, you’re broken down on the side of the I-4 outside Orlando, Florida like I was at 17 years old.

Customer Relationship Management

Business cannot be business without one thing: relationships. Relationships between manufacturers and retailers, retailers and consumers, and consumers and manufacturers. With this cycle comes CRM, or Customer Relationship Management.

Although it covers several aspects of the consumer and their purchasing behaviors, CRM seeks to identify, integrate, and implement information gathered from every customer the company has interacted with.

Let's take Blackberry for example. Blackberry is the brand that attaches itself to the devices to which Research In Motion manufacturers. Without any formal brick-and-mortar establishments, Blackberry must maintain its relationships with the customers through integrated channels.

When we as marketers develop plans to carry out objectives, we look toward the data and information from our consumer base. This data helps us formulate detailed initiatives that can be customized according to the consumer and their specific market.

Consumer's in business today, are fearful of providing information to marketers and companies due to privacy. The important thing to keep in mind, I feel is to maintain a strong relationship with our customers and keep their trust instilled in us.

Interesting enough, the data and information collected could be even more valuable to a company than just sales. Should a company go under, and close its doors, the data stored could be deemed an asset and sold to debtors.

The bottom line here is relationship building and maintenance. Without this link any effort, whether internal or external is made in vain and destructive to the overall operations of the company.

Integrated Marketing Communications- The mix of all mixes.

There is one main goal of someone in business. I wish it’s changed, but it hasn’t. The main goal of any promotion is to get someone to buy a good or service. For the marketer, this means we must use all aspects of the promotion mix and integrate our marketing efforts. It is our ultimate job to communicate and get the product to the consumer.

Companies today want to show competitive advantage and that can become difficult when the audience is not tuning in. Our job – we have many of them- is to present the message through valuable mediums and channels and effectively enable our target audience to reach a – positive- decision about our product.

Promotion is pivotal to get product information to our core target audience. Promotion is a valuable and essential part of marketing and success.  Take the book required for this course, MRKTG edition 4. This book has to include personal selling and promotion both to the consumer and retailer. The publisher, most likely, went to schools, and then targeted the professors teaching this subject. This is where personal selling comes in. Why this book? What makes this book different than another one I used last year? These questions are answered by the personal sales representative. Lastly, the core consumers- students like me pulled into buying book after book- are targeted and offered promotions to obtain the book that they – the marketer- planned from the first.”Hello”. Welcome to Marketing Integration.

Personal Blogs have made companies go from bad to good and from good to bad. Fortunately, for Blackberry, the latter has not happened and blogs such as Crackberry.com have helped Blackberry generate and maintain customers for the company. The truth is, Crackberry is a mini-Blackberry corporation. Amazing really, how this blog started and became a staple for the millions of Blackberry users and skeptics.

Blackberry, perfectly balances the communication between its manufacturer, retailer, consumer and back to manufacturer. The main reason Blackberry has remained strong through the years is this communication. Blackberry has integrated with several platforms and increased its brand because of it. With every facet of the company integrated, Blackberry really is an IMC powerhouse.

Sales Promotion and Personal Selling- Would You Buy Me ?

           For Blackberry, selling products has been growing more and more difficult. With consumers evolving, manufacturers like RIM, have to meet those new customers’ needs and continue to have a good relationship with current customers. Through this process, Sales Promotions and Personal Selling definitely come into play here. As costs of Advertising and Marketing rise through high-traffic channels, companies like Blackberry are turning to a more cost effective way to market: Personal Selling.

Because of today’s Blackberry customer, who is more diverse and eclectic than in previous years, new initiatives and promotions must be outfitted differently; Different sales promotions for different buyers. Several programs are effective however; Blackberry only participates in a few. One use of Blackberry’s promotion strategy is their competitor customers approach. With new devices and manufacturers emerging, the company must be on their toes- constantly. The newest devices released were the Blackberry Torch and the new Curve from the series of the same name. A visible implementation of this strategy is seen with their release of the aforementioned models. As promotions were offered for the device, at comparable prices to similar mobile carriers, competitors were on the same level as Blackberry with regards to price-point.

Rebates are another sales promotion Blackberry and Research in Motion offers. Rebates are given after the initial purchase is made and the documents for the rebate, with a valid sales receipt (proof of purchase), is submitted to the rebates department. With these offers, customers can be comforted that their purchase of the device is a good one given the company’s reputation, quality and price.



Referrals are an important selling strategy that Blackberry and other companies rely on. Word-of-mouth marketing is valuable and caused companies like Facebook, and other businesses to gain national and in Facebook’s case, worldwide acclaim. 

Since a majority of Blackberries devices are sold through third party distributors or retailers, Blackberry’s follow-up is done through these parties. When a sale is made through T-mobile for instance, Blackberry may receive the data and information of the customer and the sale itself however, T-mobile deals direct to the customer and thus removing Blackberry or Research In Motion from its involvement in following up with the customer.

Maybe-just maybe- Blackberry get more involved in the selling process. I don’t think removing retailers who “push” their devices and produces should be eliminated, but as a Blackberry owner myself, it’d be nice to share my thoughts about issues or products should I feel inclined to do so. Remove the middle man from the customer service side of things and Blackberry could strengthen its efforts when creating sales promotions and engaging in personal selling. 

Weekly Shout-Out goes to: T-Mobile

I just recently saw this advertisement for T-Mobile's My Touch 4G device. They modeled the commercial after Apple's "I'm a Mac" segments and actually did a great job. Considering Apple has a innovative and creative commercials, T-mobile will get customers and consumers to listen using this model. Shout out to T-mobile.

Check out the video....

Advertising and PR - Blackberry and Beyond

Be Bold. Blackberry. Love what you do on BBM. Being innovative and creative in a company’s approach to consumers is essential for the marketer. The problem is what sells? What captivates and educates the consumer in little time? The fact is in today’s world we, the marketer, have a few seconds to catch someone’s eye or ear and generate interest for a product, service, or brand. Blackberry, has been pouring millions into its advertising and marketing campaigns and has broadened its reach over the past couple of years.

With competitors itching toward leadership in market share, a brand must keep up with the Joneses’ in their advertising initiatives. Until recently, Blackberry was word-of-mouth marketing that started in business offices around the globe and eventually filtered down to the everyday mobile device consumer. No longer can companies count on a word-of-mouth initiative with new products and developments. In order for our market share to be as high as or higher than the competition, we must reach out.

Apple had great success at the beginning of the 21^st century by engaging consumers with bright, fun, and innovative advertisements that generated interest and revenue almost immediately. Blackberry recently did this with the new Curve series and now, the new Blackberry Torch. BBM, or Blackberry Messenger, is a utility unique to devices that enables the user to send unlimited messages of any length to other Blackberry Messenger “buddies”. This gives the owner privacy, efficiency, and other features at lightning-fast speed on the network. This campaign has been quite successful and the use of BBM in media such as television and movies has been an advertising campaign in itself. The Bravo television show “NYC Prep” consistently used the term, “BBM” throughout its season. CW’s “Gossip Girl” also drops the Blackberry Messenger utility as an event for the opposite user: “BBM me.”

          With the release of the new Blackberry Torch, the company is currently using a continuous media schedule and engaging in new product publicity. Media is seen everywhere; especially in the advertising capital of the world- New York. Billboards, subway advertisements, and print all have the brand splattered about in them and momentum is strong.

The fact is the smarter the consumer gets, the smarter we as markets must be to meet their needs and wants. Deciphering the means to which potential customers receive these “signs” is a large undertaking-one that requires research, persistence, and a great amount of risk. To quote one of my favorite shows, “Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness.”

Retailing Per a Class Discussion

After a class discussion, my mind still spins on the subject of retailing. The shift of retailers over the years has been drastic for some and static for others. With competitors battling it out for the highest ownership of the market, companies have to make the right decisions when it comes to stores.

Apple made a smart decision while other computer stores were closing down to build an image and experience. Small boutiques that once occupied shopping centers and malls now stand alone and continue to thrive. On the other side of the spectrum, many a store has closed after its opening due to many factors. Stores operate effectively when the communities around them find the products useful, and affordable. The fact that 50 percent of specialty stores go out of business after one year is intimidating to entrepreneurs. However, should a company or business have a good or services that are needed or attractive, this risk is worth the taking.

In a day where technology is constantly evolving, retail stores continue to thrive. Blackberry, with very little brick and mortar stores, may be hesitant to begin opening stores to avoid the risk of failure. This is unfortunate given blackberry shares a very even market share with iPhone which has done very well under the Apple umbrella.

I envision a sophisticated, innovative and inviting store with Blackberry products. Departments could be split into divisions: Business, Gaming and Entertainment, and Blackberry World. The business division could provide products, support and solutions for businesses and give companies and business men and woman a place to call home. The gaming and entertainment would be ground zero for all things entertainment. The social media user's best friend and contained all in one place. Blackberry World could be the place for the everyday user. Everything you want in a phone from the company who is the leader in mobile technology.

Concepts are easy. Implementing them is a different story. I hope that Blackberry and other businesses take the risk and create a moving experience in the retail world.

New Blackberry Playbook Leaked

Developing A Global Vision: Global Marketing Strategy

     With newer markets holding untouched opportunity today, marketers are taking advantage of every possibility they can to reach every consumer. With technology comes the ease of reaching these markets faster, more efficiently, and in their native language with little effort. What about the current market? How do we retain their business and  loyalty: The internet.

     RIM and Blackberry have done their homework by creating the easiest platform to which marketers can reach their audience. The newest member of the strategy team is not a human and does not have a 401 K. The answer is found on the web with sites like Handango for Blackberry and other devices. Consumers now have the availability and option to update, customize, and add software and application onto their device like never before. This is a distribution effort that has been working for other mobile carriers in recent years and continues to show positive results each quarter. Blackberry has now developed its own application superstore, Blackberry App World, and it has been successful on its own since its release. 

     Blackberry continues to branch out in their marketing efforts; they even brought on a new advertising agency in June of 2010 called, The Next Door who would be responsible for their global campaign. This collaboration will enable the company to have access to large markets and the populations that are growing in them. 

     It seems as though Blackberry’s strongest market besides the United States is China and the Far East. China is excelling in technology development and creating software and products at a rate faster than any other on the planet. A majority of Blackberry’s exports go to places like China due to demand and dependability of the server. Blackberry, though many would think these days, manufacturers their devices mostly in Canada and has very few objectives bringing production and distribution away from Canada. I like to think of Blackberry as the Apple of Canada. 

     Blackberries, much like the fruit, are found across the globe due to development, outreach, and strong relationships being built in newer markets to establish the brand abroad. With competition strong, it is necessity to maintain the objectives and goals internally, while supplying the consumer with the good and service they expect with a name like Blackberry.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review

The Marketing Environment - Cool, Calm, Collected

 

Imagine an atmosphere of extreme success, longevity, and developments. This environment is ideal for any entrepreneur or small business in the market yet; few ever achieve this heightened success. One such company who has grown tremendously and still maintains strong market share: Blackberry. In this environment, marketing is an essential and crucial necessity that has been utilized from the creation and development of Blackberry by Research In Motion.

When Blackberry set out in the late 90’s, it wanted to create a user-friendly device that enabled the consumer to run 24-7; and that it did.  The target market for the brand was traditionally business professionals and the everyday cellular user was not a part of their market. Fast forward 15 years and you’ll find Blackberry has opened its target market to Generation Y and beyond. Helping them to hold their established and loyal customers and gain a deeper market penetration for new customers in a competitive environment.

Consumers want a phone that works and works well. Performance is crucial and if you intend on having any bit of success, you should start at product development. Research in Motion has invested a considerable amount of money and time into this area. With product development, goods have the ability to reach newer markets, ultimately creating new initiatives and objectives within the organization.

Blackberry, most recently, teamed up with MetroPCS to offer the Blackberry Curve and service, giving Blackberry a new market: Low Income families and individuals who couldn’t afford the old Blackberry price tag. Until recently, devices still had a hefty price tag affixed to them thus distancing themselves from consumers who couldn’t buy. By providing the Blackberry device and services with MetroPCS, Blackberry joined the 2.8 Core Market consumers and 4.6 million customers and was able to tap into an even larger consumer base. Considering 51 percent of MetroPCS’ customers are under 34 years of age, Blackberry made a smart move in this effort.

The environment is simple at Blackberry and anyone that is a part of the organization can attest to this. Devices are faster, thinner, and cheaper than in times past and loyalty is formed through those efforts. Holding fast to core values and objectives while serving the consumers needs is equally profitable and successful with Blackberry. As long as their marketing environment is strong and creative, they will continue to blossom.

Social Responsibility of RIM and Blackberry

Research In Motion is involved in many community events and sponsorship opportunities. Unfortunately, one of their recent ‘involvements’ was during the wake of Haiti Disaster. Blackberry users received a BlackBerry Messenger message with regards to the relief fund setup.

Over the past few days some BlackBerry owners have received a new BBM stating that RIM is donating 35 cents every time the BBM is passed on. According to RIM, that's not true.

The message was marked with a Red Cross symbol. It read:

"Because of what has transpired in Haiti recently, Blackberry has decided to help out and give 35 cents for the cause when you pass this message along to your friends on BBM (btw how blackberry sees this is through their Red Cross symbol)."

This fake fundraising message put Blackberry in a bad social light. Especially since the Haiti efforts were something not to be taken lightly. RIM responded to this falsification of information stating it was indeed a ‘spam’ effort and made sure the public was aware.

Research In Motion has been involved in numerous sponsorships, most notably sporting events and fundraising campaigns. Blackberry has sponsored the Asian Tour, a golfing event and the Formula 1 racing event.

Blackberry is the current sponsor for U2’S 360 degree 2010 Tour. This comes after it sponsored the Black Eyed Peas World Tour. They have been backing large groups as these for some time now and have branded everything imaginable at these events. Commercials have been made and distribution materials given out at the event, etc.

Blackberry teamed up with eBay this past month to support the Motion Picture & Television Fund which been caring for the entertainment community. The MPTF provides healthcare, child care, residential living and care for older adults, as well as social and charitable services.

RIM is an intricate part of the Canadian workforce and the community as a whole. Internally, RIM provides healthcare services, onsite massage services and discounted gym memberships to promote the wellness of their employees. They support education and are involved many charitable events even having a Philanthropy Team established that is responsible for reviewing new proposals and continuing their community involvement.

This involvement is crucial in surviving in an ever-changing world and enables the company to gain support by those a part of these causes. Although very little support and social responsibility has been placed in the America’s, Research In Motion continues to be a valuable link to the societal chain in Canada, its home base.

Strategy and CSR of Research in Motion

Blackberry, over the years, has evolved and grown into a global brand but, where did this evolution stem from? When the device was first released, its marketing strategy was simple: The phone that has the features they don’t. Blackberry was the first of its kind and the consumers learning about its kind quickly became aware of this. How then did they become the largest mobile phone manufac
turer? One word: Strategy.



Since those early days, Research in Motion has made titanic changes to its marketing strategy. The device itself started losing momentum after the release of Apple’s Iphone and RIM had to act quickly. The brand was shifted from the phone’s performance to the features it contained.


Probably one of the smartest and most emotional marketing objectives, Blackberry formed the brand around the concept that this wasn’t just a phone with bells and whistles rather, a lifestyle. This lifestyle pulled in consumers from all ends of the spectrum. Gone now are the days of business men and woman lugging around their Blackberry Curve’s for constant notification and communication with their employers. Consumers were buying for reasons such as entertainment experience, quality video and sound, and uncanny service. This strategy propelled the brand into the upper echelon of mobile technology and service, winning numerous awards, accolades, and notoriety.


Competitors to Blackberry similar to Iphone devices could not keep up with this product innovation thus creating a sustainable competitive advantage. Since the target market shifted from strictly business professionals, the brand has grown to incorporate a younger, hipper, tech-savvy consumer, bringing to their core market social networking fiends and more.


RIM has been an intricate part of society and cooperates with giving and donating time, goods, services, and of course money. Substantial expenditures have been made to Canadian-based facilities to promote education in the physics realm. The most recent involvement has been with environmental sustainability giant Greenpeace, seeking solutions to environmental dilemmas and promoting positive eco-friendly choices within society (http://www.greenpeace.org).


Bottom line here is: Research in Motion has had tremendous growth in an ever-changing, expanding market and continues to strive for excellence. Creating a strong brand, engaging the customer’s needs, and have a position in positive social affairs will keep Blackberry and RIM on the platform of worldwide domination.

BlackBerry Mission Statement and Brief History

Blackberry is a brand that was created by Research in Motion’s (RIM) Founder Mike Lazaridis in 1996, providing wireless web enabled devices across multiple networks. RIM is a Canadian based company founded in 1984 that formally worked with RAM and Ericsson, developing a two way paging system and wireless email network.

The company’s goal and vision is clear: “to provide solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market, including the software that allows the BlackBerry Smartphone to provide mobile access to email, applications, media and the Internet.” (RIM website: http://www.rim.com/company)

Since the creation of Blackberry, it commands over 20% of the world’s Smartphone sales, available in over 91 countries on over 500 mobile service operators. Blackberry has sold over 100 million devices and still trumps the Iphone is sales since its development.


With the development of the New Blackberry Torch we see the progress that Blackberry has made. Not only does Blackberry dedicate so much time and funds to research and development, but they have successfully built the brand strong and have reached different demographics in the past 5 years than any other company.


There is no doubt that Blackberry has been, and will continue to be, the leader in research and development in wireless realm.