Factors of BlackBerry Smartphones' Successful Promotion - Case Study Example

Essay One BlackBerry phones Blackberry phones have revolutionalized the Smartphone technology making connections in personal lives and business a lot easier than it can be imagined. Sleek, compact and stylish all-in –one mobile solution is offered by BlackBerry besides the benefit of sms text messaging, integrated email, instant messaging, contacts and diary, internet browser and social networking as standards. BlackBerry Torch from Vodafone is now available for pre-order. Media players, GPS, Satellite navigation, and digital camera are features that can be found in a latest BlackBerry handset. Black Berry and handset providers include T-MOBILE, Vodafone, 02, and Vodafone. RIM BlackBerry can be found in United Kingdom major mobile phone provider. Available handsets have increased due to the growth in popularity of BlackBerry smartphones. The BlackBerry phones were targeted for the stylish and more technically adaptable people in the market. Moreover since the very initial models were prohibiting for the ordinary person to possess them, then we can comfortable conclude the affluent people in the society were targeted. Prior to introduction of affordable BlackBerry phones, this kind of phones were to be exclusively found owned by executive officers of companies and other wealthy people in the society. This has dramatically changed to accommodated what had not been catered for by the inventors of this kind of phone (King, 34). Subsequently after intensive market research within the market clinches were found whose needs were not being met by the existing products. It follows that product differentiation was sought to correct the anomaly that had been inadvertently created. In this era and time they exist various models and makes of BlackBerry smartphones handsets with different features engineered by different companies. These include BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry Pearl, and BlackBerry 8700. The availability of room for expansion and the craving to increase or extend the product life cycle prompted the inventors of these inventors of classy and stylish phones to go back to the drawing board and produce a variety of products that will cater for a variety of consumer needs. The positioning of the product as being stylish and sleek was very important. The upper middle and upper class of the whole population was targeted. I think it was initially perceived, and rightly so, according to the Abraham’s hierarchy of needs that this group had fulfilled the basic physical needs and were seeking other at a higher level such as love and recognition. Individuals grappling with the challenge of meeting the basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing as are the case of many in the third world countries were not the target market. This is clearly evidenced by the type of media chosen to reach the target audience. Mostly advertisement concerning the BlackBerry Smartphones was done via Internet or on other exclusive television channels. Later on with the invention of affordable BlackBerry phones, advertisement was vigorously carried out in print media and audio means such as radio. It had been the habit also for the advertisement to be made in exclusive journals and periodicals. Positioning of the BlackBerry smartphones was done such that the target audience associated them with class and affluence (Charle, 121). The requirements of the target audience were affluence and class and seeking of higher psychological needs on the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs classification. The target audience was at a sage in life where they just needed to feel good about themselves and be recognized as high achievers in the society. The target audience was belied to exist in a scenario where there is no struggle to compete for the available resources. They should have a prior knowledge of the market trend and the expected change in the economic situation of the particular market in their mother countries and abroad. Their access to information about new technology and the adaptation on gadgets was perceived to be very easy and equally available. They target market had to be studied to identify this particular target segment and their needs understood beyond any doubt. It follows that adequate market research was conducted to determine the existence and viability of this market. Relent questionnaires were designed to get information of the target audience about their dissatisfaction with the existing normal phones. The laggards in the market were not among the target audience. Cheap BlackBerry phones such as BlackBerry Pearl 3G, BlackBerry 9300 Gemini, BlackBerry 9100 Pearl, BlackBerry 8520 Curve, BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry 9500 Storm and BlackBerry Torch 98000 were invented to cater for emerging markets of the middle upper class in the society such as in the third world countries and developing nations. The sophiscated features of the BlackBerry smartphones expected the target audience to have relevant knowledge in the technology realm. The level of the education should also have been at the highest level to make it easy for them to operate this kind of smartphones. It was made easier for the target audience to access such things or features such as internet without visiting a cyber café. The ever changing market trends and the unpredictable change in consumer needs and preference, make it mandatory for constant market research to be carried out to determine emerging needs and what kind of adaptation should be made on existing BlackBerry smartphones to meet this needs adequately. The Philip Kotler’s concept of the seven Cs which include customer value, cost, convenience, communication, consideration, co-ordination and concern and confirmation was evidently factored in to make sure the requirements of the target audience was adequately met (King, 67). Conclusion The invention of BlackBerry phones created a new phase in the advancement of technology and the catering for emerging needs in the target audience. Technological research has made it possible for this to happen. Essay Two Identification and Discussion of the processes which may have been used to inform the Design and Introduction of Blackberry Phones The BlackBerry smartphone are popular wireless handsets. They were designed by Research in Motion Company that is situated in Canada. The sophiscated features of the phone are credited for its addictive reputation referred to as ‘crackberry’. The initial BlackBerry gadget as a two-way pager was introduced in 1999. It took as long as two years for the current recognized BlackBerry to get to the market. Original BlackBerry gadget featured a monochrome screen and a grayscale. Today all modern BlackBerry design due include a color screen display. To penetrate the market the producers of BlackBerry phones originally focused on email technology and services to reach the target audience. Wireless devices and other non-BlackBerry smartphones use this email services now days. Research in Motion was brought into being by Mihalis ‘Mike’ Lazaridis born in Turkey and Greek quarter of Instanbul in 1961. He is the major architect BlackBerry handset gadget. Mike Lazaridis who was a fanatical star trek enthusiast was motivated by tricoders, wireless communicators, gadgets, and computers of the original Gene Roddenberry series. C, C++ and Java platform is used by Research in motion to develop and design its own software for its BlackBerry devices (Mabe 46). Sophistication and extreme style is the main feature associated with BlackBerry phones. The operating system, touch screens, connectivity, the media player, camera quality options, and the battery life are very phenomenal. BlackBerry phones were targeted at the consumers with a high pay packet. They came at an extremely high price. The procedures for the invention of such a phone may have been triggered by the existence of dissatisfied affluent clientele whom their needs were not being adequately met by the existing smartphones. Research result obtained from vigorous market research revealed a ready market that was doomed to be a cliché if its needs were not to be met urgently (Mittal, & Gupta 89). Sometimes invention is spontaneous and unprecedented but it is triggered, albeit non-advertently by the existing needs in the target market. Idea generation process is complex and it sometime cannot be pointed out the exact place that the idea began. But we can locate the pointers to a particular idea that brought into being the whole concept. So long as they are unmet needs in the market products must me engineered and designed to cater for this needs. As the current needs are met other needs come into being. Consequently invention and research about new product is an on-going necessary procedure to discover disparity between what it is being provided and what should be provided. The making of cheap BlackBerry phones is a testimony to the ever emerging needs in the market. For any product to be invented it will follow the normal processes that are followed in new product inventions. A prototype which is a simplified model of the intended product is produced in the laboratories. Several prototypes can be produced and developed into the required products and their ability to satisfy the consumer needs is tested. The market is tested in this development stage before the product is introduced in the market. If the product flops at this stage it is never introduced but taken back to the factory to add missing features that made it to be rejected. According to Mittal, & Gupta (2010). The main aim of test-marketing is to see the consumers’ response to the new product. Obviously the BlackBerry phone passed this stage in order for them to be introduced in the market as new products. The market segment targeted was therefore profitable, recognizable, visible, measurable, and reliable for it to sustain the new product. There was a frenzy concerning the BlackBerry phones among the affluent class whose needs were not being met fully by the existing smartphones. The pointers to a viable market were detected in the need for more services offered by smartphones besides communication. Designs are very important in the product development process because of consumers’ individual preferences concerning models and makes. Various models of the product were designed and all of them separately tested in the market to detect the customers’ reactions. The models that proved to be popular were taken back to the factory and addiction features included to cater for a wide range of consumer needs. Promotional activities in the market mix were put into place to precede the introduction and launching of the product in the market. This was characterized by vigorous advertising and other promotional activities such as offering educative lessons about the product to a few identified anticipated consumers. Conclusion The introduction and successively launching of a new product is not an easy task and require adequate research and being very particular about the needs you aim at satisfying. The discovery of the BlackBerry smartphones was a bright idea that was well premeditated and excellently implemented. The BlackBerry smartphones could have been a huge flop if all the factors were not considered. Consequently owing to the thoroughness in the kind of research carried out and well thought-out designs made BlackBerry phones a huge success and a feat deserving respect. Works Cited King, Chris. Advanced BlackBerry Development. New York: Apress, 2010. Mittal K unal, & Gupta Shikha. BlackBerry for Work: Productivity for Professionals. The expert's voice in Java. Apress, 2010. Charle J. (2010). Blackberry. Phone: The best phone for your Business. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from < http://free-pressrelease-distribution.com/blackberry-phones-the-best-phones- for-your-business-2747277.html> Mabe, Dave. Blackberry hacks: Hacks series. O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2005. Trautschold, Martin, & Blackber, M. Gary y Curve Made Simple: For the Blackberry Curve 8520,8530,and 8500 Series Apress, 2010. Read More