Why pandemic-era working fits with BlackBerry’s brand narrative
2020 was a pivotal year for brands trying to maintain business continuity while undergoing digital transformation and workplace upheaval. As the increased volume and variety of enterprise IoT endpoints and as the scale of cyber threats continues to grow, BlackBerry explains what it is doing in this space.
Over the last eight years, Canadian tech company BlackBerry has transformed itself from a consumer brand selling hardware devices to an enterprise brand, with a focus on secure mobile communications, crisis communications and embedded software.
While the brand no longer produces handsets, it has retained a focus on productivity, security, and mission-critical systems as it pivots to become a secure-mobility software player.
It is now keen to push the narrative of how security provides peace of mind and is an enabler for businesses across the globe, regardless of their location, workforce, or user device in today’s new era of work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mark Wilson, the chief marketing officer at BlackBerry, explains that as the world becomes increasingly connected, there are billions of new endpoints that companies need to secure, and an ever-increasing number of cyber threats, as cyber criminals continue to exploit fear and uncertainty during the ongoing pandemic.
BlackBerry, therefore, sees itself exactly positioned in the right market, at the right time, backed by a legacy reputation.
“When it comes to redefining BlackBerry’s brand, re-education is needed to ensure people know what the company is now, by building on our reputation for security and productivity. We are focusing our new brand campaign directly on customers and what BlackBerry could do for them,” he explains.
“It’s a narrative involving cybersecurity and embedded systems in devices such as cars, medical components like pacemakers, wind turbines, and even spacecraft. Our aim is for BlackBerry to be widely known as the brand enabling a secure future – which we encapsulated in three powerful words: “Intelligent Security. Everywhere”.”
The new campaign shows how BlackBerry and its AI-based security solutions are protecting and powering nearly everything in the world of remote work. The campaign was inspired and brought to life through the lens of three individuals on the front lines – an astronaut, a surgeon and a wind turbine technician/operator.
These professions were chosen because, in their respective fields, every second count and there are no second chances. The campaign ads speak to all the ways individuals depend on trusted security, from cars and Class III medical devices to power plants and PCs.
This narrative has been reinforced by the reliance on highly connected and remote workforces during the pandemic.
“The current situation has promoted security and productivity to top priorities in most companies, but the threat landscape is also making it complex and challenging for them to address,” says Wilson.
“In essence, our 'Intelligent Security. Everywhere' brand campaign showcases not only how we have successfully transformed from pioneering handset manufacturer and champion of the mobile workforce to AI cybersecurity software leader.”
He adds: “It also underscores why BlackBerry is trusted by many of the world’s largest and most important organizations – in industries such as the public sector, finance, automotive, and healthcare – in safeguarding their people, data, assets and communication, all with sophisticated and intelligent solutions.”
Looking ahead, as businesses go through significant changes due to uncertain times and the increased adoption of IoT technology, Wilson says they are mainly about how to enable their workforce to be more productive with strong security measures in place to support and protect the business.
He predicts this will no longer just be a component of their business continuity plans, but a critical requirement for modern organizations. He notes while BlackBerry recognizes that the disruption caused by the pandemic is unlikely to settle down anytime soon, it wants its customers to be assured that BlackBerry is here to help them navigate this new reality.
“Going through this process, we have learned that resiliency requires a sustained, forward-thinking approach that includes investment in robust technologies such as AI-powered security solutions,” he adds.
“Today, BlackBerry continues to put that trusted next-generation protection in over 500 million endpoints including automobiles, mobile devices, PCs, servers and IoT endpoints. This is how we protect everyone, everything, everywhere, every day – and our new brand campaign enables us to further communicate the value that we bring to our customers around the world.”