Phone Wars. What Apple & Blackberry Can Teach Us About Marketing

by Tahir Aslam

The story of Blackberry's rise and fall is a fascinating one. Blackberry's founders were true visionaries, light years ahead of their competition, and they beat big players like Nokia and Motorola with ease. Their phones were revolutionary, with easy-to-use buttons and the ability to send and receive emails on the go.

Blackberry's partnership with top network providers like AT&T and their introduction of data packages allowed them to dominate the market for years. However, when Apple released the iPhone, with its touch screen and camera capabilities, everything changed. Suddenly, people could capture every personal moment and share it on social media, and this appealed to a younger, more restless generation. It's amazing how quickly Blackberry went from being on top of the world to being left behind.

But there's an important lesson to be learned from both Blackberry and the iPhone. Blackberry had created its market niche with its appeal to high-flying stockbrokers and power executives, while Apple marketed the iPhone to a younger, tech-savvy generation that craved music, selfies, and internet connectivity.

In both cases, the companies were able to create a loyal following by catering to a specific audience's needs and desires. With the iPhone, Apple's clever marketing helped people to see how they could create a whole new world for themselves, and it would fit in their pocket.

Blackberry and Apple were much more similar than at first glance. Both had created their market and more importantly, developed a huge amount of value seemingly out of nowhere. However, Steve Jobs was much more deliberate about showcasing that value on stage and in the media. Blackberry suffered because it tried to be something else to the wrong set of people. It no longer followed the trajectory it created.

You don’t have to be a big brand to learn an important lesson. It’s possible to create your marketplace. You don’t need millions of followers, just a few will do. It's important to identify a niche market and focus on providing them with a high level of value. Sometimes trying to cater to everyone can lead to spreading ourselves too thin and not being able to provide the best service. It's all about finding the right group of people who appreciate what we have to offer and are willing to pay for it.

Try to connect with people on a deeper level by encouraging their dreams, addressing their problems, and speaking to their innermost desires. This allows you to truly understand your target audience and bring in the right people.

In the digital age, there are countless ways to reach your audience, from social media to email marketing to content creation. The key is to choose the channels that work best for your business and audience and to use them strategically to build relationships and create trust. By doing so, you can attract your ideal clients and establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field.

Remember, marketing is not about selling, it's about connecting with people and offering them something of value. Develop a strategy that involves understanding your audience, developing a message that resonates with them, and creating a plan to deliver that message through various channels.