RIM (Research in Motion) is a Canadian-based company founded by Mike Lazaridis in 1984 and is the president and co-CEO. Douglas Fregin has remained the Vice president of operations since it was founded. Before the manufacture of BlackBerry phones, RIM had a mutual arrangement with RAM that involved the turning mobile wireless network into a two-way paging and wireless e-mail network. Mobitex was a product developed by Ericsson. The articulate and strategic nature of handling business saw RIM become the second developer of the Mobitex wireless network in 1988. In 1990, RIM ventured into the competitive wireless products market by the introduction of DigiSync Film KeyKode Reader. In 1991 and 1992, RIM introduced the first Mobitex protocol converter (MPC) and first Mobitex point-of-sale solution respectively. In the consequent years, RIM has managed to introduce a number of products that have remained competitive in the market. These include the first Type II PCMCIA radio modem for Mobitex in 1995, Inter@ctive Pager (a.k.a. RIM 900), the first two-way messaging pager, and the RIM 900 OEM radio modem in 1996 and RIM 901M OEM radio modem, the RIM 801D OEM radio modem and the RIM Wireless PC Card for Mobitex in 1996. 1997 marked the year RIM was publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
RIM has a global presence all over the globe brought about by the introduction of the Blackberry phones Brand that has been accepted the world over. Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, RIM is also situated in a number of locations the world over. In the Middle East, RIM has a location in Bahrain – the Idea Gallery at Adliya that offers workshops, short intensive courses, and special events. In Israel, RIM is located in Jerusalem at Strudel that also offers a variety of services to clients. In addition to the above, RIM has a notable presence at Jordan’s Amman Entertainment Centre and Atik Bar, Antakya/Hatay in Turkey.
In the analysis of the Middle East as the local region, RIM has distinct brands in Blackberry phones. Notable brands of BlackBerry include Blackberry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8310, and Blackberry Curve 8900. In addition to the above, RIM has Blackberry Pearl 8100, BlackBerry Curve 8320, and BlackBerry Bold 9000 in Jordan. In the global market, RIM markets wireless hardware, software, and related services to customers across the globe. In addition to the above, RIM provides software development tools and is a leading manufacturer of radio-based modems. These are used by other manufactures in incorporating them into portable devices.
The prices of RIM’s BlackBerry products differ depending on the functionality and usability of the product. For example, a BlackBerry Pearl Black Wireless Cellular goes for approximately $199.99 while a BlackBerry Bold 9700 goes for $430.00.
The marketing management for RIM products has for over the years been above average. This has been achieved by the innovative nature of their products and the ability to analyze the market demands before initiating their products into the market. For example, the ability to make an assessment at the right time on the need for corporate e-mail appliances led to the successful introduction of the Blackberry email mobile solution in the year 1999.
The provision of communication equipment, wireless products, and email appliances is a complex market characterized by intense research and the ability to forecast the future. While RIM has managed a close tight look at the market and achieved very high ratings in response to the quality and adaptability of its products, there is a need to stay focused on the existence of tight completion by Motorola, Pam Inc, Omnisky, and the advent of Handspring Inc.
Due to the intense competition brought about by intense technological advances and the ever-increasing demand for better and advanced technologies to drive business, RIM would best arm itself with the best marketing tools. The understanding is that the profitability of companies depends on its ability to manufacture and sell its products to the market and a profit. In addition to the above, this industry is capital intensive is characterized by very high employee annual turnover.
The best marketing management strategy for RIM in view of the operating environment is to develop a plan that targets a particular market and responds sensitively to the needs of that particular market. RIM is endowed with an added advantage in that its brands are recognized the world over and as such need only to work on improving its marketing levels and countering the competitors.
A comparative analysis of RIM products such as Blackberry to Nokia Smartphone reveals a number of similarities and differences. For example, The Nokia E71 is well structured for messaging and email services. In addition to the above, it is equipped with a full messaging keyboard and two customizable home screens that allow the user to easily switch between business and personal applications. The RIM BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Smartphone is a touch screen Smartphone that is equipped with business and multimedia features. Furthermore, it is equipped with SurePress technology and Bluetooth technology.
On the network type, Nokia E71 is capable of performing under the GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, GSM, EDGE, WCDMA, and HSDPA while the RIM BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Smartphone performs under all the above in addition to UMTS 2100.
RIM has managed to successfully hive a good share of the market from traditional holders such as Motorola. This has been achieved by the strategic launches of its products and the innovative nature of these products. This is because RIM has managed to secure important business partnerships and collaborations and has delivered its products to major businesses all over the world. For example, in the United States, RGN Corp. is an Internet Service Provider that makes use of blackberry wireless email to its subscribers. Goa America has also adopted email access for the inter@ctive 950 which is a service provided by RIM.
The correct brand positioning of a product is very critical to its success in that incorrect and poor brand positioning results in underperformance of a product or total failure. RIM has managed to successfully position its product in the competitive market through a deep analysis of the research methods for brand positioning.
On market positioning, BlackBerry is positioning itself against broader and price segment markets. This has been managed by RIM through consideration of consumers representing a broad spectrum of the potential market. Furthermore, RIM injects a lot of investments in market research before initiating the development of a product. The combination of the RIM’s positioning against a broader and price segment markets in its production has seen it effectively align itself to the demands of the customer.