From smartphones to security: BlackBerry on the brand challenge of switching categories
BlackBerry is keen to shake off its mobile phone past and reposition the brand as a trusted player in cybersecurity. But shifting categories is something its top marketers admit is a “tall order”.
BlackBerry is on a mission to shake off its handset past and inform the world it is now a major player in the cybersecurity world, with grand ambitions to install the brand on billions of devices, far more than it has ever sold.
Over a decade ago, Research in Motion (RIM) with its BlackBerry brand, was a dominant force in mobile phones, commanding a sizeable chunk of market share.
But as smartphones developed consumers opted for touchscreens and the app ecosystems of iOS and Android.
This is when RIM shifted its business over to B2B security software as it saw an opportunity to be present in more phones and more consumers’ lives. The Canada-based company dropped RIM and rebranded to the more recognisable BlackBerry name in 2013, and has since shifted its core business to focus on developing end-to-end mobile security solutions, pushing its mobile phone business to third-party companies in licensing deals.
It is a massive challenge for a brand with such heritage in mobile phones to completely shift categories admits BlackBerry CMO Mark Wilson.
