Marketing Communication and Brand Strategy

Understanding the concept of marketing communication and brand strategies of Blackberry Ltd requires the interrelationship comprehension of how to get the message to the company’s target audience. Generally, marketing communications are the attempts of a firm to inform, remind, and persuade consumers about products and brands of sale (Kotler & Keller, 2016). In the process to accomplish this method’s objectives, the firm establishes situations and scenarios in which employees can solve a problem for the firm using this method. Blackberry uses the situational analysis to identify its vision and mission statements, strengths and weaknesses, and strategic objectives to come up with a successful market plan in the early stages of the process. The company uses promotion, place/distribution, and price strategies of product and services on its marketing to the consumers.

Situation Analysis for Blackberry Ltd 

When creating a market, Blackberry Ltd puts an emphasis on the significance of its mission and vision statement, strengths and weaknesses of both the firm, and its competitors (Lagat & Frankwick, 2017).

1. Vision, mission, strategic objectives, Values

Mission

Blackberry is a leading manufacturer, designer, and marketer of advanced wireless solutions for the market of mobile communications worldwide. Blackberry provides a platform through which development of integrated hardware and software services that meet the standards of multiple wireless networks is enabled. The firm provides time-sensitive information such as internet, email, text messaging (SMS and MMS), phone and intranet-based applications platforms. Generally, Blackberry’s mission is providing secure and trusted end-to-end mobility solutions (SM Insight.com., 2013).

Strategic objectives and Values

BlackBerry Ltd product strategy is to accomplish its mission on providing mobility solutions that are secure and can be trusted by the customers. The firm focuses on expanding the addressable market by creating a cross-platform software, securing messaging through Enterprise BBM and AtHoc and creating consulting services on cybersecurity. In delivering innovation and security, BlackBerry has created an IOT platform such as the BlackBerry Radar and Voice encryption software such as SecuSuite. The company enhances its customer’s loyalty through trust and credibility as it believes in making human connections with its customers.  

Vision

BlackBerry’s vision is “A Connected World”. The focus is not only a connected world but where the customer is safe and also the customer’s data (SM Insight.com., 2013).

2. Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths

BlackBerry Ltd has a significant brand image for its mobile products. Ethical values are highly considered by the company on its ethical mission statement. The company’s good financial position has led to it offering mobile solutions to both the international and local markets. In creating the brand image, BlackBerry Ltd has well-trained staff to fulfill customers’ satisfaction.

Weaknesses

BlackBerry Ltd single-track focus on mostly corporate users has been the key weakness of the firm. Due to this, BlackBerry has been unable to keep with competition from other mobile solution providers mainly because of the security features

3. Competitor’s Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths 

Blackberry has gained more popularity than its competitors due to its advanced security features. These features are simply matchless by any mobile maker including Apple and Samsung. Among corporate users, it has been much popular as it can integrate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

Weaknesses

As BlackBerry has an obsessive focus on corporate users who possess a large consumer base, it has lost its competitive advantage as small business owners cannot manage to install expensive enterprise software.

4. Market Segments

BlackBerry has used the mobile communication market structure that combines the behavior, occupation, and income as the main fragments to describe its consumers market. Using the behavior segmentation, the segments are divided into innovators who are very active customers or change leaders among other features.

5. Maintaining Brand Image

The prolonged silence on the issues of phoning, texting, and Internet browsing has damaged the image of BlackBerry Ltd. However, to win back their frustrated customers the company has given applications worth millions of dollars as a sign of apologizing. By developing a quality phone and service system, the company can attract future customers, as well as, retain the current.

References

Kotler, P.T. & Keller, K.L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Lagat, C., & Frankwick, G. L. (2017). Marketing capability, marketing strategy implementation and performance in small firms. Journal for Global Business Advancement, 10(3), 327-345.

SM Insight.com. (2013). SWOT Mission statement of Blackberry. Retrieved from https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/blackberry-mission-statement.html