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What does a BlackBerry Super Bowl mean?

A lot is riding on the U.S. marketing of the BlackBerry Z10...

By Chris Umiastowski on 26 Jan 2013 10:03 am
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Yesterday we got official word that BlackBerry will make its first ever appearance at the Super Bowl, through a 30 second commercial. People who know what this advertising costs are suggesting it's going to require RIM to write a pretty big cheque - probably more than $3 million. That's over one hundred grand per second, folks.

So what does it all mean for BlackBerry?

It probably means they have confidence in their product. Without question, BlackBerry 10 has much higher performance than the older BBOS, and even the PlayBook running OS version 2. I remember in years past when institutional investing friends of mine would tell me, "I think RIM's going to do a Super Bowl commercial!". It never happened. I hoped it would too. Perhaps they just didn't have the confidence in some of their past launches, like BlackBerry 6. And with good reason. They were disappointments in many ways. Somehow this time I don't think we'll be disappointed with the product.

It could also mean they are finally willing to get more aggressive on marketing. We never saw much in the way of big bang marketing when Keith Pardy was the Chief Marketing Officer. I think that has a lot more to do with his falling out with Jim and Mike versus his skill set. He grabbed me (and most people I spoke to) as a fantastic talent, but unfortunately he just didn't mesh with the old guard at RIM.

I don't think Super Bowl advertising would happen if Frank Boulben, Thorsten Heins and the Board were not all the same page. I think we can safely say that BlackBerry taking aggressive steps to advertise to a huge audience like this means that the CEO and CMO are in alignment. That's a good thing.

Now what about the value of the ad itself? It averages 111 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Commercials are often about creating product awareness rather than direct marketing, which comes with a strong call to action like "Click here to buy the new BlackBerry 10 now!" So it's harder to measure performance on commercials compared to online advertising. But let's say, pessimistically, that 0.1% of viewers end up loving the commercial and it drives them to actually go out and buy a BlackBerry. Let's assume these are people who wouldn't have done so otherwise.

That's 111,000 new customers. If RIM makes a 30% gross margin on a $500 device, that's $150 per device in contribution margin to the bottom line, or $16.65 million in total contribution from the campaign.

I have no idea if these estimates are actually reasonable. But they don't seem insane to me, and I think it says that the return on investment for this commercial has a pretty good chance of being highly positive.

Beyond direct ROI, perhaps what's even more important at this stage in the game is changing the perceptions towards BlackBerry, especially in the United States where the brand has suffered the most damage over the past two years. This is BlackBerry's chance to say we're back in a BIG way. Marketing can make an impact, and a well-executed commercial showing off a compelling new product has the ability to change perceptions fast.

I can't wait to see the commercial!

Topics: Commercials Frank Boulben Super Bowl Editorial

BlackBerry listened. The "Splat" has officially been rebranded to the "Spark" Previous
Princess adds a pinch of fairy dust to BlackBerry 10 launch!Next
Chris Umiastowski Chris Umiastowski 146 (articles) 1 (forum posts)
143 comments

r0v3rT3N

I can't wait just because I want to see the approach Frank and his team are going to take at it!

emtunc

I've not seen a single BB10 ad in the UK and it's almost near launch date... is it just me or is RIM not concentrating on EU markets so much? I see plenty of Apple commercials but not a single BB one.

r0v3rT3N

First of all, the product hasn't even launched yet.
Secondly, there haven't been any commercials in N.A either..

emtunc

okay just curious, thought there might be a 'coming soon' type of ad up by now. To be fair I don't think I remember ever seeing a BB ad on TV.

gordongr

In the US hasn't been much either, I'm guessing after Superbowl we will see a worldwide nonstop campaign on most media outlets

kill_9

Alternatively, after the Super Bowl we might witness their advertising campaign fizzling out just as happened with the BlackBerry PlayBook. I fear the wow factor of BlackBerry OS 10 will be lacking beyond the initial curiosity of a small cadre of current BlackBerry users. RIM needs to sell through to consumers a minimum of one million BlackBerry 10 smartphones by June 30th or the rumours of their demise might not have been exaggerated.

SDTRMG

Well they have 79 million users with most if not all willing to upgrade and have a new up to time experience. I'm going from an iPhone 5 to the z10 so thats lead me to think there's other es willing to do the same.

TomJasper

By June 30 2013,lol, many more than that spoken for already.

simu31

Although there haven't been any direct ads in the UK (or anywhere else) for BB10, you should remember that the entire Sky Atlantic channel is sponsored by BlackBerry, so it's not as if they're not showing their faces ;)

You'd have to believe too that all the channel advert bumpers on Sky Atlantic, which currently show BBOS7 and BB7 devices, can easily switch over to BB10 once the product has been launched.

Si.

shiftysdad

I think they're investing in the social media front for their pre-release advertisements. I know I sure have been seeing a lot from the blackberry marketing team on my Facebook account. I'm sure they'll shift towards other forms of marketing after the product is announced.

Superfly_FR

emtuc: Boulben's plan is to first excite the curiosity by using fans and social media; let's call this "e-social-marketing". Once the buzz is wide enough and have generated a large amount of writings, videos, demos (etc), it's time to wake-up general audience with mass advertising.

General audience will then rush on the Internet to find out about BB10 and read the (free, independent and positive) contents generated by "e-social-marketing". Bingo.

I believe this is brilliant.

Abrante

2 days ago they played a commercial on CSNBC that was sponsored by Blackberry and the entire commercial was made "within" the blackberry hub. Not a direct ad by RIM but it did showcase the hub within it.

jafrul

I think this has been discussed lengthy in the forum.

birdman_38

So what if it has? This is HUGE for BlackBerry!

PLTM

I was actually in the hospital waiting room watching CNBC and saw a BB10 Commercial. It was geared towards enterprise.

Nate650

I wish you, your loved one, or friend a speedy recovery. :) I can't think of another reason someone would be in a hospital waiting room, unless of course to advertise BB10 by dressing up as a BlackBerry prince.

BBNation

This has been discussed to death, no company can market anything when it is not available to buy so be patient. you will see ads through out the world after jan 30

AfroZepher

Finally, you don't know how many people are walking around in the states thinking RIM is out of business. . .

CarGuy1368

I hear that all the time! It's incredibly annoying. Either they think it's out of business or that it's dying. This is what happens when you have a corrupt media system...

Abrante

lol, several of my friends have told me "But I thought BB wasn't making anymore phones". The media always finds a way to "distort" reality. I posted a video on my YouTube of the 5 O'clock news here in NYC the day before the iPhone5 launched. They mentioned that it would have a 3D keyboard and the picture that they showed of the phone was a render of an iPhone 3G with a screen so huge that it didn't have a bezel.

Jimcmf

And the IPhone didn't even have a 3D hologram. Didn't even have NFC

Scrap the iPhone and get the bb10.

Abrante

Yup. That's the same "lack of knowledge" happened with RIM when they (RIM) decided to re-direct their focus on their main strength which was the enterprise the media mentioned " RIM will stop making consumer products ".

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes

whats your youtube name

Abrante

YouTube name: Alex Abrante

I am re-uploading as I type. I took it down after the iPhone5 was released since it became irrelevant. It should be live in a few minutes.

Update: this is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czB85Vxwtw

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes

absolutely ridiculous false advertising by the news channel. clearly to get buzz higher and get people talking

Abrante

I agree. A friend of mine doesn't want to believe anything I mention about BB10 because he also saw the Fox5 news about the iPhone5. He lost faith on speculations for phones. So next week he will tune in to see the actual announcement from RIM. Can't blame him.

BruvvaPete2

It's FalseNews. I'm not surprised. I've become so used to their twisted political b/s that I believe nothing from that channel's reporters. FalseNews != research or factual reporting.

eve6er69

Looks like sb commercials cost 4 million per 30 seconds. That's over $126,000 per second!

I hope this commercial is good. Think of all the commercials they could do with that money. Probably a years worth!

RubberChicken76

People often think RIM is dead or going out of business. A superbowl spot makes as much a statement about RIM the company as it does about Blackberry 10.

kill_9

How quickly you forget the Dotcom Boom and Super Bowl advertising could not save many of those companies.

kill_9

Advertising BlackBerry 10 during the Super Bowl will be a colossal waste of USD three million. The money could be better spent on television advertising during prime time hours and throughout the day/night on the news channels. Unless Research In Motion has worked out an arrangement to have the cheerleaders sporting BlackBerry Z10s and 90-second cut-aways every quarter featuring the BlackBerry brandishing cheerleaders, the public will still thinmk RIM is dead or dying. I imagine the Super Bowl idea came to Thorsten as a dream to surround himself with attractive women.

galleon

What makes me laugh is all these hot aired comments from people that think they know so much about advertising. Advertising on a global scale to a global market, hey even on national scale, has complexities that are relatively unseen and not well understood by the majority of people on this page. The people in charge of this have experience, and they know what game they are playing. That doesn't mean they will never be wrong, but I believe they understand the risks and the potential benefits of what they are doing.

TomJasper

Kill_9, you are way out of your depth,lol. Knock yourself out, be as much anti-RIM as your little heart desires,it matters not, your lone voice will not dictate RIM's future.

BUT .... At least try and add something cohesive and well thought out to the discussion,as your childish comment/s does nothing more than waste good bandwidth better served to those who have ADULT comment/s pro or con to the content at hand.

BruvvaPete2

Freaking hilarious. Some people live in a bubble. They need to get out more.

OriginalLucy

I can't believe I am going to watch football. This will be a first for me to take time out of a day to watch the superbowl. Ya, they got me.

PICS

Means nothing to the world except the U.S. ... RIM has to think outside The States! I'm from Italy and here noone knows about BB10..

mrskycar

To give RIM some credit, I believe their commercial will be aimed at and hopefully engage everyone.

gordongr

Chris said they are hurting here the most so wouldn't it be nuts to not take advantage of the most watched sporting event here only a few days after launch. No doubt we will see heavy marketing in Italy & worldwide but if they're hurting the most here, kick it off here in a big way don't you think?

DavideaNY

I am Italian too but living in the States and believe me.. Advertising during Super Bowl is going to be HUGE. A Good comparison with Soccer would be advertising during a derby who ALSO is deciding who wins the Campionato!!
RIM needs to hit hard here where their market is shaking, plus super bowl is a worldwide event, maybe not for the soccer fanatic countries like ours but for many others!
Ciao

Vijit Coomara

I am in Sri Lanka where Blackberry is very popular, but most media reports come out of the US and the UK and that is what we read. I am sure it is the same for you. Most media reports have been extremely negative from those two places and therefore, it only makes sense to start their campaign at the source of the negative reports. They need to get the media folks to soften their stance. The rest of the world I am sure will see marketing campaigns in due course. By the way I was surprised to see this headline yesterday from the Canadian newspaper, the globe and mail. "Fierce competition leaves little room for RIM's BB10". They have been punched from all sides, but to get it even from home, that's got to be tough.
Anyway, I really think this is a good move to start off with a bang and it has to be in the US. Next it has to be the UK.

Puz_zled

Yeah, gotta love luv the Globe eh. Arguably the most important product launch ever by a Canadian company. I know it sounds hyperbolic, but think about it....lumber, fish, oil..blah blahblah, but this is a global product launch at the centre of the most important strategic industry in the world that is being pursued by the biggest of the big,wealthy and influential and need I say it, AMERICAN, tech companies and all we get is iMarlow going "meh.". How many tech companies would love to be where RIM is right now, in a position to influence how computing will be done and profit from it, over the next few years as the mobile paradigm ascends vs.the desktop paradigm. RIM is sitting right at the fulcrum of that pivot point with competitive, superior product and I think that point is lost on iMarlow who seems to have nothing but contempt for this company. David in the ring with 4 Goliaths.....Go RIM despite the dammed by faint praise to barely veiled contempt of the Globe "technology reporter" whose articles are frankly......meh.

MoolahMitch

Add to the fact that Superbowl commercials, if good, go viral globally.

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes

very good point. I have a feeling it will be informational and not comical though

BruvvaPete2

The U.S. is the most influential consumer machine right now. Adaptation by the U.S. Consumer is crucial to RIM's place in the rest of the world. When China and India take over as being dominant then focus will shift to those countries too.

Jimberry Storm

It would be cool to have a scannable code in the corner to direct you to the website for more info, but only dvrs would be able to take advantage

mooda

they could partner up with shazam for it. I've seen lots of commercials with the shazam logo at the bottom and when you do it it takes you to the web link for all the info

stesyl

I wonder how much this had to do with the Jan 30th release date???? Less than a week away from the superbowl, what a way to get the word out

ew800

I think this is a good idea. So many people, in my opinion, believe that RIM/Blackberry is dead, so this could be a good way to at least get the name back out there. I feel like BB10 MUST be success or RIM is in serious trouble, so if this helps get awareness out there, then this could be good.

wilson1137

i wonder if this ad would suggest that the release of the phone would be out already or just a "this is coming" ad. I think the ad would have more effect if the phone was already out and would get the viewers attention right away rather than making them wait.

lorax1284

Yes, I agree with you... which supports the theory that devices WILL be available the day the ad airs, IMHO.

jic999

man a multitasking and Camera commercial would be awesome
How about the BB10 user going thru the airport security and in one hand doing multi tasking while
iO6 and S3 users are looking in ahhh !

Taigatrommel

The production of such a commercial will of course add additional costs to the whole project. However they can still use that commercial later on for "usual" TV spots.
I just hope they'll do a good job on this ad, for that insane price of airing space they'll just have to come up with something great and catching.

While I am not in the US or even north america, I am pretty excited what RIM is up to and how the viewers will react to it.

gregerator

I search the "Who bought air time for SuperBowl?" Sites and no one had this info a week ago. I'm "Super" glad that RIM has jumped in head first. They need this in the US. While I'm seeding BB7 phones (first my girlfriend, then a co-worker), I'm going to grab BB10 from the start.

RIM has a ton up their sleeves still. We haven't *seen* Cinnamon Toast and French Toast in action. We haven't seen a lot from TAT (remember that great media app Simon Sage showed us from MWC 2011?).

Perhaps I'm expecting too much. Perhaps I just want RIM to take revenge like a Sith. In any case, I will be watching the SuperBowl with great interest and I'll be hitting the stores day one.

A shout out to RIM for the hard work and perseverence they have displayed. A shoutout to CB for the coverage coming from TO and NYC. Keep up the good work, boys and girls!

kill_9

"While I'm seeding BB7 phones (first my girlfriend, then a co-worker)."

So you are giving free BlackBerry 7 smartphones to people? How thoughtful and generous. Or did you mean you are encouraging people to buy BlackBerry 7 smartphones and have managed to convert a girlfriend and co-worker?

As for TAT we will never see any of their influence in BlackBerry OS 10. RIM killed TAT.

revtech

kill_9 you're really becoming a pain in the a$$ around here and in the forums, why don't you go and rain on someone else's parade . . .

SDTRMG

RIM stated TAT was used while creating bb10, so I don't see how rim killed the,. Your a uninformed troll.

BruvvaPete2

RIM killed TAT?! Are you just simply stupid?

ferre_kun

I bought my girlfriend a monza last year. And have convinced 4 or 5 people to buy OS 7. 2 or 3 people bought a 9320&9220, one bought a torch. After I bought my odin, three people at work bought a monza, an onyx and a gemini 3g.

That's the power of a single blackberry user for you. My girlfriend also managed to convinced some of her friends to get them a blackberry (which most of her friends didn't even know that there is a blackberry monza or orlando. What they knew were the cheaper lineup of android phones).

dwartyl

It means they have to do it right,, they cannot have a bad 30 seconds during super bowl,, fingers crossed

mrskycar

Agree. So long as the commercial is not bad RIM is okay.

chiamattt

Even if the commercial is bad, that's ok.

ferre_kun

I just want to say, about the time! ^^ I want to see blackberry aeverywhere, tv, streets, internet, everywhere. T-shirts, jackets/coats, caps, bags, shoes, wrist watches, towels, carpets, even underwears :p eye glasses, blenders, garage, doors, cars, motorbikes, even airplanes XD

I want to see the blackberry world!

BlackJack-21

Just adding to the Post. This ad will bring awareness that RIM has brought in a new product, and it will reach out to all of thoughs who don't read teach blogs; to have something to think about for their next purchase.

Vorkosigan

'Beyond direct ROI, perhaps what's even more important at this stage in the game is changing the perceptions towards BlackBerry, especially in the United States where the brand has suffered the most damage over the past two years. This is BlackBerry's chance to say we're back in a BIG way. Marketing can make an impact, and a well-executed commercial showing off a compelling new product has the ability to change perceptions fast.'

This ^. A superbowl ad is an excellent way to prove that RIM is alive and well. I hope it's an awesome ad!

Mister-E

Superbowl ads are known for their quality. They are often rewatched online after the game, and even watched online by those who did not watch it. These ads are either creative/funny or simply informative. It would be interesting if BlackBerry goes the creative/funny route and it becomes viral.

BruvvaPete2

I totally agree. There are also the tv news/sports casts that also replay the most creative and funny ads. People the least bit interested in the event will want to see the best ads.

The trickle down effect could be huge. I see several ads during the SB. Not just one. For people who think BB is dead, one ad won't be enough to tell the tale.

lorax1284

A superbowl commercial that ISN'T creative / funny is criticized by the pundits.

Search for "superbowl 2012 commercials" and you will find dozens of sites that make the commercials available for viewing (just YouTube compilations, mostly) but there is a huge interest in these commercials as ENTERTAINMENT, so I have my fingers crossed that the BB10 commercial is NOT just a relatively dull 'feature walkthrough'.

Here is a compilation of one person's "top 10 of 2012".

They're all humourous have a bit of a "twist" to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enzkdcCE8s4

silversun10

launch Jan 30, Superbowl Feb 3, looks as if it was the plan all along.....

Dr.Deebs

"I think RIM's going to do a Super Bowl commercial!".

Hey Chris, just a heads-up that you don't need double punctuation at the end of that sentence; just the exclamation point is fine.

BruvvaPete2

A topic this important and you come away with punctuation issues? As they say at half time, "come on, man".

Dr.Deebs

I love hearing big news about BB10, I just happen to think that a topic this important deserves correct punctuation. ;)

CarGuy1368

If he typed it on a BlackBerry device then it adds the period after the quote.

Chris Umiastowski

You're right - I didn't catch this in editing!

 

BruvvaPete2

To most it's not a big deal.

lynxs_claw

Needs to be a great commercial for serious user showing the playful side of BB10.. efficient and advance.. I really hope the get the spot just before the game resumes.. that'll ensure that everyone's watching

TomJasper

Breaking even on the Super Bowl commercial should be an easy given, any ROI over as per Umi numbers (plus factor production costs) is pure gravy. :)

There is more at play here though, which in my view is freekin brilliant and well thought out by Frank/Thor etc. They will engage social media (facebook/twitter etc ) pre,during and post game!

Stats show that 52% of people will use some sort of communication device during the game,the break down is as follows: texting 30%, Facebook 27%, email 20%, twitter 8%. Now these are 2010/2011 number so twitter stats for 2013 should obviously be much higher.

Next 48 million will re-watch a Super Bowl commercial , 40 million plan to share their favourite Super Bowl commercial online in the following manner: 35 million Facebook, 2.4 million YouTube, 1.6 million twitter.

Now just taking Facebook, if each Facebook has 130 friends that can be 4.5 billion incremental impressions!

Of course this all boils down to commercial content, how well it's liked etc but the impressions could be staggering, potential is there. :)

Here is another interesting stat: 29 million people plan to buy something during the Super Bowl game, 15% is smart phones! That's approx 4.5 million smart phone just during the game,even with RIM's present market share break even on the commercial is a given, I suspect an easy ROI. Keep in mind this is just DURING the game, goodwill before/after the game is not even factored in yet. :)

So in conclusion by RIM tapping into social media pre , during and post game , they have maximized the potential of the marketing expenditure , in other words they are fully on top of their game!

BruvvaPete2

T.J. Nothing beats math when the numbers add up. Thanks for your post.

TomJasper

BruvvaPete2, thanks. You know what I find more interesting yet, these social media numbers are based on consumer reaction/s and their own desire to engage in social media(pushing Blackberry brand etc). What RIM will do by engaging (driving)social media pre,during,post game is amplifying the consumer reaction/s up a few notches!

The feedback/data from the social media alone is worth tons of $$$ that normally is purchased to be used in future marketing.

I guess one of the biggest take backs also is that RIM is showing via social media that they do/will take consumer feedback seriously, that's refreshing for consumers and will give consumers good reason to make their next smart phone purchase from Blackberry 10.

mrskycar

And if RIM actively engages the social traffic to reinforce the brand we can redefine the depth of that goodwill.

ferre_kun

Plus the after effect, the hype when people says,”Did you see that blackberry ad on superbowl? It's so cool, we should check it out!”, or ”Yo, is that your new phone? I saw the ad on superbowl, let me see it.”, or ”I saw a very cool phone on superbowl but I forgot what phone it was. What? Really? It was a blackberry? Where can I get it?” etc.

It's like domino effect. As more people use it, more people will see someone use it, and some of them can relate it with superbowl. I don't watch superbowl but it sounds awesome. Anything related to it can be considered awesome too. I agree with chris, it's more to start brainwash non tech/gadget aware people than to get tons of sales right after the superbowl. It's to get people on the street start talking about how cool is blackberry. To get average people know that blackberry is the new hype.

BBOttawa

Superbowl ads are worth more than just the initial viewers though, they're seen by millions online after, the ads are almost as big of an event as the game to some.

lorax1284

It is rumoured that Canadian carriers will have devices available on Feb 5th... a superbowl ad makes the most sense if US carriers will actually have devices available for purchase. I mean, an ad that tells people "coming soon" isn't going to be as effective as "available now. Go on. go git it!"

I'm saying that the ROI on a superbowl commercial will be MUCH GREATER if they actually have devices available to consumers.

JMDBERRY

Lets see: $3 mil for 30 second vid!
- $1.5 Mil for 15 secs
- $750k for 7.5 secs
- $375k for 3.75 secs
- $187,500 for 1.875 secs
- $93,750 for .9375 secs

So, lets say some 60 million people watch the Super Bowl and all 60 mil watch the BB10 commercial:

RIM investment cost for the ad is roughly $20 per potential new BB10 customer! Of which, RIM recoups at the sale of every new BB10 device to a customer that saw the BB Super Bowl ad.

Dollars well spent if you ask me...

JMD

TomJasper

There should be 111 million watching Super Bowl. :) You then have to ad the post game eyeballs(commercial re-runs via social media).

Imho commercial cost per sale will be much much lower.

Yet I agree with you 100%, dollars well worth spent. :)

Chris Umiastowski

Totally good point about the online eyeballs.  I didn't even consider this in my rough math.  I looked only at Nielsen numbers.  But you're right.  Last year I watched all the commercials online, because I missed the actual game on TV.

Motorhead777

I know TECH PEOPLE who have no idea whats going on with BB10 and think RIM is almost dead. But they know that already.

Hope it shows the old blackberry morphing into something new and better than the competition, thats what needs to be made clear. People know BB are quality , just need to know how its better and that the support is there.

dm3ready

I'd love to see them use "Back in Black!" as the theme of the commercial!

dannyd86

Back in black would be good. Something to do with coming back from the grave. I dunno, I'd suck at making commercials or movies lol.

Hope they come up with something memorable though

SEAWARRIOR

***"I have no idea if these estimates are actually reasonable. But they don't seem insane to me, and I think it says that the return on investment for this commercial has a pretty good chance of being highly positive."***

GOOD ARTICLE,,, these estimates are very reasonable,,, RUETERS SAYS:"
Prices for the national commercial space have also jumped. CBS has said it is getting as much as a record $4 million for some of its 30-second national ad spots for the game.",,, if the outfit charged w/ producing the spot creates a POWERFUL, ENTERTAINING MESSAGE, the spot could have a life of 6 months or better,,, also they could come up w/ an iconic character which would propell Rims' exposure into the stratoshere,,, remember the E-trade baby??? superbowl,,, the Geico lizard??? superbowl,,, so if they get it right, Rim could certainly make a huge LASTING statement...

"THE GUY YOUR MOTHER WARNED YOU ABOUT"

digitalhomeboy

Do these numbers factor the $2-$5 RIM has to pay Nokia or was the agreement on legacy and not BlackBerry 10? I'm gathering it would be on legacy because of official details on the X10, "Y10", and Z10 are yet to come! Oops, did I just mention a "Y" device...

rcab

I believe RIM needs to not only have this ad based on what everyone has said but to stop the trend in the USA that BB is dead or is still the old BB phone that many moved away to join Apple or Android. It will turn the tide of everyone making BB the laughing joke on FB and Twitter and in daily conversations. It will show spending BIG BUCKS is a definite sign that there is a new game in town and it is BLACKBERRY. Many of the nontech world will see the BB 10 and will either buy it now or will investigate and consider it when their contracts end. Most consumers will not pay full price for a phone, they will wait till the end of their contract before purchasing a new phone. RIM has to rebuild their empire one phone at a time, customer by customer. If RIM failed to place an ad on the super bowl then all the critics would slam them for having a product not even worthy of showing off during the Super Bowl. It would be considered the OLD RIM still making blunders.

gregorylkelly

They should do something like...."for every point scored in today's game,we will be giving away a brand new BB10 device. Like us on Facebook during the game to be entered in the drawing."

kvndoom

That's really a great idea. People will go for "free" no matter what it is!

smallbiz

Anyone know what ad agency is responsible for the ad?

smallbiz

Ha, found the answer just after posting (always the way! ):

The company said the creative work on the ad was handled by the agency AMV BBDO. http://amvbbdo.com/

sweetandsoursauce

Whoa.... thats an excellent catch.
They did the excellent "Those Who Do" campaign that ran in the UK:
http://amvbbdo.com/work/campaigns/blackberry/
I hope they just don't recycle that.

br14

A quick glance at the financial and tech blogs suggests RIM has already had $3 million worth of advertising just from suggesting there may be a Super Bowl ad.

Any additional coverage from the ad itself is a bonus.

TomJasper

Good point br14, ALL media has picked up on this and is giving Blackberry 10 a whack of FREE publicity as we speak. People will now be actively looking for the Blackberry 10 commercial.

Chris Umiastowski

Very smart & observant comment here.  You're so right.

PLTM

I believe the ad is paid for in part with AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile. This way all brands gets noticed. Its a BB commercial, but at the end it says available now at AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile. So say the 3 carriers combine put in 1 million dollars and RIM pony up the rest.

OneArseneWenger

The carriers' best strategy by far is to encourage customers to switch ecosystems. I'm guessing your comment is closer to the truth than you might think.

Deu2e

I don't normally watch the Super Bowl, but I think I will this year just to see this ad! I'm very excited for BB10! Hopefully this will be money well spent by RIM!

timmy t

They should sign up some famous athletes or entertainment stars to tweet about the game for them during the Super Bowl.
People can follow their tweets under a BlackBerry banner and it would be great publicity.

MoolahMitch

I remember the leaked promo video last year and I believe the ad will be along those lines especially as BlackBerry has such a large celebrity following. Just this week Stephen Fry and Russell Simmons have tweeted about receiving a Blackberry 10 device already.

Mr Gill

Props to Boulben, definitely a smart move. To everyone who is suggesting that this is a waste of money and that it could have been better spent towards advertisements during prime time television, I don't think you understand the magnitude and impact of the Super Bowl in the US.

BaconMunch

Dollars very well spent! and I agree with Chris's statement where this level of tight coupling in launch/marketing shows how close the CEO and CMO and other parties are working together and performing well.
Also, Samsung is listed as having an ad as well, imagine if BlackBerry was a no show, it would really hurt them as a valid contender. I agree that beyond the actual conversion of sales based on viewership, much of the value RIM is getting is working on that perception and getting people to TALK about BlackBerry 10 and in turn, you're going to get viewers who will CORRECT others about what BlackBerry 10 is all about, genius!

bvinceb

They should go all out. Package deal maybe 3 ads for 10million ( 10 for 10)
:D

BB 9800 n Playbook -

TomJasper

I keep thinking " Can your phone do this? ".

I remember the day it was said and the glint in his eyes when saying it,perfect tag line, we shall see. ;)

Yoox_II

Unfortunately for the citizens of BlackBerrys home country, we probably won't get to see the commercial til after its uploaded on YouTube. I'm sick of superbowl ad rules foe different countries.

silversun10

at RIM they have to be aware of that and perhaps they lined up a Canadian version with Canadian carriers

BruvvaPete2

I don't think it makes sense for them to make separate ads. I really don't see that happening. It's not cost effective.

djrupey

Off screen, a huge rumbling noise, rather like the spaceship in the opening scene of Star Wars.

A large black obelisk is seen rising from the ground. It looks a bit like a gravestone.

Primeval apes are attracted by the commotion. They are curious, but stand back, afraid.

After a while, one of them cautiously goes up and touches the black obelisk. There is a pinging sound and a Blackberry Spark gradually emerges as the side of the obelisk lights up. The music swells. Something appears in a strange language: "You have a message. Go to Jupiter".

Fas forward 100,000 years. The whole galaxy is using Blackberrys.

dakid72

This commercial has to be within the first commercial spots and it has to be memorable, that is the nature of superbowl marketing. For the past decade I would talk to people about the commercials more than the actual game, especially the budweiser ones with the horses, dogs or zebras, (see memorable). I like the fact that they are doing a commercial on the biggest commercial day of the year, but it has to resonate where they want to go and what they are capable of doing. Just don't know how they can show that in 30 secs.
I don't know what I would do with out my berries!

TomJasper

I agree that in 30 seconds it would be very tough to show Blackberry 10 speed and features, I would think it would be more in line with engaging the consumer in a way to follow through to video assets that do show the speed and features of Blackberry 10. This is where the social media aspects pre, during and after the game kick in. Think of the social media as the full length 5-10 minute commercial and the 30 second commercial as the pusher to such. All in my opinion though, we shall see.

Blackberry10.com would be the pinning point also I would think,easy url to remember to boot.

BBNation

Let's not forget US, Canada, Aus and UK goverments are biggest RIM customers, multiple goverment deptartments, agencies, state, local gov is cash cow for rim. This ad make sure that RIM is not dead and it has cash to fight back. Some companies and blogs think that RIM will die and they have to transist to anotherr platform. this ad will ensure that it is there and will be there. 250000 BES installs MUST know that RIM is transformed and it will be here for them.

dagerlach

RIM,

Don't waste 3-million dollars on a stupid football commercial!

David

BruvvaPete2

You just don't fully comprehend the magnitude of what this means or what's going. Just because you don't like football is no reason for you to say dumb things.

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes

I think Umi's estimates are not unreasonable, and infact quite conservative

nabil114

The Many Types Of Marketing

http://www.designandpromote.com/the-many-types-of-marketing/

- Rezaur Rahman

BB_Bmore

So long as people like uncle rush and top athletes keep tweeting about how amazing BlackBerry10 is, RIM will have no problem selling phones...did I mention that BlackBerry10 really is a step above the competition too? That's got to help ;)

CDM76

The Superbowl Commercials are often not available outside USA ... Canada always "replaces" them with Cdn commercials. Hopefully RIM doesn't forget that.

Now after the Superbowl ? RIM's marketing is going to take off. In the past $3mill was entire marketing budget... Now we are going to see a LOT more marketing and a LOT more BB10. The Superbowl will be the Marketing "kickoff" if you will.

Crisdean

I don't follow the NFL as European and don't care about the NGpFL as such. But the superbowl is watched and the ads andbhalftime show is what's interesting keep the most. It means effing a lot to me and more so for RIM

Go for the homerun RIM!

vx1

All I know is superbowl or not with a 3-4 million dollar invoice - you had better make it good lol.

Supa_Fly1

Wow ... very impressed! RIM is going FULL out with regards to marketing - as they should!

This is brand-name marketing 101 - give the brand "BlackBerry" a much needed Boost! While their at it the BB Splat will also get featured, a subtle way to highlight BBM features, as well as notifications/hub as well. Now with 15 seconds to properly highlight incredible features or the namesake of BlackBerry along with BB10 products ... this'll be probably THE best $3million plus spent on ANY SuperBowl ad since Apple's infamous 1984 that aired only once.

multi-tasking with finese
power - only QNX can give
security & user privacy along with corporate privacy
user choice ... BB10!

TomJasper

Interesting tidbit, so far only Blackberry 10 and samsung will have Super Bowl commercials. No apple no microsoft confirmed to date. Also apparently the samsung commercial is "rumoured" to be a dig at apple.

I would have thought all four would represent, this gets better and better,less pie to split,lol.

Brianflys

This will be bigger than the "1984" Superbowl ad for the Macintosh. It will be talked about for decades as the signpost of the reigniting of the NEW BlackBerry brand.

BBVegasGirl80

There's a very interesting article in Forbes that talks about exactly what you said. Symbolically, Apple is now the new Big Brother and RIM is the (brunette!) running with the sledgehammer. :-) http://t.co/0gFMKhF1

BruvvaPete2

As a Canuck I hope RIM doesn't end up being the new Nortel. I pray to everyone's God they don't. Bitter pill to swallow. Let's hope Thor has some influence in this area.

martesque

For this Super Bowl ad, I'm hoping for Daniel Craig dashing around with his BB10, checking in with M while using various apps to catch an international syndicate criminal. Then, showing off BB Balance, switches to personal mode, while in a hot tub, making dinner reservations with his current lady companion.

BBVegasGirl80

RIM should hire you! Love the Bond angle, and the concept you mentioned appeals to both men and women. Since BBs are known for their top-secret security, it makes sense for BB10 to be the preferred device for 007. :-)

greatwiseone

This is a good way to build buzz about bb10. Problem is that they are using the same advertising firm that did the old PlayBook tv commercials which were not very good (partially it was RIM's fault for not marketing PlayBook the right way)....hopefully this BB10 ad is worth every penny...

OneArseneWenger

Ad idea: Barack Obama flips his iPod to one of his kids after firing up his new Z10.

Kasyata

I'm back,i lyk e idea of obama staff or they can use Arnold Swaz u know with e IM BACK STUNT.....

YorkieRay

I'm a British NFL fan and I watch Superbowl every year. I am currently in the Caribbean, so I will be watching direct on CBS.
I have seen that Superbowl commercials are as much about awareness of the brand, which is what RIM will be aiming for. It would help if the ad could also create some media chatter which would lead to further views on YouTube.

OmarVlogable

I'm so freaking excited!

Rootbrian

Stupid hothead naysayers. LOOOL!!!
Good write up chris, I too, am looking forward to seeing the ad. I'm going to be vlogging about it.