BlackBerry has some tough choices upcoming. BB10 isn’t just another OS for BlackBerry, it has to be THE OS. And it’s primed to be, what with all the acquisitions RIM has made. Yet RIM’s challenge lies in getting the word out. The fact that BlackBerry has brand recognition could actually be to their disadvantage.
The original BlackBerry Bold dropped in 2008 and was well known for its (at the time) hi-res screen and fantastic keyboard. BlackBerry took the Bold in a different direction after that and made it the size of the Curve 8900, for certain a decision to be questioned… Is it a Bold? Is it a Curve? And it wasn’t until the release of the 9900 that the Berry lovin’ world really got another Bold stylized device. (Don’t speak of the 9650… It was a Tour, just deal.)
So when your flagship device is called the Bold and you’re trying to resurrect yourself with a different perspective, the one thing you don’t want to do is drag up the old names. I really don’t see BlackBerry naming the new device under the Bold line.
So why the #BeBold and #BoldMove campaigns? Well, honestly, I think its to keep BB7 devices moving int he meantime. Let’s face it, financially RIM is not in the best of places. $12 Million to Mike and Jim? Stock down to around $10, $11. And bleeding out by writing off inventory. What good would it do to use the old names?
BlackBerry has to ditch the old names, at least for the initial launch. Torch itsn’t going to cut it. It’s got a lot of poor connotations with it now. The first Torch device did not impress and the updated versions haven’t set the world on fire.
So without using an old name, BlackBerry is in the pain of a position to come up with a new one. You know what Ford did when they wanted to name a new car? They asked people; typical people. Lots of focus groups of their desired demographic. (That info was passed on to me by my Marketing teacher.) They ended up with quite a list which included the Cougar, the Mustang, and even the Pinto.
Model names can be tricky. Pearl I got; it had a pearl-like trackball. Curve? I don’t know. Bold; sure it was a big, bold piece of machinery. But those names have history and sadly are considered history. It is my belief that RIM cannot use any of those names for its QNX based phone.
BlackBerry needs to reinvent themselves. Remember how Jack in the Box did it by bringing Jack back? “Jack’s Back” YouTube video It made a statement. It reinvigorated the brand.
That is was BlackBerry needs now. If they rely on their current brand recognition, they will not like the results. It’s a new day. It’s a whole new Berry.
When the keyboarded version arrives, they can talk Bold, but I think the rest of the model names can die. What do you think? How can BlackBerry reinvent themselves? How can they continue to use the BlackBerry name and still give off a new vibe?
