Blackberry business plan

MARKETING ANALYSIS FOR BLACKBERRY

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND FORECASTING 3
SWOT ANALYSIS 3
MARKET POTENTIAL 4
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS 5
SEGMENTING AND TARGETING 6
MARKET SEGMENTATION 6
TARGET MARKET 7
ACTION PLANS: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS 7
BLACKBERRY’S FUTURE PLANS FOR 2015 7
INTRODUCING NEW MODELS 7
LONG TERM SUCCESS PLAN 8
REFERENCES 8

ABSTRACT
Blackberry is one of the leading and most accepted smart phones in the world. It is considered to be the best software for business dealings. These mobile phones are used by millions of business professionals all over the world. It helps them to stay connected to each other by informing about daily matters and routines. Blackberry is in the mobile phone industry since almost 10 years. It has a 42% market share. They firmly believe that their customers deserve to have the latest technology and most innovative navigation systems.
In the modern times, the customers are very technological savvy. They are demanding such mobiles phones which are equipped with all latest innovations. The purpose of this report is to study and evaluate the marketing strategy which is being used by Blackberry. External and internal factors which make up the SWOT analysis are also mentioned. This will help the firm to maximize their profitability. This report gives an in-depth study and evaluation of Blackberry’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the market and how they should overcome it.
In order to sustain and expand the market share for success, Blackberry needs to alter its marketing strategies. This will enable them to have a control over the next generation of their target markets. If they fail to satisfy the needs of customers, they may face huge losses. They must always come up with new strategies to increase brand awareness and positive brand image among its customers. This may add up to the costs of marketing, but somehow it shall be beneficial for them in case of long term success.

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND FORECASTING
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Blackberry enjoys the highest brand recognition among its competitors. It has a positive image in the minds of its users. The corporate users of Blackberry prefer using it as compared to other smart-phones. Another strong point of Blackberry is that it can be used in any location. The company is offering a great advantage of easy portability to its customers.
Users find it to be more secure and safe than others. This is the reason why these mobile phones are really popular among corporate users. They need to travel a lot along with their highly private and confidential documents which are usually stored in their mobile phones. Many governmental agencies also prefer to use it. These include the CIA, FBI and other investigation departments. These phones have an internally built, encrypted security. Due to this it is used by agencies to handle sensitive information cases.
WEAKNESSES
Blackberry always focused mainly on one target market. They have always tried to attract a huge market share from the corporate industry. For this purpose, they had to come up with an absolutely unremarkable security quality as its unique selling proposition. But unfortunately, when other competitors like Samsung and Apple introduced their smart phones with enhanced security features, Blackberry could not cope up with their booming popularity.
Besides this, Samsung and Apple took full advantage of Blackberry’s target market. When they observed that they were only paying attention to their corporate customers, they introduced easy-to-use interface and simple applications. They started producing for the customers other than the corporate world.
OPPORTUNITIES
Blackberry has a profitable and well-rewarding opportunity regarding controlling their huge customer base. They can move into targeting another market segment instead of corporate employees only. This will help them to have a strong customer share before introducing any new products.
The management should consider the option of imitating the strategy which is already being followed by Samsung and Apple. They should start the process of assimilating third party applications and features into their own Blackberry sets.
THREATS
Initially Blackberry was considered to be the unique and innovative smart phone. But gradually both its competitors, Samsung and Apple, moved forward and won the race of introducing a user-friendly smart phone. They were able to do so by cornering a good amount of market share.
Nowadays the advancements in technology are rapidly changing. Consumer preferences also change due to technological adaptations. The mobile phone industry is an extremely volatile market. Blackberry needs to revitalize itself from the wilting momentum of competition.
MARKET POTENTIAL
Blackberry has a target market of business professionals. These customers prefer to have such a phone which may assist them in timely decision making. They want to have automatic alerts and updated data. Such customers are even willing to pay more for the latest technological change.
Corporate employees who use Blackberry are often assumed to be very active leaders. They have a high income and like to purchase expensive products for personal use. They are more satisfied by using products which are fashionable and considered to be the must-have gadget.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Recently, Nokia has also launched its most up-to-date variety of touch screen smart phones. Their phones are now offering faster internet, multimedia messaging, GPRS and games. Apple’s I phone is a world-shattering innovation in the mobile industry. It is considered as one of the most sought device ever. It has very creative internally built applications. It has the best high-technological multimedia variety, cameras, music collections and other features.
It is important to consider the Porter’s Forces model. It discusses the five competitive forces of potential threats from the external environment. These competitive forces may include the threats of new entrants and substitutes, power of buyer and suppliers and the level of existing competition.
THREATS OF NEW ENTRANTS
Blackberry has a strong supply chain from manufacturers so they have a comparatively secure position in the market. But they must cope up with the threats of new entrants like I Phone 5 and Samsung S3.
THREATS OF SUBSTITUTES
Blackberry has a well-established and reputable position in their market. Due to price variations within the industry, the customer may be prompted to use some other substitute. If any Samsung or I Phone is being offered at a cheaper price, then customer will be willing to buy it.
POWER OF SUPPLIER
A reliable supply chain helps the manufacturer to develop a close business relation with them. This also reduces the costs of distribution.
POWER OF BUYER
Customer’s satisfaction is very important for the success of any business firm. Blackberry caters to the technologically savvy target market. Many business professionals and young-blooded people have an increased salary and they can buy better mobile phones of their own choice.
LEVEL OF EXISTING COMPETITION
Major competitors of Blackberry include the Samsung S3 and I Phone 5. They have managed to establish a huge market share. With the advancements and rapidly changing technology, it is difficult to have up-to-date mobile phones. Blackberry is going through a tough and fierce competition from its rivals; I Phone 5 and Samsung 3.
SEGMENTING AND TARGETING
MARKET SEGMENTATION
Blackberry’s market segmentation can be done according to various perspectives. They are discussed below briefly:

DEMOGRAPHICS
Blackberry is aimed for both genders; whether male or female. They may be above 20 years of age. The demographics of its customers may help the management to understand what type of people they are actually targeting. They need to develop the product according to their needs and wants.
GEOGPRAPHIC
Customer needs may vary from one region to another. Blackberry is not being specific to a particular region. It is available for customers all over the world. It can be used easily anywhere.
PSYCHOGRAPHIC
Blackberry wants to satisfy the needs of corporate employees who are conscious about their public image. These customers like to spend more on their personal use products. They have to influence others by their lifestyle. They are easily bound to come under the peer pressure. They have a huge circle of friends and family members.
LIFESTYLE
Business persons and corporate employees tend to travel very frequently. They need to have their important documents with them all the time. At the same time, the confidentiality of these private documents is also necessary. Blackberry is the solution to all their problems. This is why the business professionals rely on these mobile phones.
TARGET MARKET
Blackberry is internationally known as the ‘business phone’ rather than the ‘smart phone’. It is not particularly targeted towards a specific age group or gender, but its only target segment is of business professionals. Variations among social classes are ignored. It does not matter that whether the businessman is famous or a small-scale one. These phones offer easy instant messaging through wireless internet. It also offers the most remarkable feature of the ‘Blackberry Messenger’. By using this feature, a person can send and receive messages totally free of cost anywhere and anytime. This is the most distinctive feature of Blackberry phones. It can also be said as its unique selling proposition. Any Blackberry phone can be connected with any other Blackberry phone by using a secret PIN number. When the connection has been established, the person can send and receive messages very quickly.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(2014) Strategic Planning for Blackberry, Studymode.com, Retrieved 03, 2014, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Strategic-Planning-For-Blackberry-49208388.html
Blackberry Ltd. Anti Essays. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from the World Wide Web: http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Blackberry-Ltd-649005.html http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Marketing-Plan-For-The-Mobile-Phone/221900

References: BIBLIOGRAPHY (2014) Strategic Planning for Blackberry, Studymode.com, Retrieved 03, 2014, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Strategic-Planning-For-Blackberry-49208388.html Blackberry Ltd. Anti Essays. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from the World Wide Web: http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Blackberry-Ltd-649005.html http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Marketing-Plan-For-The-Mobile-Phone/221900