Waterloo-based RIM is gearing up to take the wraps off of BlackBerry 10 in just a few days, but a bit of showmanship in front of journalists and analysts won’t be enough to convince the masses of the platform’s worthiness. For that, RIM is gearing up for a big advertising push, including a 30-second spot due to run during Super Bowl XLVII.
It’s hardly the first time we’ve seen a major smartphone player peddle their wares during the Super Bowl (Samsung’s Justin Hawkins-infused spot immediately leaps to mind), but it’s RIM’s first ad for the big game, and you’ve got to wonder what sort of approach they’re going to take. Brusque and informative? High-minded and vague? Dare they try to be funny? Only time (or if we’re lucky, a chatty rep at the BB1o launch event) will tell.
Curiously, recently-installed RIM CMO Frank Boulben hinted in an email release that the company may have more on its mind than just pushing smartphones onto the market — the statement invokes the possibility of tablets as well. I don’t need to tell you that RIM’s PlayBook wasn’t quite the runaway success that the company may have been hoping for, but it’s heartening to hear that RIM may have something up its sleeves that hasn’t already been leaked to hell and back. Of course, it’s very possible that the ad could tackle RIM’s tablet ambitions with mockups and uncertain terms, so we may be getting worked up over nothing.
One thing is clear though — this going to be a pricey little gamble for RIM. It’s said that the base ad rate for Super Bowl XLVII is hovering around $4 million, a non-trivial amount considering RIM’s once-rough financials. Then again, the Canadian company’s stock has been on the upswing lately, so this may be its best bet for introducing its long-awaited OS to the whole of America (and the rest of the world).