i-What? BBM Me!

Peter S Fader

Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing, Wharton School
Co-Director of the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative

Biography

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Posted January 5th, 2011
Analysis • Technology

First, allow me to introduce you to my daughter Shayna: She is a nice, normal 18-year-old high-school senior. She does well in school, plays some sports, spends far too much time on Facebook and will be attending Penn as a freshman next year.

And like every one of her friends, she is steadfastly loyal to her BlackBerry.

She has an iPod to listen to her music and a MacBook for her personal computer, but when it comes to mobile communications, the folks in Waterloo own her heart. Ditto for her friends. They just don’t see the appeal of an iPhone: They’re not playing games or using “augmented reality” apps or looking for restaurant reviews. They see their communication device as a communication device—not as a mini-entertainment station.

The BlackBerry offers two huge advantages: First, as everyone knows, it has a real keypad. These kids send dozens if not hundreds of short messages every day, and they can’t afford to be slowed down by tapping on a flat piece of glass. Most of them would rather use a crappy old non-smartphone with a real keypad than an iPhone.

But the real X-factor is the BBM messaging system. Old farts like me don’t see how it’s any better than plain old SMS text messaging, but to these kids, it’s a whole different world. I won’t even try to explain it—ask a teenager and see if you can understand the difference. But whatever it is, it’s very addictive and offers a meaningful competitive advantage that Apple (and every other phone manufacturer) can’t touch.

Due to its technical prowess (or maybe luck), BlackBerry has been handed this wonderful gift—and they seem to be doing everything they can to hide it from the general public. Look at every new BlackBerry device and what do you see? That’s right, a pretty weak attempt to imitate Apple. Look at every BlackBerry ad and what do you see? That’s right, the same generic lifestyle gibberish as every other phone company.

BlackBerry’s tagline should be “BBM Me.” Every ad should feature a different kind of person (busy mom, overcommitted professional and, of course, a hyperconnected teenager) who uses the BBM system (as well as SMS, Facebook messaging and occasionally the phone itself) to keep in close touch with their many different contacts. It’s all about the instantaneous communications—not about all the crazy apps you could download if you ever had the time.

I’ve rarely seen a case like this where one firm truly stands out from all others because of a genuine technical advantage, but they fail to promote (or even acknowledge) it in all of their communications efforts. They have a great bunch of engineers up there, but they sure don’t know how to market a product!

Who knows if BlackBerry will survive the competitive thrusts of Apple, Android and other mobile operating systems (Microsoft anyone?). But their key to survival might be linked to those two simple words (“BBM Me”) and their ability to get everyone to appreciate the power that they convey to anyone who has done so. Just ask Shayna and her friends.

Manaskie

Your hyperconnected sister (who spends far too much time on Facebook) loves her apps and finds no difficulty texting/typing on a flat piece of glass. I think Shayna’s life is incomplete without Angry Birds, Farmville or Fruit Ninja.
Manaskie

Your hyperconnected sister (who spends far too much time on Facebook) loves her apps and finds no difficulty texting/typing on a flat piece of glass. I think Shayna’s life is incomplete without Angry Birds, Farmville or Fruit Ninja.
http://sbressler.myopenid.com/ Scott

Interesting post, but RIM actually _does_ promote BBM quite heavily. There’s http://crackberry.com/bbm-commercials-galore-watch-full-set-rims-new-blackberry-messenger-ads in addition to a whole slew of print ads. I’ve seen many gigantic posters even spewing BBM nonsense. But perhaps it works…
http://sbressler.myopenid.com/ Scott

Interesting post, but RIM actually _does_ promote BBM quite heavily. There’s http://crackberry.com/bbm-commercials-galore-watch-full-set-rims-new-blackberry-messenger-ads in addition to a whole slew of print ads. I’ve seen many gigantic posters even spewing BBM nonsense. But perhaps it works…
Anonymous

Angry birds on BB- http://www.buzzfeed.com/dinoi/angry-birds-for-blackberry-dj0
Anonymous

Angry birds on BB- http://www.buzzfeed.com/dinoi/angry-birds-for-blackberry-dj0
http://www.inflectionmethods.com Joel Capperella

hmmmmmmm. . .I dunno professor, do you really think so? I use BBM here and there and gotta tell you I don’t get it, I don’t see it as differentiating. Though, like you, I do know those who swear by it. But do you truly believe that this is enough of a differentiator? I mean it certainly isn’t like iPhone’s facetime. I see the concept your outlining here and I agree that BB ought to strive to be not just a ‘me too’ but BBM? I think a better example might be the kindle.
http://www.inflectionmethods.com/2010/12/23/product-marketing-kindle-the-unipad/
http://www.inflectionmethods.com Joel Capperella

hmmmmmmm. . .I dunno professor, do you really think so? I use BBM here and there and gotta tell you I don’t get it, I don’t see it as differentiating. Though, like you, I do know those who swear by it. But do you truly believe that this is enough of a differentiator? I mean it certainly isn’t like iPhone’s facetime. I see the concept your outlining here and I agree that BB ought to strive to be not just a ‘me too’ but BBM? I think a better example might be the kindle.
http://www.inflectionmethods.com/2010/12/23/product-marketing-kindle-the-unipad/
http://jelpern.blogspot.com Jordan Elpern-Waxman

I noticed that RIM had bus stops in NYC covered in BBM ads over the summer, especially around Grand Central. They were clearly targeting consumers (i.e. iPhone turf) and featured lines implying that BBM was where you kept your “real” friend list (as opposed to Facebook) and the preferred means of communicating with them.

I used BBM a bit and I loved it enough to miss it with my move to Android, but not enough to keep me from making the move. It’s basically like a souped up SMS system, but since it runs over Blackberry’s own servers the quality of service (speed and reliability) is orders of magnitude better, which is what makes it addictive to certain demographics. Comparing SMS to BBM is a bit like upgrading from 2G to 3G or regular TV to HDTV. If you’ve never used it you don’t realize you’re missing out, but if you’re a heavy texter, once you upgrade it’s hard to go back.

I’m not sure about the current status, but as of a year ago you could also use it while travelling internationally w/o paying roaming fees.
http://jelpern.blogspot.com Jordan Elpern-Waxman

I noticed that RIM had bus stops in NYC covered in BBM ads over the summer, especially around Grand Central. They were clearly targeting consumers (i.e. iPhone turf) and featured lines implying that BBM was where you kept your “real” friend list (as opposed to Facebook) and the preferred means of communicating with them.

I used BBM a bit and I loved it enough to miss it with my move to Android, but not enough to keep me from making the move. It’s basically like a souped up SMS system, but since it runs over Blackberry’s own servers the quality of service (speed and reliability) is orders of magnitude better, which is what makes it addictive to certain demographics. Comparing SMS to BBM is a bit like upgrading from 2G to 3G or regular TV to HDTV. If you’ve never used it you don’t realize you’re missing out, but if you’re a heavy texter, once you upgrade it’s hard to go back.

I’m not sure about the current status, but as of a year ago you could also use it while travelling internationally w/o paying roaming fees.
Hank

The only differences between BBM and SMS are that it’s somewhat faster, and you get read-receipts… so you know when someone has read or seen your BBM, which SMS can’t do (not yet, anyway). Other than that, I don’t see a huge difference between them… so much that I would switch to a BB just so I can see who has read my BBMS.
Hank

The only differences between BBM and SMS are that it’s somewhat faster, and you get read-receipts… so you know when someone has read or seen your BBM, which SMS can’t do (not yet, anyway). Other than that, I don’t see a huge difference between them… so much that I would switch to a BB just so I can see who has read my BBMS.
Mark Bures

You may find this article interesting. It talks about the importance of BBM and how RIM touts the application, especially in emerging markets:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-11/rim-taps-emerging-markets-messaging-mania-to-top-apple.html
Mark Bures

You may find this article interesting. It talks about the importance of BBM and how RIM touts the application, especially in emerging markets:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-11/rim-taps-emerging-markets-messaging-mania-to-top-apple.html
Nych

http://urbanoriginals.spreadshirt.co.uk/ – came accross this new growing culture was has the world cum to
Nych

http://urbanoriginals.spreadshirt.co.uk/ – came accross this new growing culture was has the world cum to
Anjana

I own both a Blackberry and iPhone 4 and keep both handy even though I don’t text. Simply because my iPhone can be quirky as a phone, often crashes when I’m trying to pull up my contact list and cannot be relied on like my Blackberry. This really in my mind is the biggest advantage. That and data security vs. iPhone.

For sending email I can now type faster on my iPhone than BB. I also like the spell checks and self-learning system that offers suggestions as I type. If asked to choose one device, I’ll go with the iPhone.
Anjana

I own both a Blackberry and iPhone 4 and keep both handy even though I don’t text. Simply because my iPhone can be quirky as a phone, often crashes when I’m trying to pull up my contact list and cannot be relied on like my Blackberry. This really in my mind is the biggest advantage. That and data security vs. iPhone.

For sending email I can now type faster on my iPhone than BB. I also like the spell checks and self-learning system that offers suggestions as I type. If asked to choose one device, I’ll go with the iPhone.