RIM went all-in today, ditching the negativity associated with their name and putting full effort and confidence behind the BlackBerry name. Via Reuters:
Research In Motion Ltd unveiled the long-delayed line of smartphones it hopes will put it on the comeback trail on Wednesday but it disappointed investors by saying U.S. sales of its all-new BlackBerry 10 will start only in March.
Chief Executive Thorsten Heins also announced that RIM was abandoning the name it has used since its inception in 1985 to take the name of its signature product, signaling his hopes for a fresh start for the company that pioneered on-your-hip email.
“From this point forward, RIM becomes BlackBerry,” Heins said at the New York launch. “It is one brand; it is one promise.”
Whatever other difficulties the company faces, the name change to BlackBerry is exactly the right move from a naming, branding, marketing and advertising perspective.
It does mean if the new BB10 model smartphone is a flop, then the name
“BlackBerry” will be irrevocably tainted, but after several years of poor performance, the BB10 is the company’s last chance anyway, so going “all-in” is the only way to go.
