When rumors that RIM, the makers of the Blackberry, were about to announce a tablet, you could have been forgiven for not being too excited. After all, beyond hearing silly names like 'Blackpad', people were skeptical RIM could create a compelling product. Then they actually announced the Playbook - a device with a new OS and some pretty impressive specs - and we all started to wonder: maybe this thing will be alright, yeah? Now comes news from the RIM CEO that the Playbook will come in for under $500. Suddenly, we might have a real competition on our hands. But other than price, what else does RIM have to do to make sure that they're a viable alternative to the iPad for customers looking for a tablet?
Market Like You Mean It
Despite the iPad's massive success, the tablet is still a very new product category. That means that RIM's marketing has to be about consumer education. Apple have successfully sold the iPad by saying it can do a number of different things. What RIM must do is show not only the benefits of what having a tablet can do, they need to sell the upsides to a 7" tablet. That 2" difference can be seen as a liability, unless RIM actually market traits like the decreased weight and easier portrait typing that a smaller device can produce. But more than all that, it means marketing the Playbook not as a device with specific functions - "Look you can surf the web! On a slightly bigger screen than your phone!" - but as a device that allows you to perform certain tasks better than either a laptop or an iPad. If the Playbook works as advertised, it might be better for reading ebooks and using Flash. So RIM must be able to tout those abilities, while at the same time ensuring consumers know those aren't the only benefits. Marketing will be key because RIM have to supplant the idea that the iPad is the best at everything.
End-to-End Experience
Leverage Those Strengths
An Uphill, But Winnable Battle
What else must RIM do to ensure the Playbook's success against the Apple monster?
