Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

It's 4 am and I'm packing up, leaving the hotel to catch my flight. Getting back to LAX is a snap, and returning the rental car goes off without a hitch. A second security checkpoint is opened to speed the check-in process, making for a relatively uneventful journey to the gate.

At this point I'm looking around to find the nearest caffeine injection center when I get my first laugh of the day. Large portrait LCD's are positioned within the terminals, running an ad stating "Amateur Hour Is Over" showcasing the Blackberry Playbook. I'm not sure if I laughed out loud, but if I did it was certainly justified. I came away with four possible reactions to the ad, none of which bode well for RIM or their ill-fated Playbook:

1. Who does RIM think they're fooling? RIM continues to market products as if it's 1990, assuming people have no understanding of technology or the trends that exist in the market. Anyone who is slightly in the know about portable gadgets, RIM's message that the iPad – and every other tablet – are amateurish toys is ridiculous, if not laughable (at least when considering the iPad). RIM is insulting anyone slightly involved with tech. Ironically, that's the exact audience for which the Playbook is targeted.

2. RIM is desperate. We've seen this type of inside the beltway marketing before, more often than not, coming from Microsoft. The arrogant statement "Amateur hour is over" communicates RIM's egotistical corporate arrogance. RIM management is living in a world of complete denial. Worse yet, ad agencies are very keen to cater to those that cut their paychecks. The result are campaigns that stray far from the truth; RIM is no longer the market leader. But delivering a new style of message risks ad agencies livelihoods, so they plot a course to sell what management wants to here, vs delivering campaigns that make sense for their target audience.

C. No one cares. It's the worse place to be, but probably where the majority of people are at when it comes to RIM products. Another ad for another tablet means very little to anyone, especially when RIM is not in the position to saturate traditional media outlets with an all consuming message everyone will remember and grab hold of when considering a tablet.

I had a layover in San Jose, and I am now continuing my journey northward. I didn't notice a single RIM ad in the terminals while in San Jose. Too bad, I was hoping to see what RIM had come up with next, because Amateur hour is far from over – at least for RIM.

3 Comments

1. Neil Anderson ~ July 1, 2011 15:34
   Apparently they have a sense of humour.
2. pjs_boston ~ July 1, 2011 19:03
   Let's count to four, shall we? 1... 2... C!!!
3. John ~ July 2, 2011 01:06
   It's one thing to be behind and putting up a good fight. Quite another to be so utterly clueless.

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