Blackberry Continues to Struggle
Q3 2014 was not kind to BlackBerry, once again. The company expected a drop in quarter 3, but a larger than projected drop has stock prices falling and management searching for answers. Worse, the missed sales projections included a month in which the BlackBerry Passport, the company’s latest moon shot to regain market control, was released.
Part of the issue comes from an outdated model that doesn’t fly in the current smartphone marketplace. For some time now, BlackBerry has brought in funds by charging fees for things like system access and other services mostly considered “basic.” However, that model simply doesn’t work in the current marketplace. Newer BlackBerry models don’t come with that built-in revenue source, so the company has to make up that lost income somewhere. They’re trying to do that in hardware sales.
And while losing the system fees and other outdated surcharges will help BlackBerry drop the “so yesterday” stigma in the current consumer marketplace, it may be too little too late. In a head to head contest with top smartphone brands, BlackBerry barely registers. iPhone is the clear leader, with Android phones standing strong at number two. Everyone else is an also-ran.
That’s a tough position for BlackBerry, once the undisputed leader of the smartphone revolution. Unfortunately for the brand, it now stands as a modern day object lesson in what happens when your brand fails to keep up with market trends. Not too long ago the BlackBerry was a legitimate status symbol. Now it’s widely seen as an industry dinosaur. Unfair? Probably. The phone still has a tremendous up side. But the company has largely failed to compete. Mainly because it ignored and then misjudged the changing marketplace.
The only way back for BlackBerry is a new form of PR. They need to change in a big way. Clinging to past glory and refusing to try anything new might slow their decline, but they are already living on borrowed time. The brand must do more than rebound. They must re-energize and re-attract consumers in order to make a real play for market relevance.
4 Ways to Increase your Value this Holiday Season
Ronn Torossian shares several key strategies – to help increase your brands value this Holiday Season.
The holidays are upon us, and everyone is thinking about ANYTHING but work. While those who actually succeed are hard at work trying to balance family, fun, and work, others are unknowingly preparing for a post New Years career slide they never manage to see coming. Don’t let this be you. Avoid the career pitfalls that come from making holiday mistakes. Instead, look to these career tips to advance yourself not in spite of – but because of – the festive season.
Get Stuff Done
Every fourth quarter something falls through the cracks. Then everyone just shrugs and blames Santa Claus. Instead of being one of those guys, look at ways you can be more efficient and creative. There is nothing quite as inspiring as beating your projections AND getting some good holiday fun in. You can be that person if you take the time to plan your work properly and look for ways to shine. Then … deliver.
Know What Suffers and Fix It
If you don’t work retail, chances are your business suffers in Q4. Avoid that end of the year letdown by looking at ways to avoid it. Instead of just accepting the status quo and becoming part of the problem, look for ways to advance a solution. Then bring other people in on the plan. Share the glory but keep the initiative. Your superiors, clients and coworkers will love you and your career will look nothing but up in Q1 of next year.
Take Part and Take Time
No one appreciates workaholics, particularly at the holidays. Some people think it raises their stock to Scrooge it out through December. Don’t be that guy. Instead, be the person who is so on their game they can embrace the holidays like Will Ferrell in Elf and still take the lead in getting things done. Don’t succumb to the largesse, but don’t eschew the frivolity. The keys here are ingenuity and balance. You are going to have to take time to figure this all out, but that investment will pay big dividends next year.
Work it at Parties
Everyone loves gossiping about the lampshade idiots at holiday parties. But everyone also remembers the people who make an awesome impression. Here are several ways to do exactly that. First, if your office does Secret Santa, skip the gift card and get something unique and interesting. Second, learn some jokes and fun, mostly tasteful (and relatively short) stories. You know all those conversation lulls that end up getting filled by some drunk sales guy? Head him off at the pass and steal the show with your oratory and conversation skills.
Sure, these aren’t foolproof steps. Alcohol and frivolity changes all the dynamics across the board, but employ these tips and you increase your chances to remain both gainfully and optimistically employed come January.
What the Electric Golf can teach you about Innovation
Innovation can be a great way to get noticed and advance your career. But “new” for the sake of “new” may not bring you the success you are hoping for. Sometimes, innovation needs to be more subtle, more invested … more long-term. Check out the new electric Volkswagen Golf for inspiration on how to do it right.
The all-electric Golf is not necessarily new, but it is new to the American marketplace. Herein lies the first lesson. You may not have the most original idea in the world, but if you can take your idea and introduce it to a ready audience, then you may very well have a winner.
The Wright brothers get all the credit for flight, but what about the guys who took culture from props to jet engines? Theirs may not be household names, but these guys redefined what it means to travel, to fight and to reach for the stars. And there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Both aeronautics and rocketry are growth industries. Society at large may never learn the names of all the innovators who will make “The Future” our reality, but they will innovate nonetheless. They will succeed. They will fail. They will take risks and make changes and turn “new” into average. Then they will do it all over again. These people, too, are innovators. They may not be swinging for the fences during every at-bat, but Ted Williams and Wade Boggs are just as important to baseball as Babe Ruth. The same can be said of sequential innovators in every business.
Further, VW has a specific – and simple – goal. They need the attention of the American consumer in order to gain a foothold on market share in an incredibly competitive marketplace. Better still, VW understands there’s no need to get weird just to get attention. The electric Golf looks pretty much exactly like the gas-powered Golf. And it operates along similar parameters.
It may not stand out, but the Golf excels at the one thing that it does differently. It’s an electric car that doesn’t lose much in performance when compared to its gas-powered counterpart. In other words, it brings a very desirable benefit to the table without sacrificing much, if anything. So, instead of being defined by what it lacks, the Golf is defined for exactly what it can do for its buyers. PR doesn’t get much better than that.
Contentious FedEx fight is a PR albatross
FedEx is headed to court and they may win their case. However, Ronn Torossian believes that, in the court of public opinion, a win might be worse than a loss.
When it comes down to it, most people don’t quibble about their shipping preference. For the average consumer, the difference between FedEx and UPS is fairly minimal. From a public relations perspective, a win is not giving your customers a reason to CHOOSE the other guy – this may be about to change.
No matter how long or how often they work, FedEx drivers are not legally employees. They are independent contractors. Regardless of drivers’ employment status, the company maintains strict appearance, timeliness, and work standards from its drivers. In addition, the company reportedly deducts the cost of uniforms, truck washings, and log scanners from the drivers’ paychecks.
While these standards and practices may seem like those of an employer, FedEx considers their drivers to be independent contractors. The company doesn’t pay overtime to its drivers nor does it contribute to their Social Security benefits. These stipulations motivated a cadre of former drivers to sue FedEx Ground for back pay, including overtime and paycheck deductions.
Meanwhile, FedEx is defending the business model, claiming that it creates a healthy motivation for contractors to do their best. The courts aren’t buying FedEx’s rationale and recent rulings have determined that its drivers are defacto employees. Undeterred by these recent adverse rulings by the court, FedEx continues to disagree in the courtroom. FedEx has won very similar cases in the past, and a win in this case could save FedEx a tremendous amount of money in back pay as well as in the cost of current and future benefits for its drivers.
Ronn Torossian believes that each win for FedEx also comes with a cost that cannot be recovered – damage to its brand in the eyes of public opinion. According to Torossian, each time public consumers hear about these challenges and cases, they learn about the glaring difference between FedEx and UPS – while FedEx drivers are in and out of court fighting for employee status – UPS drivers are not only employees, they have a union.
On the surface this might seem like a selling point for FedEx, considering their argument is that their business model directly benefits the customer – yet, the company is somewhat reticent to bring this point of comparison to the forefront in marketing. As Ronn Torossian observes, “They’ll talk speed and they’ll talk quality . . . but, they rarely bring up motivated workers.”
Smart, because its a losing argument in the court of public opinion. Why? Because it rings so hollow. The company might save a lot on employment costs, taxes, and other benefits, however, it doesn’t appear to be passing those savings on to their customers. In turn, FedEx’s benefit from its argument is a net zero where PR is concerned. Another argument that FedEx puts forth in favor of contract employees is that the business can grow or shrink much easier – the company is less restricted without the typical employer-employee ties, therefore, they can more easily sever relationships. Plus, adding contractors is much more cost effective than bringing in new employees. Again, these factors solely and squarely benefit the business – extending next to nothing for the consumer.
Taken together, FedEx comes off as a company looking to make a profit, which is typically not a bad thing. Nonetheless, the company looks like they are doing it at the expense of workers without any tangible benefits to its customers. In Ronn Torossian’s opinion, that’s a PR loser every time.
An Introduction to Google Primer
In October, 2014, Google released its newest Apple iOS app, “Primer.” Here is a brief introduction to the app, and why rookie marketing professionals should use it.
What is Google Primer?
Google realized that not all first-time marketers know the ins and outs of online business promotion, so it developed and released Primer with these start-up companies in mind.
Google Primer is a collection of teaching tools, such as online lessons, quizzes, and quick tips, that address the basics of online marketing and business promotion. Google Primer currently covers three subject areas:
- Search engine marketing, which addresses how to increase visibility in search engine results through advertising, key words, and optimization;
- Content marketing, which addresses how to use online media and content to reach out to new clients and retain existing customers; and
- How to get media coverage and public exposure for an up-and-coming business.
Google will expand on these initial marketing lessons, and has plans to add additional online marketing topics as well.
Who Can Use Google Primer?
Google Primer is currently only available for iOS platforms, and works best with versions iOS 7 and above. Users of iOS phones can download the app for free in the iTunes Store.
People with Android platforms can ask Google to send a notification email when Primer is available for Android platforms.
What Does Google Primer Give Marketers?
Google Primer’s lessons are short, succinct, and accessible. It is even accessible off-line.
The lessons are short so that the user can sneak in a session during spare moments or on the go. Furthermore, new marketers can more easily grasp main ideas because the brevity of each topic keeps “fluffer” information out, and the most relevant information in.
Google hopes that this app will bring newer marketing professionals up to speed with the industry leaders, so it starts at the very beginning. Google Primer does not include technical language, and it takes complex marketing ideas and conveys the ideas in unpretentious, layman’s terms.
Where Does Google Get Its Information?
Google developed Primer with the help of industry leaders and researchers. Thus, marketing rookies can rest assured that the information presented through Google Primer is tried and true advice from industry experts.
Bottom Line
Google Primer is a great learning tool for newbie internet marketing professionals, and even for professionals that are looking for a refresher course.



















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