"RIP Blackberry"

4 Nails in Blackberry’s coffin

Blackberry and Drake, The deal that never happened

Now that my cell phone contract is coming to an end, I like most have an interesting decision to make. With the iPhone iOS5 leading the charge and Samsung Android hot on their heels is it worth sticking to the new Blackberry 10?

#1 Nail: Blackberry & Drake – Thank him now:

For me, this was probably the biggest marketing miss of the decade.  When someone like Aubrey Drake  , who was arguably one of the most popular musicians and entertainers of 2011/2012 confesses to be a heavy Blackberry user and fan and the marketing team at Blackberry do nothing about it. Then I consider that a lost opportunity. How heavy a user is he you ask? Well, let’s put it this way. Every hit song he wrote on his ‘So far gone’ EP and most likely off his ‘Thank me later’ and ‘Take care’ LP was written on a Blackberry phone.  His produce ‘40’was quoted as saying that he couldn’t write a song in studio without it. While Drake, himself said that he just loved the feel of the keys on his fingers while he wrote. Advertising like that is priceless!

Honestly, if their marketing team misses an opportunity like that to market your product to a legion of fans. Then they should be fired. Even if the price tag to get Drake as a brand ambassador was high and seemed expensive, it would probably be chump change in comparison to the sales it would have generated and the youthful appeal it would have given to Blackberry phones. Throw in an exclusive App or two for Drake and the Young Money Cash Money crew and bang! They would probably have had a much needed second wind that would enhance the brand image.

#2 Nail: Playbook boo boo:

Well, this point doesn’t need much expansion. Just ask a friend who is about to make a tablet purchase, if they would even consider buying a Playbook. I'm sure you would probably get a few blank stares- they took far too long to release a competitor to the iPad or Galaxy Tab thus losing their edge and any…. They had too few apps that were compatiable . Resulting in them releasing an inferior product  . In a nutshell, it was too little, too late.

#3 Nail: To freeze or not to freeze:

It has now become a bit of a running joke with people comparing notes as to how many times their blackberry phone has frozen on them today. Funny as that joke maybe, it is probably some PR person’s nightmare. Word of mouth is a powerful tool and if it’s working against you it isn’t very easy to stop this runaway train. And ignoring it won’t make it go way either. RIM’s network issues have also popped up from time to time over the past while, which has led to a lot of questioning of the platforms stability and caused significant brand damage.  

#4 Nail: Bye, bye BIS: If the industry rumour mill is to be believed, Blackberry will soon be dropping their uncapped BIS in SA. Then Blackberry will soon be throwing away their only advantage they had left in the emerging markets. In a country where the cost of internet usage is still relatively high especially for students. It makes no sense that they would toss away a clear difference maker that would make them an ovious choice for cash strapped students who love surfing the net.

Being a Blackberry fan, it pains me to watch them shoot themselves in the foot (1 toe at a time).

And it begs the question: What on earth are they thinking? Is this the final nail in the coffin for RIM

1.       Would you buy the new Blackberry 10?

2.      Did you know Drake wrote songs on his Blackberry?

3.      Blackberry, iPhone, Android or Windows 8 - Which phone would you recommend?

Answer any question by leaving a comment below: