BlackBerry Brand Analysis using Keller Framework

1. Research In Motion (RIM): BlackBerryBrand Analysis By Josh Sackman IAE MBA 2010

2. RIM/BlackBerry Brand Analysis A pioneer in the mobile phone market, BlackBerry’s dominance is weakening due to increased competition and innovation in the market. With Apple and Google Android-powered smartphones emerging, BlackBerry has to decide whether to focus on their original target market of government and business enterprise or capture the younger, mainstream consumer who has different demands This is an analysis of the BlackBerry brand in 2010 using the Keller framework to assess where the brand is today and the direction it should go in to maintain it’s strength in the market

3. RIM Background Research in Motion (RIM) pioneered the development of the Smartphone market in 1998 with the BlackBerry, positioned in government and enterprise target markets. 14 million BlackBerry users in over 135 countries 2009 Revenue: $11.1 billion 2009 Net Income: $1.89 billion Employees: 12,000 Based in Canada

4. Mission/Vision RIM’s current mission statement: Deliver rich user experiences to our customers through the design and engineering of BlackBerry smartphones and services that are scalable and sustainable on our partners’ wireless networks Create a digital community to serve the needs of small business professionals, giving them the insight they need to maximize the benefits of Smartphones Vision Statement: To build groundbreaking wireless technology “BlackBerry is a smartphone platform that you can run your life on” Official BlackBerry brand promise: Reliable, best-in-class mobile connectivity so you can live large and achieve more *BlackBerry.com and BlackBerry 10-K report

5. Target Segment Professional and tech savvy men and women with high incomes, mid-twenties to early-fifties Original target segment (1998-2008) Enterprise and Government Users Provides all-in-one mobile device to suit a professional’s enterprise needs Next generation target segment (2009+) Younger, more social, professionals Provides touch screen enterprise technology with additional multimedia, social media, and mobile applications components to satisfy the consumers interactive lifestyle

6. BlackBerry Products BlackBerry Curve BlackBerry Bold BlackBerry Pearl Flip BlackBerry Storm BlackBerry Torch (2010)

7. Values The BlackBerry brand is… Rational: Alert and well-informed: street-smart Approachable: an ally, a helpmate and a resource you can depend on Simple, straight-forward Emotional Confident: focused on the task at hand. It knows it can deliver everything you need it to Be first Compete Bold, clever *Official BlackBerry Branding Guidelines 4.0

8. Upcoming Generation of BlackBerry To compete with the increasingly popular touch-screen smartphones, such as the iPhone, BlackBerry has announced the launch of the BlackBerry Torch for 2010/2011

9. Smartphone Market Overview

10. Global Market Growth 2010 Q2: Phone Sales based on Operating System Smartphone market is up 64 percent from the previous year. Growth rates of sales: RIM/BlackBerry: +41% Apple iPhone OS: +61 % Google Android: +886% Nokia: +41%

11. Facing the Competition In 2010, the #1 and #2 top innovative global companies* are Apple and Google, with Research In Motion behind as #14 Interbrand Top 100 Brands (2009) BlackBerry #63 Google #7, Apple #20 With branding and innovation as leading forces in the smartphone market, BlackBerry has to assess the current state of the brand make some key decisions *2010 BusinessWeek’s Top Innovative Companies

12. 4- Relationships How much of a connection do consumers want to have with BlackBerry? Generate active and intense relationships Resonance 3- Responses ¿What do consumers think or feel about BlackBerry? Provoke positive and accessible responses Feelings Judgments 2- Meaning What is BlackBerry? Positive and exclusive associations Performance Imagery 1- Identity Who is BlackBerry? Awareness and deep knowledge Salience Rational Route Emotional Route Analysis: Keller Model

13. Keller Model: Salience CategoriesPenetration Smartphones Smartphone Mobile Devices (many models) Unaware of models Although 97% of respondents are familiar with the BlackBerry brand, only 64% can recall specific models of the product

15. Small product line: 6 devices

16. Enterprise functionality for business

17. Tactile keyboard, easy to type emails

18. Available on a wide range of networks globally

19. Price: $150-400Attributes and Performance: Highest Ratings “Functional” “Expensive” “User-Friendly” “Quality” “Tactile” “Limited” “High-tech” “Multi-Tasking

20. Keller Model: Imagery Imagery of BlackBerry Situation of Use Personality/Values Evolution Consumer Profile 1999-2005: Enterprise Device 2006: Blackberry Pearl – Small Flip Phone by BlackBerry 2008: “Be Bold” – 3G Phone with Entertainment features 2010: Love What You Do – Re-launch of Touchscreen ABC1 – Age 25-50 Male & Female Highly educated: Bachelor/Master Degree PC Computer User Professional: IT, Sales, Finance Before, mostly for work. Now, personal or mixed use. Current trend to use as social device for media, games, entertainment Successful Hard-working Tech-savvy Solution-oriented Passionate Bold

22. Conservative

23. Although the device has entertainment features, the device is seen as mainly functionalJudgments of BlackBerry products and brand:

28. Features are becoming universal on devices (touch screen; internet; media player; gaming; social media), therefore it’s tougher for rationality to differentiate between brands.

30. Recommendations Don’t lose brand identity with the business enterprise users! Maintain the strong position in the market protecting the interests of the target customer. Keep improving the devices, but there is no need to re-design ALL devices based on the iPhone and Android BlackBerry needs to encourage content to be developed for their own BlackBerry App World – the more attached current users are to BlackBerry content, the tougher it is for them to switch brands

31. Recommendations: Innovation/New Products At the same time, BlackBerry can launch new devices to help target the new segment of the Web 2.0 generation user. The BlackBerry Torch is a step in the right direction. They can also launch other product lines to compliment it, such as the recently announced BlackBerry PlayBook tablet These devices help bridge the gap, giving the core BlackBerry user the business functionality they need, while also offering value-added social components, that are product qualifiers these days, to attract new customers Have a wider product line tied together with a common operating system which allows developers to focus on content for BlackBerry devices. Apple has shown the importance of their App Store and how important content is

32. Recommendations (Continued) BlackBerry must focus on its image and sense of community to strengthen brand resonance and loyalty BlackBerry has recently been sponsoring live events, BBM Lounge, where users need to register their BlackBerry “PIN” at the door to gain entry. They must continue to “think outside the box” to develop more ways to integrate the brand into people’s lives This is a good move to create an identity of BlackBerry for the next generation to compliment the business segment users, who are already satisfied and loyal

33. Appendix: Sources Sackman, Josh (2010). Survey: BlackBerry Brand Survey Keller, Kevin Lane (2001) “Building Customer Based Brand Equity: A Blueprint for Creating Strong Brands” “Top Innovative Companies 2010.” BusinessWeek 15 April 2010 “Best Global Brands 2009.” Interbrand.com “Smartphone Market Trends Report 2010.” Canalys.com BlackBerry Official Sources BlackBerry.com RIM 10-K report Official BlackBerry Branding Guidelines 4.0

34. Appendix: Survey Questionnaire (1/2)

35. Appendix: Survey Questionnaire (2/2)