Why RIM changed its name to BlackBerry

NEW YORK: Research In Motion is
changing its name to BlackBerry in
move to refresh its tarnished image
as it begins marketing a
reengineered line of BlackBerry 10
smartphones.
The announcement, made by Chief
Executive Thorsten Heins as the
company formally launched the
BlackBerry 10, signals the company's
hopes for a streamlined identity as it
embarks on a make-or-break drive to
regain lost ground in the smartphone
market it once dominated.

"BlackBerry is how we're known
pretty much everywhere across the
world other than North America, so
we have an iconic global brand and
when you have such a powerful
brand, you want to make it central,"
said Frank Boulben, BlackBerry's
chief marketing officer, in an
interview.
The switch underscores the close
attention the company is paying to
marketing as it launches a product
considered crucial to its survival. In
the past, it was roundly criticized for
botching the launch of the PlayBook
tablet and other devices.

RIM's aging line-up of devices has
competed poorly in recent years
against the likes of Apple Inc's iPhone
and Samsung's wide array of Galaxy
devices.
As the company counters with its new
line, the name change will allow it to
leverage the value of the BlackBerry
brand - still a powerful asset in spite
of RIM's fall from grace.
"Previously we had Research In
Motion, BlackBerry, Bold, Curve,
Torch, PlayBook - and that dilutes the
BlackBerry brand, which is a
fantastic asset," Boulben said.
"Moving to a branded house model
allows us to focus our marketing on
one name only."
That could be crucial for the
company, which has undergone a
management overhaul changes and a
major restructuring, leading up to
the launch of its re-engineered line
of devices on Wednesday.
"We thought now was the perfect
time to accompany that real change
with symbolic change," said Boulben,
adding that RIM will change its
Nasdaq ticker to "BBRY" and its
Toronto Stock Exchange ticker
symbol to "BB" in a matter of days.
The company will undergo a legal
name change after its shareholders
pass a resolution to that effect later
this year, said a spokeswoman. Until
then the company will do business as
BlackBerry.
Boulben said the company would
have a focused marketing push
behind the revamped smartphones -
a stylish touch-screen device and a
more traditional physical keyboard
device that many of its die-hard fans
adore.
In keeping with its branding strategy,
the new devices will also follow a
simple naming structure, said
Boulben.
"We want our employees to say, 'I
work for BlackBerry.' Our customers
to say, 'I own a BlackBerry.' Our
shareholders to say, 'I own
BlackBerry stock,'" said Boulben. "We
want to become what I'd call a
branded house versus a house of
brands."