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74 Comments

First BlackBerry PlayBook commercial finally airs!

By Michelle Haag on 25 Apr 2011 09:11 pm
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Finally, a week after the PlayBook launched in the US and Canada, we start to see some advertising on televison in the form of commercials. The focus of this 30 second ad is the portability and power of the PlayBook. I'm sure this is just the first of many commercials we'll see for the device, though I for one still find it a bit odd that it took so long to even get this one out. Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

Topics: Advertising Commercials BlackBerry Playbook News & Rumors

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Michelle Haag Michelle Haag 1141 (articles) 1620 (forum posts)
74 comments

ciscobear

It's about time RIM....

Chipchop

I'm doubtful these ads will have a big impact. They aren't advertising in major networks like USA, FX, Spike, SciFi or Bravo..

Innerchild

Just saw it air on Dancing With The Stars... good commercial and great to see some primetime promotion!

Chipchop

What channel was this on?

luqman24

Many, i saw it on TSN this afternoon and just saw it on CBC during the Penguins and Lightnings game (both Canadian sports networks) and it look great.

Frank2029

Seen it during the penguins/lightning game too.

Batteman87

Unfortunately a day late and a dollar short. Forget the iPad, and play catch up with your smart phones RIM.

Kiddo2050

Ya you are right nobody is going to buy tablets anymore that market is finished. The 3 million people or so that have iPad constitute the whole tablet market.......for the entire world that is....

Thanks for your words of wisdom.

diruocco

just saw this, i was surprised, i thought it was the ipad at first. but am happy to see it was the playbook saw it on dancing with the stars

egranlund

MUCH better than the other commercials.

Love the song choice :)

chaoticblissx

It's airing on a lot of major networks today. Has anyone seen the new ipad commercial practically admitting that the PlayBook has better technology?? :)

greatness10

are you kidding around or serious? if serious, i gotta see it.

post a link!

Zizzzzy

is it like all other apple commercials where they dont actually advertise their product but instead bash the competitions?

Jacobbby

I don't even think its a good ad. Lol

blackcaneaddict

That was my first impression too. Its still good to see a ad out there though.

mssg131187

Even I could've made a better ad. They ignored more than half of the capabilities of the PB!! This was like having Scotch with a timer on!!!

luqman24

if you havent noticed yet the commercial is only 30 secondz and theyve done a good job showing off the important parts within those 30 seconds.

zensen

if they showed everything, it'd be a long boring ad. people can always go to the website for specs and more features.

I'm sure they'll be more ads showing off other areas that highlight the playbooks uses.

In regards to the ad, its not the best but I do like the subtle changes of scenery and its use as a multimedia tablet. it's very casual and that's not a bad thing at all. love to see a similar business meets fun ad again or something with a little more excitement.

whilst the newest ipad ads don't really show anything off except its perceptions of it being light, slick and its sexiness under low light ;) then you turn on those lights like in a club and you'll realise its nothing all that special.

luqman24

i believe this ad is aimed towards the non-techy consumers who are like "oh thats so cool I want one!" atleast thats how it looks to me.

flyersfan76

And the Xoom was such a great commercial for being as long as that was right.

Man it is like people expect EVERYTHING to be THEIR way.

Marc_Paradise

They've shown the things most consumers will care about at the start. The other things will get discovered with time, but won't necessarily do so well at selling it to most people. ;

ben10h

"Sydney, Australia" This thing is not even for sale in Australia yet.... damn it!

zensen

lol yeah

kidmac13

Melbourne Australia. Sucks cuz we don't even have a release date out here. I've been anxious about the release, now I'm beyond anxious about an Aussie release.

Xavier666#CB

I guess they want Canadians to plan a trip so we can show it off. :)

kidmac13

All my canadian friends here are "Iguys" so I'm waiting till my trip home(NY) to pick mine up.

meganVee

I have seen a few commercials from Sears, Staples and Futueshop... Not sure what stations now but I did see them starting on the 19th or 20th. I don't see them very often but that is because my tv is on cartoons 98% of the time! LOL

Kiddo2050

God, again the negativity on this site is incredible. It's a nice ad, gets the point across... portability, flash, browsing, video etc.

They sold tons with no ads at all let's see what advertising does.

Chipchop

Tons? Really?

Kiddo2050

yes, buddy 50,000 on the first day outsold the xoom and the galaxy tab. Yes we all know didn't outsell the ipad. Apple has a lock on mindless zombies who will line up for days for a product that is NOT in short supply.

Marc_Paradise

C'mon. If we can't take as legitimate random analyst reports stating that another tablet is selling well/poorly, or that RIM's other products are not selling well... we can't then turn around and take another random analyst's word that sales are doing great. The fact is that the analysts still pull this crap out of thin air -- if we're lucky we'll hear about the sloppy pseudo-scientific method applied. Whether the numbers favor RIM or another company doesn't matter - it's still crap, and we won't know the truth until the company releases its quarterly reports.

Dezz01

Well on the first day they sold around 50000 pounds of these things. Isn't 1 short ton equal to 2000 pounds. :)

SharpieFiend

I was at Best Buy and Staples yesterday to get the charging pod and the salespeople I was talking to were very pleased with Playbook sales. The guy at Best Buy said it was outselling all of their Android tablets combined and wasn't too far off iPad2 sales.

moa999

Agree.. Waiting till I can use one on Bondi Beach myself.
Though it might have to wait till the 3G version given it appears I am blocked from downloading Bridge (even via ota)

ba_hamilton

The best part of the commercial for me was at the very beginning where he pulls the Playbook out of his pocket. That really shows off the portability of the PB but it went by so quick most people probably missed it.

That's the number one reason I would never get an iPad. It's too big to carry with you. Most people must agree because I never see iPad's out in public.

alexkinsella

Hi @ba_hamilton,

Alex from RIM here. Glad you appreciate the portability. Just pulled my PlayBook out of my own pocket to type this note! It’s pretty cool how much functionality is in this 7-inch package, from the true multitasking you also saw in the commercial (powered by the QNX-powered BlackBerry Tablet OS), to the dual 3MP/5MP cameras (front/rear), to the microHDMI port that lets you throw a 1080p movie up onto your TV from the PlayBook. What’s more, its size means you can even ‘thumb type’ messages just like you would on your smartphone.

Check back with our Inside BlackBerry Blog (http://bbry.lv/cWR2rg) for the latest BlackBerry PlayBook updates.

Cheers,
Alex, RIM Social Media Team

meganVee

Speaking of which, a commercial just came on the t.v., CityTV was the channel.

canuckinnh

Some people on this site may know blackberry smartphones but you sure don't understand advertising strategy.

iPad has the dominate share of voice (e.g., awareness) and it is silly for RIM to compete based on television advertising and spend. RIM has not been a big player historically in consumer advertising and is focusing on distribution. Once they have hit their distribution targets and have some of the planned enhancements in place they will expand their TV exposure and other media play.

bakedon21

I notice the quickness is accurate, that's really how fast it is.

BBOttawa

Anyone else think the use of the line in the song "got brass, in pocket" is a nod to the image of Blackberry users as well heeled business people...kinda reinforcing the elite corporate image that has served them well in the past. Well played by the marketing firm.

I wouldn't want them to push it too hard until the new phones are out and more apps are available, right now we are in sort of a soft-launch situation until the platform matures over the next month or two I would imagine.

Skeevecr

I think the crucial part of the song was the bit 'in pocket' more than the larger phrase since it fits the whole portability idea,

SharpieFiend

In England they used brass for their pound coins, so if you said you had 'brass in my pocket' it meant you had a bit of spending money. Which, at the time the song was written, was hard to come by for a young British person...

If you listen to the song she is saying she is going to use her extra money to get someone to notice her.

Now you know what the ad is about.

miketko

damit im on my pb now and the vid wont work. when i hit play it turns white with a big exclamation point in the middle

mapsonburt

Works fine for me and the speakers make Chrissy Hind sound great!

RevyRah

I finally got a chance to play with the Playbook at Best Buy and I absolutely love it. It was updated with the lastest OS build, and even though it didn't have the full experience available, I was extremely impressed with just how smooth and fast this piece of equipment was. Even when bridged, it was lightning fast.

I was hoping to have my music bridged too, but that didn't happen. Not sure if it's supposed to either, but that is definitely a must for me. My media would be the main reason for any purchase.

MikeAWalters

Too little to late. You blew it Blackberry. Went out and bought a Droid Inspire and a Xoom after testing the Playbook for a week. Software available is a joke. Hardware beautiful, but lack of software does not make up for it. Playbook killer my Ars. Loyal Blackberry user from 7130, 8700, 8130, 8800, Torch. May come back some day if Blackberry is still around. Very Disappointing.

Kiddo2050

Sorry loser, more people bought the playbook than the xoom. Haha.

egranlund

The playbook hasn't even been out for a week yet...how is this possible?

DumisaniM

Who sings the song on this commercial?

axllebeer

I'm thinking it's The Pretenders.

SharpieFiend

Yes, it is The Pretenders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsatKLmm70

mapsonburt

Chrissy Hynde and the Pretenders. A great old song.

[edit] I had Hind but that's because I always used to call he Chrissy's Hind, along with Kate's Bush, Burton's Cumming and Barry Man what an oaf.

dcabuckeye

Good god some of you relax. It's just a commercial, and a pretty damn good one at that. This stuff is about electronics, toys and communication technology; not a war. The Playbook is fast, sleek and a hell of a lot of fun. Is it done yet. No. All this "returning it because..." fine, you don't like it, don't buy/keep it. But trashing something out a week, with very limited, and most likely no hands-on, just makes one look like a crazed fanboy. I love my evolving Playbook. And while it's charging tonight, after three days, I am typing this on....yes, my iPad.

Dezz01

Have you tried the hdmi 1080 yet?

Darlaten

About time RIM did an advertisment. Now if only they could start to release some material that will counter the complaints of the bloogers and start developing good press on the internet, things will be better. Quite frankly, I think RIM has been to quiet in countering the criticisms, half truths, and lies that are being spread on the internet.

Masahiro

So I searched up "iPad commercial" on YouTube and the first hit was a BlackBerry Playbook promo video. Harhar.

Jimcmf

I Love it
I love it !

Lets see you whip out an iPad that quickly from your front pocket!
Better yet, leave the iPad at home. It's way to bulky to be carrying it everywhere you go.

The more I 'Play' with the PlayBook, the more I am realizing just how much you can do with it. There is a reason why certain things were done certain ways. This thing is awesome. It's a power house. Truely amazing. The BEST tablet on the market. Nothing comes close to it .... nothing!
And just you wait! In 72 days when they launch the 385,000 apps .... this thing will sell like hotcakes.
And for those email lovers out there .... count them .... just 53 more days until you get the BEST onboard email service in the world. They are pulling out all the stops on this one so they can say to all those 'nay sayers' ..... "In your face, take that one".
And I will be on the side lines chanting, " Go Rimmy Go -- Go Rimmy Go -- Go Rimmy Go "

Nice job Mike and Jim. You are way too far ahead of the competition, and technology.

Siiid

very nice ad, not pretentious like apple's ads.

GDidz

Mine is waiting in customs Perth West Australia! Friggn public holiday here so have to wait until tomorrow. My buddy in T.O. shipped me one on release day. SO damn excited!
Maybe the first in Aus? :)

zensen

nup but definitely one of the first :) my friend already had one delivered to their office last week

hope you like it as much as they do!

mavricxx

Come one RIM, let's see more advertisements! If I was head of advertising, you'd see advertisements like 30 days ahead of launch when all the good shows are on like 3 or 4 a night on all the networks. They should of gotten the hype up and done a countdown type deal. Can you imagine if they had advertised what a difference it would have made for them on launch day? Most people I talked to didn't even know there was a Blackberry table t launching soon, some don't even know one exists! Come on RIM, get the ball rolling, now more than ever you need to advertise- Bridge, BBM and its capabilities, security, Apps, etc... what sets you apart and makes you special. You should also start advertising NOW for your upcoming touchscreen phones lineup. Man, if I was running the show... Apple would eat my dust!

chefnilla

Wait, I already have one!! Would've made sense to advertise a bit before launch,though.

mavricxx

The ASUS TRANSFORMER has built in guided GPS, come on RIM give us a free point-to-point voice guided NAV and universal search like OS 6.

scaramanga89

Get some accessories out there!!

kevinnugent

The irony of not being able to buy the PB here in Australia is palpable. :)

Maestrodog

I find it totally stunning that the Playbook packaging and now this ad are sheer derivatives of Crapple. Really embarrassing. Apple stinks to high heaven--I don't like their precious public face nor their nasty big brother reality. RIM's got the latter beat in spades, why they don't differentiate--as opposed to MIMIC--from the Church Of Job's wimpy packaging and soccer mom advert style is a big ole missed opportunity, mammoth really. The potential for a winning ad is so great here, I feel like I could storyboard ten of 'em better than this in the next hour.

As bewildering as the gargantuan paucity of launch applications.

I don't seek perfection or even 2.0 competence... just what could and should have been done to maximize impact.

Hope these aren't the alarms that shareholders beware. If RIM fails, I'll go phoneless and tabletless before I entrust my communications to the evildoers of Big Fruit and Googoo.

Kiddo2050

Wow a bigger apple hater than me, didn't think it was possible :D

RIM sold 50,000+ on the first day I'd say they know their market. People should sop thinking that the tablet market is over tomorrow in fact it really hasn't even started yet when you think o the number of people that own cellphones and PCs you'll get an idea of how big the tablet market is going to be, and I think RIM is in early and in for the long haul.

Kamika007z

I like how careful the person using it is being when he's touching things.

Also, the device looks like it lagged when pinch zooming when comparing it to the iPad.

Honestly, I've used the device, a very nice step forward, but it isn't as responsive as the iPad is... and I'm NOT an apple fan by any means. They should've had this touch technology down pat by now. I feel like the more they update it, the slower it'll get, because I feel that they're really trying to squeeze every bit of speed into the device now because of its inconsistencies.

OS 6.1 on the new gen phones that aren't even out yet, and are still Java-based? What the hell are you doing? Work on the QNX OS and release that already! Why are you wasting valuable development time for something that is supposed to be dropped sooner rather than later? Stop trying to buy time especially when that time is up and you aren't delivering as expected.

I just hate how RIM takes their time with everything and still can't deliver. They just come across as arrogant and its starting to get really annoying. Seeing what Mike Lazaridis did in a recent interview shows just how far their heads are up their asses.

Wake up RIM.

IndePanda

I think it is a very good advertisement. Good music too. Nicely done RIM.

slablaxer10

okay I'm not joking i own a play book and I tried to play the video and it didn't work. any suggestions? all i get is an exclamation point.

Gamesdmc3

They need to hire me for there advertisement team