It’s no secret that Research in Motion is going through a tough time right now, and sits in the shadow of Google’s Android OS on an army of brands, and also Apple’s iPhone that is on another level when you look at the sales of any other phone. RIM is not taking the beating lying down and is actively promoting its products, which most recently includes a new batch of BlackBerry Bold ads that have a strong message.
You can see RIM’s determination with the message contained in these BlackBerry commercials, and we’ve embedded two of their recent ads below this article. One explains that BlackBerry “mean business” and their users need tools rather than toys, although the other video pushes reasons “to be Bold“. After watching the reactions to both these videos it seems the message is not working with Android and iPhone users, which is seen with comments like “I’ve never been more proud to own an iPhone“. We’ve also seen Android users explain that their phone is “just as good for business as any BlackBerry“.
You got to give it to RIM’s CEO, he’s taking action — if you don’t change then nothing in a business can change and this is something we see missing from many failing businesses. After RIM reported a $125 million loss last week and sales heading one way, this seems just the right time for RIM’s new CEO to take major action to try and turn things around. There are a lot of rumors pointing to big names leaving RIM, these include senior executives, and you can see more details on this in this article.
It’s a good idea to change people not innovating in the correct ways, but if RIM bring in new talent they got to make sure these people can create new innovation for BlackBerry that not only keeps up with the likes of Apple/Android, but also does it a different way. The last thing we need is another copycat brand.
If positive results are to come it will not be anytime soon — it’s worth pointing out that you can expect to see bad results for a couple of quarters yet, although the stern changes being made now are needed if anything is to improve. The real challenge will be to connect with millions of phone users jumping on the iPhone and Android bandwagon.
Have a watch of the BlackBerry Bold ads below and let us know if you think they could save RIM? Could you imagine a world without BlackBerry, especially in the business world? The real challenge now for RIM and BlackBerry is the ability to innovate, and this is needed to turn things around. What would you like to see from BlackBerry over the next 12 months?
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