WATERLOO, Ont. - Facing competition from a new and faster iPhone from Apple, Research in Motion is launching a campaign to try and broaden the appeal of the BlackBerry beyond business users.
RIM told its annual meeting this year that it wants to change the perception of its brand to deliver the message that BlackBerrys are for more than just work.
The new campaign, which RIM has dubbed "BlackBerry for life,'' will focus on the multi-media capabilities of BlackBerry, co-chief executive Jim Balsillie said at the shareholder meeting on Tuesday.
"I think the image is definitely a friendly one, a lifestyle one, a convenience and emotional one, a pleasurable one, so there's a play element to it and a lifestyle element as well as a work and a productivity element,'' said Balsillie.
The purpose of the new BlackBerry for life campaign is to provide customers with anything and everything they could want on their mobile device, said Balsillie.
"It's like how you got your spouse to love you. You do 80 different things, they say, 'You had me at hello,' and you say, 'If I knew that, I wouldn't have tried so hard.'''
Balsillie said BlackBerry is a leader and isn't too concerned about competition from companies like Apple, which just launched the latest version of the iPhone in Canada last week.
"The key thing is just to charge ahead,'' said Balsillie.
"If you look back you lose your forward momentum...the only thing we can control is getting better products out sooner.''
RIM is expected to release its answer to the iPhone, the BlackBerry Bold, later this summer. The high-end 3G smartphone is expected to have many of the same features of the iPhone.
Momentum is key to a successful product, added Balsillie.
''I like to say, 'On your mark, go, get set.' We just drive, drive, drive.''
Balsillie emphasized his company's current focus on moving into international markets -- including China, Russia and India -- and technology convergence.
"We've crossed over. We're starting to put together the pieces of your life on BlackBerry,'' said RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis.
The move follows lower than expected first-quarter earnings which caused shares to slump by 12 per cent in one day last month.
RIM earned US$482.5 million in its first quarter ended May 31, up from $223.2 million a year ago as revenue more than doubled.
However, the earnings and revenue missed analyst expectations.
RIM recently said it will ship its 40 millionth BlackBerry smartphone this summer.
Shares in the company closed down $2.51 at $106.21 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The shares have traded between $150.30 and $66.34 over the past 52 weeks.
