If a Tree Falls in the Woods.. written by Greg
If you’re into BlackBerry at all, you’ve noticed this week that Research In Motion has taken to the written word and interviews to get some damage control out in full force. Maybe not full force, but out there for consumption if you’re looking. To be honest, if you weren’t following a BlackBerry fan site, you may not have heard about any of it and that’s my issue.
BlackBerry is a global name; Heins proved that by letting us know that it’s the number one brand in South Africa. So, if you’re going for a media blitz, you really need to cover your whole base. I know that the United States is where BlackBerry has taken its main beating and that is where RIM wants to focus it’s “comeback”. Yet, the media blitz didn’t hit the U.S., as far as I can tell. I did a quick search on major U.S. news sites and found that the most recent thing reported was the job cuts. None of them seemed to have info that Thorsten Heins had written an editorial in the Globe and Mail or that he answered 10 personally selected questions asked by the public.
I don’t watch the news all day. I don’t often pick up the newspaper. I do, on occasion, hear tidbits from friends who have watched or read something about RIM or BlackBerry. In short, I’m not a typical citizen in how I get my news. My Twitter feed in heavily leaned towards tech news. I’m able to get what news I would find important, not necessarily what’s being fed to the masses. So, I don’t know how much of the message got across to the general public.
As the old saying goes, “If a tree falls in the woods, and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” If RIM didn’t get their message out to anyone but some hardcore followers, did it make an impact? Well, I can’t say for sure, but I do know that RIMM has been up the last two days. I know that several people have been very pleased hearing that the people of BlackBerry understand their dire straits. From the idea that they’ve got one shot-hit or miss to the hard choice made to push BB10 back so that it is in fact flawless, it seems that Thorsten has his head on straight, hand on the helm, and is actually paying attention to icebergs. (Wow, slipped right back into that Titanic analogy again…)
For the record, let me say this: Even if BB10 does not launch well and does not save BlackBerry, I do not foresee RIM ceasing to exist. The parent company has a great deal more going on than just the BlackBerry handsets and tablets. With QNX, TAT, Torch Mobile, and other acquisitions, plus the patents and infrastructure, I believe RIM could continue to be its own company long after any funeral services were held for its hardware organization. Yet, I hold my hope. I am BlackBerry by choice and will continue to be as long as possible.
Next time, maybe sit down on a talk show, or put your editorial in the USA Today or New York Times. Hold a news conference even. Record a video statement and release it to the news channels. This is not the summer Olympics’ diving competition where the smaller the splash the better off you are. It’s the cannonball competition; make waves.
Still BlackBerry by choice. Still waiting, and yes, it is the hardest part. Still behind you, RIM. Let’s rock and roll this!
