BlackBerry losing brand value, says BrandWeek

Posted
by
Steve St. Pierre
on October 23, 2006, at 8:06 AM
in News
.
Comments: 6 responses
6 Comments

defrib.jpgBreak out the defibrillator. No reason, really. I’ve just always wanted to use one. I was going to talk about reviving RIM and the BlackBerry because, according to the 2006 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Leaders List, they’re slipping away from the consumer. But should we really be concerned? This list “calculates” who’s got the most loyal following of zombies customers, and the BlackBerry, unfortunately, took a little dip in it’s ranking.

…Due to increased competition, mobile stalwarts Blackberry and Treo are losing loyal customers. Blackberry fell from No. 6 to 17 and Treo from No. 4 to 23.

“There are more choices,” said Allyn Hall director of consumer markets at In-Stat, Scottsdale, Ariz. “Blackberry had a monopoly for a while; they were the first to make receiving e-mail using a mobile device practical. There are a ton of alternatives now and more in the chute.”

Surprised me that the Treo was ahead of RIM in the first place, but it’s nice to see a silver lining in here somewhere. So, folks, we’re going to have to step it up. RIM facepaint, BlackBerry-shaped cookies – do whatever you can to show you care. Let’s get our favourite device to number one.

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  • Thought

    It’s an interesting survey, but I wonder about some of its conclusions.

    For instance, Apple is only number 22, having come up 37 places from last year. However, I would venture to say that in the tech world and overall, Apple enjoys some of the highest customer loyalty around.

    As for the article’s statement that BlackBerry is losing loyal customers, I would suggest that the wording is sloppy at best. If anything, BB is gaining loyal customers with its new consumer line…just read any of the forums and you will see most BB newbies with the Pearl are absolutely gaga over it. On this one survey, BB may have losted some ground in a relative sense, but in an absolute sense, I believe BB is gaining.

    Look at some of the other brands on this list who are ranked higher: Avis (Rental Car) and Verizon Long Distance. It’s not that those brands inspire any great excitement among consumers…it’s just that they are kind of always there for consumers.

    So an interesting study, and one that RIM can learn from, no doubt, but like all such studies, I’m sure it has its shortcomings.

  • Thought

    It’s an interesting survey, but I wonder about some of its conclusions.

    For instance, Apple is only number 22, having come up 37 places from last year. However, I would venture to say that in the tech world and overall, Apple enjoys some of the highest customer loyalty around.

    As for the article’s statement that BlackBerry is losing loyal customers, I would suggest that the wording is sloppy at best. If anything, BB is gaining loyal customers with its new consumer line…just read any of the forums and you will see most BB newbies with the Pearl are absolutely gaga over it. On this one survey, BB may have losted some ground in a relative sense, but in an absolute sense, I believe BB is gaining.

    Look at some of the other brands on this list who are ranked higher: Avis (Rental Car) and Verizon Long Distance. It’s not that those brands inspire any great excitement among consumers…it’s just that they are kind of always there for consumers.

    So an interesting study, and one that RIM can learn from, no doubt, but like all such studies, I’m sure it has its shortcomings.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Steve St. Pierre

    As always, really good insight, Thought.
    I thought it’d just be interesting to see that they’ve slipped overall. But stay tuned – aviscool.com is on the way, I think.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com Steve St. Pierre

    As always, really good insight, Thought.
    I thought it’d just be interesting to see that they’ve slipped overall. But stay tuned – aviscool.com is on the way, I think.

  • Greg

    You can access brandweek article for free with a congoo netpass at congoo.com – my tip of the day.

  • Greg

    You can access brandweek article for free with a congoo netpass at congoo.com – my tip of the day.