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I would use this as the slogan. YOu flirt with phones and get a new one every 6 months, but once you get a BB you will always stay with it through thick and thin!
The 8800 pics and specs look sleek and impressive. I would do a marketing campaign based around three major ideas.
- Security
"So Secure the DOD uses it"
I would get someone like Jack Bauer for advertisements and really beef up the security qualities.
- Navigation- "True 1-Hand navigation, give the ball a whirl" Do a comparison with a treo or windows mobile device and show quick comparisons how the trackball is key.
MOST IMPORTANT-
- Give the 8800 to the top 10 male and female actors today and include Paris Hilton, Evangeline Lilly, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey.
- Have Oprah introduce it on her show. BINGO! She loves blackberries.
- Give Pharrell a blinged out one and feature it in hip hop magazines.
I would also do a magazine and tv blitz of commercials. Have a few commercials showing the device in the real world....
- emt/ doctor guy responding to a call, pulling up medical history of patient. Zoom out to black and play beaty music like the budweiser select commercials.
- ceo/father getting off of a g3 to see pics of his baby in the tub and calling... you get it.
- show angry couple in car, whip out gps capabilites...
- college student- typing his notes in class and emailing them to his pc...
tag line should be... "Yeah it can do that too"
Rim should also make a deal with all wireless partners to offer an additional 50 dollars off the device when you trade in an older blackberry. This trade in should also not have a service charge (verizon).
'got blackberry?' (a play on the got milk campaign)
and, of course, for all the ladies, we could sink an 8800 in the top of a chippendale-guy's thong - the blackberry name/logo squarely between a well-defined six-pack - this the tag line...
'do you have this number?'
heh... ok, so it'd take a small miracle for the canadian folk to step out on the wild side, but these would certainly get me to notice...
peace all,
stac.
p.s. - by the way, ads that concentrate on features don't get people's attention folks... sex does. and the 8800 is sex.
The tune would be just 1 to 2 seconds long. It would be played at the end of BlackBerry TV and radio commercials. You could even program it to play when your mouse moved over a BlackBerry ad on a web page. Sort of the modern version of a jingle, but shorter and less obvious.
This way, you get people to associate the sound with BlackBerry. It's mostly subconcious and almost subliminal at first. But after people have heard it for the hundredth time, they will likely be reminded every time they hear it.
Starting with the 8800, you could program it as the default start-up sound. So when somebody turns on their new BlackBerry, the people around them hear the BlackBerry sound. This could add to the viral nature of marketing BlackBerry.
The marketing campaign for a new BlackBerry must appeal to a large cross-section of users. In advertising the 8800 it will be important to highlight the elements of the 8800 that have already made BlackBerry smartphone of choice for millions of users:
- Dependability
- Simplicity
- Elegance
- Style
- Fun
These key elements (and perhaps others) have universal appeal and have been a part of the BlackBerry for years. There are two other companies that come to mind with similar user demographics and product appeal: Motorola and Apple. Both companies have done amazingly well in marketing their products across an incredibly diverse user base.
The first step in marketing the new BlackBerrys will be the campaign slogan. If we look at Motorola and Apple the simplicity and elegance of their slogans "Hello Moto" and "Think Different" embody some of the key elements of the products themseleves. BlackBerry will need to do some work in this department. I have no recollection of any cool BlackBerry slogans (and if you can't remember it then a slogan has not done it's job). A few possible slogans that come to mind are:
"Anywhere? Everywhere." (a little too generic, but not bad)
"Connect Everywhere." (the word "connect" is a little too cold and technical)
"Touch Anywhere." (my personal favorite ... adds a subtle sexual connotation ... hey, sex sells!)
BlackBerry is, ultimately, a mobile communication device and, so, a slogan must reflect the freedom and mobility of the device.
The second major component of the marketing campaign will need to be imagery. Here, too, the demographic becomes a challenge. How can one market to students, professionals, engineers, educators, government, etc all at once? Once again, the key elements of the device (Dependability, Simplicity, Elegance, Style and Fun) each possess universal appeal. What I envision for TV and print adds would be snapshots of various scenarios of the 8800 in use:
- someone in business-class on a plane
- well dressed people in a bar
- a woman sliding the device into (or out of) a small purse
- a man sliding the device into the inside pocket of a suit jacket
- the device in use with headphones as an MP3 player
- note-taking on the device in a lecture hall or classroom
- walking and talking on the device as a phone
The imagery must all be simple and elegant. Closeup shots of the devices showing clean simple lines. Many different environments should be seen in the backgrounds. The individuals using the device should be of various ages and classes. The multi-purpose use of the device must be clear. In all instances the device should be shown without a case or protector to highlight the portability and durability.
The technical aspects of the device would not need to be a major component of the marketing campaign. BlackBerry is already well know for its push-email solution (and the layman understanding of push-email has been blurred by competitive solutions in the field). It is more important that the 8800 be seen as the solution of choice for any lifestyle rather than a technically superior device.
The Slogan : "pin me"
a build up campain
Billboards all over major cities with "pin me" posted 2 months before launch...people will ask...What is that "pin me" all about?
also full page mag ads with "pin me"
then clser to launch, TV spots showing quick peaks of the sexy new fon and "pin me"
then at launch week add the 8800 and BB logo to the billboards and "pin me" tag line.
also full magazine ads with the fon and tag line with full feature explaination with carriers
alot of girls and some guys in tight t-shirts with "Pin Me" on the front and back demonstrating the 8800 at startegic hi traffic locations like wall st or grand central station.
"pin me" is the tag line
- Lose Weight
- Be more cultured
- Get a makeover
- Have some fun
Thats how I would market it.
Unparalleled connectivity
Indisputable style
The new standard in size and performance
Solid Utility
Corporate Business Acceptance
Strong Consumer Features
Music, pictures, etc.
Get the best of both worlds
- GPS and Blackberry Maps: Show you where you are, shows nearby points of interest, gives you directions on how you can get to your destination, and can do so without needing to be tied to your car: Bye bye Tom-Tom
- EMail / IM (variety of im connectivity options): Keep in touch with people anywhere at any time w/o having to find time to sit down at the computer; time saved can be spent doing something fun/else: Bye bye wasted time possibly sharing a desktop computer
- MP3 player: Take your tunes/podcasts/etc wherever you want, etc. Steal^H^H^H^H^H Draw from iPod marketing lines: Bye bye (Zune/Generic) mp3 players
- Camera (if it includes it): Take photos on the spot, and unlike a normal camera, send them immediately to others: Bye bye typical digital camera need
- Media Streaming: Listen to podcasts or favorite online radio stations, either on the go or in car. Bluetooth or audio jack provide a limitless amt of options: Bye bye satellite radio & monthly costs
- RSS Reader: Check out the headlines, reports, & other info on the go w/o having to find time to sit down at a computer: Hello more free time!
- MicroSD: Use your Blackberry as a personal storage device. Plug it in w/ a USB cable (show picture of one of those retractable portable ones) and access your documents & apps wherever you need. Great for students, professionals, personal use: Bye bye having to carry a separate usb stick.
- Blackberry Browser/Opera Mini: Surf the web whenever convenient, do price & inventory comparisons before or while @ the store: Hello otherwise wasted time & better price deals!
Any way you slice it, the 8800 is nearly the Amazon.com of device uses. While it may not yet be the best at each (think iPod), it definately appeals to on demand usability, what it can do in an easier way than if you didn't have an 8800, and also the savings (either in device, monthly fees, or through informed decision making).
The Pearl was a great step forward for RIM, but they dropped the ball for those of us looking for a consumer-oriented Blackberry, but still preferred the Querty-based full keyboard.
I have gone from a 7750 to a 7250 to a 8703e, so I am a dedicated Blackberry user, but I still carry my iPod wherever I go.
I would like to see a print ad or poster showing a "before" picture with a 72xx Blackberry, and iPod or mp3 player, and a digital camera, and an "after" picture with simply a 8800...caption could be "Travel light - for business and pleasure. The ultimate business tool meets pleasure: The new Blackberry 8800..."
Have a couple on hiking up a mountain, they are obviously in the jungle. Alone...they get to the top and they are at the RIM of a volcano. The girl looks at the guy, sort of fear, sort of excitement. He whips out his blackberry and instantly calls his friends, sends pictures. We see them all over the world, at work, home, in the cars receiving these awesome pics. Within minutes they have thier blackberry's, with GPS attached, heading off to the RIM.
And the Slogan is "Stand on the RIM of excitement!"
I'd use a large budget getting the sexy device in front of eyeballs. Show it in "hip" situations. Cool people would be doing cool things with their 8800's.
Then end each spot with these cool people doing a little business - the pretty girl at the club might acutally be an attorney who polishes off a deal between dances, etc.
The slogan would be "seriously cool."
Target the net generation. Go out on the streets. And ask people if they recognize the new blackberry. Record their responses and put it up on youtube and a few other sites. Get on diggnation. Spend little but intelligently and you can have the social media marketing this for you. Possibly even send a few of these to bloggers. Have them review it they can then decide to send it back to you or give it away on their blogs. ... similiar to what microsoft did with ferrari laptops preloaded with their new Windows Vista
It could go something like this...business people acting like teenagers at meetings and conferences texting each other back and forth, taking photos or looking at videos...and a typed statement "not your father's blackberry", or "business as usual"
The 8800 personified! No primary actor only the 8800 & extras.
The ads are clean simple and singular activity focused. Light & fresh.
Begin with SuperBowl half-time.
Individual Separate Ads:
1.) Taking an incoming e-mail, scrolling its way through the text. Replying with keyboard speed.
2.) Stopping in for a cup of coffee (at a coffee house)
Sitting down checking an RSS feed.
3.) Listening to a large audience presentation and upon hearing something striking, sending out a PIN to initiate an active response.
4.)The IT professional receives a sever critical message, and the 8800 responds with a SMS to correct the issue. While continuing its leisurely activity.
5.) A meeting room with other personified phones. One needs to respond to a message, but because of its screen size & keyboard it fumbles. The 8800 also receives a call from its admin. and doesn't take the call, but responds immediately with a direct message which it easily types out.
6. The real-estate 8800 is with clients looking at a property and submits an offer (via PIN) to the owner, who immediately replies with a counter offer (shows from its point of view.) The clients then respond with their answer.
7.) The 8800 awakes from its packaging. New, clean, fresh. It unwraps itself & powers on. Runs through the menu. Displays its bright color screen. Quickly configures e-Mail. Sets owner information. Finishing out with the perspective dissolving to a title page.
-end-
Next scene the guy is using blackberrymaps to navigate to a location.
Next scene the guy is in jeans and a shirt at a trendy bar sending an e-mail to his boss, he presses send and girl walks in.
Image: Revolving Blackeberry 8800. Slogan Blackberry 8800 "Work where you live, live where you work."
Prehistoric man-apes throw spinning bones in the air (like 2001 Space Odyssey) that turn into--not the monolith--the 8800. Maybe something with cave painting/petroglyphs...life is better.
Moses gets frustrated on Mt. Sinai trying to remember what to put on the Stone Tablets (maybe with one of the Commandments subtley in the backround reading "Thou shall not annoy others by talking too loudly on your phone.") -- whips out his 8800 to check his ToDo list...life is better.
Alexander Graham Bell tries to call Watson but can't recall the number--check the Contacts in the 8800 (edit: I guess that's similar to the last one--oh well.). Gets connected and Watson invites him to party...life is better.
Video? DW Griffith 'Birth of a Nation', Al Jolson in 'Jazz Singer', Disney's Mickey Mouse in 'Steamboat Willie' -- scroll 'em and watch on the 8800. Order a movie online...life is better.
...
Life is Better with the Blackberry 8800.
Take a seen from a James Bond movie and 007 using the device.
I would market the 8800 like a James Bond device. The stealth of a cellphone but the adavnced technoligies even James Bond would approve of. The unit would come in handy in the hands of Jmes bond with it's bulit in camera for taking those special pictures and built in gps for tracking his every move.
But RIM hasn't been marketing much, and certainly not to some audiences that could buy a lot of devices.
Here is the concept: Hip, rebellious people, who are making waves, and getting things done, without following in everyone else's footsteps. They buck tradition, by doing things better.
Youth advertising: Aim at the 16-22 year old market. Not the jock kids, or nerd kids, but the kids who listen to indy music, wear crazy clothes, and are still smarter than their teachers.
TV commercial: Young man with crazy haircut and punky clothes sits in back of classroom. He's listening to some hip music, something people have heard, but isn't 'mainstream', like OK GO. He looks bored as he fiddles with his 8800. Teacher points at the blackboard, and tells everyone to write down the dates of their next exams. Other students paw through their bags looking for schedule books. Teacher yells at student in back of class, "Young man! You had best write this down if you expect to succeed in my class!" and he looks up, and says, bored, but a little smuggly, "Its already done." Then we flash to the screen of his BB, and the dates are already in his calendar.
Same student at a party. Loud music is playing, and things are obviously a little crazy, but not downright immoral. His friends say, "That girl you were dancing with is totally into you! You should get her number!!" He replies, "Its already done!" Flash to his BB screen, and you see a text message thread "Blow this joint and get some coffee down the street?" and her reply, "I'd love to, see you in a minute. :-*"
Etc. The point is to make it clear he's a rebel, but is the master of his own life. Succeeding, but on his own terms.
Other TV spots for other age groups could focus on the same concept. A business man in a nice suit, but crazy sneakers, leaning back in his chair at a meeting. A stuffed shirt boss says, "Jensen, are you listening?? Make sure you contact the Roger's about that contract!" and he says, "Oh, I already did that." Flash to his BB screen, and you see an email from Roger saying, "Thanks for your fast reply, I'd be happy to meet with you to discuss the contract details."
An exasperated husband paces in the kitchen during breakfast. He's obviously stressed out. He says to his wife, "Ok ok, so Jenny has a doctor's appointment, Scott has his soccer game, we've got the PTA meeting and 4, and and and....!" and his wife, confident and calm, holding her BB, says, "Don't worry, its all taken care of." Flash to her BB screen, and she flips through her todo list and her calendar, everything neatly planned.
BB users aren't trend followers, they are trend setters. They don't fit the mold of society, they break out of it, and do things a better way. This concept can be applied to any age group. It doesn't have to be a 'kids phone', or a 'business phone', just a smart device for smart people, no matter where they are.
"Blackberry 8800: One Step Ahead/Forward"
The camera then cuts to various instances of people on the 8800 utilizing all of its features, while other people on lesser/other devices are shown walking or stumbling behind them as they awkwardly try to keep up.
I would grab some people in the 25-35 age groups that have never used one and get them to play with it for a bit and give the honest true feleings of the style the feel and the look and impress them all that no longer are you tied to a chair your on the go now :)
Something as simple as a commercial with the Vice President video of him checking something behind President Bush and then the caption saying, "Even the vice president was impressed with the new blackberry 8800" would make the 8800 sell like crazy.
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Slogan: Blackberries are full of vitamins and can be addicting.
"it's not a cell phone, it's a PEARL"
1. What youngster doesn't like to play with their parents cell phone or PDA? In fact, a lot of kids have their own now, but one way to get it out there would be to have a miniature model of it as a toy in a Happy Meal at McDonalds. Everyone eats at McDonalds and all of the little kids love to play with the toys they get. If they had a play Blackberry 8800 to play with and could tell their parents how "cool" they were, there would be alot of parents wanting one for themselves.
2. Another way to market it would be to get it out into the schools for the students to use for hands-on. As a teacher, I would love to have about 10 of them in my classroom. I can think of at least fifteen ways my students could use them during Math, Reading, Science, and Writing and then all of them would want one at home also. Just a thought
If it really is the greatest, who better to start marketing it to than a techie - MIT, Caltech, WPI, RPI, ...etc. Turn it into a tech status symbol and the rest of the world will follow.
"My BB with RIM Technology Completes Me...
It's Who I Am"
That would be the slogan. I would have several phones from past to present above the slogan showing the advances in technology and the longevity of the brand name.
Alan Dunn