The first vision and mission statements were formulated in 1996. These statements were found to be valid even for today. However, there was a need to articulate them in the present context of the changes in the governance system. Therefore, the revisions to the strategic direction have been incorporated under the respective sub-topics such as the Vision statement, Mission statement, and strategic areas of focus. The chapter also contains a set of five core values and a revised organization structure of the RIM.
VISION
RIM aims to be the premier center for management development excelling in developing managers of tomorrow; strengthening management capabilities and facilitating policy options to meet emerging challenges.."
MISSION OF RIM
"To develop socially and professionally responsible and proactive managers and leaders with holistic perspectives and competencies."In realizing the above vision and mission, RIM focuses on the following strategic areas:
- RIM – Strengthening Institutional Capacity and develop RIM into a financially self-sustaining Institute.
- Civil Service – Building management capabilities and meeting future requirements of the civil service.
- Local Governance – Facilitate decentralization process and enhance community participation through capacity development.
- Private Sector Development – Facilitate private sector capacity development through training, research and consultancy.
2. Concept and Target Market
Once anyone sees this symbol they know exactly what company is and what their product is, there is now doubt about it. This company has based its reputation on this picture and what it represents. This picture is a silent language known all over the world and all its customers and prospective customer know it all too well.
Blackberry's most recent products are "funky" and "cooler" looking than other thing out there in the market. They did this specifically to target the younger generation of phone users to attract them to the product and it worked! Unlike their competitor Iphone which looks remind the same since it came out, BlackBerry has gone from big "clunky" design to "sexy", "sleek" slide up screen and touch sensitive phones which cornered the market just in the nick of time. If they had started out where they are now customers would have gotten bored with look and not by the product but since they gradually change their designs over a steady period of time, it it more appealing to customers which is exactly what they want.
Even though this thing is a money making thing, BlackBerry has found a way to do that and meet customers needs with the evolving world around them. With the generation of customers that the world is having today and in the future they will know how to go along with it to keep customers interested in the product.
3. S.W.O.T. Analysis of BlackBerry
Strengths
v BlackBerry’s unique branding- When u hear the words “pin” and “broadcast message” there is no doubt in anyone’s that they are talking about a BlackBerry. Since Blackberry started out, they have made it their mission to be known for their name and they have done a wonderful job at that.
v BlackBerry’s strategy- By having over 30 million customers and being in over 200 countries it has given them an advantage over the rest because not many other companies can say that. Even know they are still working on being in my countries to expand their market and in the few years they will be available in every country.
v Blackberry’s device design- Over the years, Blackberry has developed its designs based on the time periods and moving with the developing technology. By moving with the time, it allows them to create more devices based on their customers’ needs because of the way technology moves so fast and they want all the latest developments and improvement in the market.
v Blackberry’s carrier diversity- Over the years BlackBerry has 600 couriers worldwide and in the U.S. , Blackberry is one of the only companies that have devices for all the mobile carriers: At&t, Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile and even Metro PCS and Boost Mobile which gives them an edge over their competitors. They have made it easy for their customers to afford to get a BlackBerry on many budget.
v Blackberry’s unique software capabilities- Blackberry have made it easy and effective for customers to have access to their software to make those customers lives so much easier. Even with the software update is not a hassle to do because the device itself signals the user that there is an update and all they have to do is just touch a button, upgrade then the device takes it from there.
Weakness
v BlackBerry’s main issue- The biggest weakness BlackBerry has is trying to get prospective customers to think of BlackBerry devices as more than just a “business device”.
v Limited product- Only carries smart phone devices, (well now they just started to go in the tablet market).
Opportunity
v Growing in international market- Over the years BlackBerry has gone into the international market expanding their products to China, India, Spain and so many more. By doing this they hope to help their profit margin grow more and more as they try to go into other countries.
v Appealing to new market- By them going into the tablet market they hope to be a force to reckon with because they are allowing customers to connect their phones to the tablet and use the internet off their phones to get the internet instead of having to deal with WIFI and 3G hotspots.
v Expanding products- Every year a company has to have a new product out which lucky for BlackBerry they actually come out with at least 2/3 a year so they are always on top of their game when it comes on to giving something new to customers and the market.
Threats
v Tough Competition- Everybody knows BlackBerry’s biggest competition is of course Apple Iphones and the Andriod devices.
Marketing Objective
v Trying to outdo their competitors to get prospective customers to see BlackBerry as more than a business device and having them thinking of it to be the same as their competitors if not better than them.
v Trying to turn the believes of customers to help them see that the applications on the BlackBerry are just as effective as those on their competitors; meaning not because a device has a million apps doesn’t necessarily means that the operating system is any better.
v Trying to expand their market from just being known as a “smart phone” device and go into other areas of the electronic department.
v Trying to get all mobile carriers to get the devices to do talk and browsing at the same time because people in general think that the Iphone is the only ones that can do that where in fact they aren’t. For right now only Verizon allows customers to do so but they need to get it for all the other carriers.
v Trying to make a bigger “splash” in the U.S. market. Because this is a company that is based in Canada and yes it is known here in the U.S. it is not as popular as they want/expected it to be. So by redoing the marketing ads etc they are hoping to draw in more customers to the existing product.
7. Integrated Marketing Communications
4. Retailing Activities
Creating the ultimate consumer experience on the selling floor is the difference between having a top-selling brand on the market and merely becoming an also-ran. BlackBerry has used companies such as MarketStar to provide retail sale strategies which are designed to make their product the most prominent and high recommended brand of choice among consumers.
Research In Motion (RIM), a manufacturer of innovative wireless solutions, wanted to improve the in-store presence of its flagship product, the BlackBerry. RIM relied on MarketStar’s retail expertise to analyze the market and create and execute a strategy to train and motivate retail sales associates while increasing customer loyalty at the point of sale.
MarketStar is a company that is based on building brand loyalty and training sales associates on the product so they can get those products off the shelf and to the registers. Through a thing called brand advocacy, they recommend high rates of knowledge transfer of the product by connecting store associates and consumers with the brand. This I believe is a brilliant way to get the product known which is exactly what BlackBerry wants and does. They have used this company to get the word out about their product to get a sense of what consumers really want from their device and they give retail sales associates those skills to help them make the sales.
BlackBerry has found the most innovative way to get retail sales associates involved in helping to push sales which is obviously doing competitions between stores to see who could win gifts or tickets to the movies or even individual competitions to see who would make the most sales and win a BlackBerry either themselves or for the store. What better way is there to make people work harder if you don’t give them something to work towards? By doing these competitions among stores they have helped to increase their sales and create brand awareness over the country. So not only they doing that but also the commercials they have that promote their devices has been a huge help in driving sales and also for what carriers these devices are available for. Even the carriers get involved in marketing the devices so they can help the sales in the retail locations and also make a name for themselves based on which device they carry which MarketStar again, has been a huge help in getting the word out to the retail locations no matter how small or big they are everyone of them are doing good business.
Currently, MarketStar conducts thousands of in-store trainings per year, manages store inventories and generates competitive business intelligence to help RIM dominate the marketplace.
5. BlackBerry Marketing Magazine AD
6. BlackBerry Sales Promotion
7. Integrated Marketing Communications
BlackBerry as a company do not use many words in their marketing communications, mainly because they base their communications on our visual and listening senses. Even though there may be few worded ads, there are some that are on their social networks and blogs as seen below. Here are four (4) different mediums and messages in which BlackBerry will convey their message to customers whether it be present or prospective ones.
1. Blogs Ads
It's very frustrating for BlackBerry users in countries that don't have access to BlackBerry App World to try to download apps. Though it's not available in all countries yet, RIM has expanded the accessibility of App World to 9 additional countries in Africa: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Lesotho. Customers in these countries can now download App World for their BlackBerry and enjoy all that it has to offer.
BlackBerry meets the customer just only at the beginning by identifying with customers frustration of not being about to use the App World in certain countries.
2. BlackBerry Youtube Channel
BlackBerry contacts the customer at the beginning through to the end by explaining what BlackBerry Music is and how it works. This is the base of every information system when trying to reach to a customer.
3. Social Networks
You know that thing where you get something awesome for less? Get the BlackBerry Curve 3G with a voice plan from Verizon and see how you can stay connected for just $10/month.
BlackBerry meets the customers' right at the beginning because of the question. Asking things like will give the customer a sense of social interaction even if you're not face to face.
4. Advertisement
BlackBerry meets the customer from the beginning of the commercial through to end of it. Making sure to show customers that you can do so many things with your BlackBerry, to the point where you don't have to be at work to get work stuff done.
8. BlackBerry Projection for 2012
BlackBerry’s projection for 2012 will be the launch of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. The landscape of the BlackBerry Enterprise portfolio is evolving to provide more function, more control and more possibilities to meet the needs of your business. Planning your infrastructure is a critical part in ensuring the long-term success of your mobile deployment. With the increasing number of employees “going mobile”, today’s organizations are tasked with supporting, managing and securing a wide array of mobile devices. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, from a single web-based unified interface, administrators can provision, audit and protect BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and other devices that use the Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will be the next generation Enterprise Mobility Solution for BlackBerry, Android and iOS smartphones and Tablets.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will provide the following mobile device management capabilities for all supported mobile devices:
• Asset management
• Configuration management
• Security and policy definition and management
• Secure and protect lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe)
• User- and group-based administration
• Multiple devices per user capable
• Application and software management
• Connectivity management (Wi-Fi, VPN, certificate)
• Centralized console
• High scalability
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is currently in early beta testing with select enterprise customers. RIM is now accepting customer nominations for the closed beta program which will start in January, and general availability is expected in late March.
BlackBerry is also expected to release at least 8 new models in 2012, including variations on the 8800, newer versions of the Pearl, a striped-down entry-level BlackBerry and, allegedly, a device designed to squarely take on the iPhone.
9. Long-Term Success Plan
For BlackBerry to have long-term success for the next couple of years they need to step their game up even more. With their main competition being Apple, they need to find some way to throw the market a curve ball to let them say “wow that’s a BlackBerry?” BlackBerry needs to also extend their product line from just being product modifications, just like their competition. They need to step outside the box and find a way to have people in the U.S. go crazy for a BlackBerry the way they do in other countries like Indonesia. If they find this loophole, they will have continued success in the U.S.
