Rim launches the most boring anti-apple campaign i've ever witnessed | techcrunch

In one of the most anticlimactic (and likely ineffective) marketing campaigns in history, RIM has today launched its “Wake Up. Be Bold.” campaign in Australia. It began with a group of

“protestors” disembarking from a bus outside of Apple’s Sydney store with signs that read “Wake Up.” But don’t get too excited — that’s the most exciting part of the story. After the long

and vigorous rivalry between Samsung and Apple, both in marketing and in the courts, the South Korea-based company was originally blamed for the seemingly out-of-the-blue protest. RIM, of

course, kept quiet. But it was in fact RIM that staged the shit show, which all culminated in the launch of the wakeupbebold.com website, wherein an Australian man explains how business has

changed and that to be different you mustn’t just “think different,” but “do different” (which I’m fairly certain is grammatically incorrect), lest you end up “floating through life like a

cork in a stream.” Not only is the ad boring — just a stream of text accompanied by a voice — but it really doesn’t resonate in any way shape or form. At BlackBerry Jam last week, we saw

some pretty cool new features that will ship with BB10, including a badass new keyboard and a retro time-defying camera app built with tech licensed from Scalado. Yet, the ad talks about how

business is no longer conducted by briefcase-carrying, cubicle-sitting suits. But if I remember correctly, it’s the old-school business man (likely forced by his big business employer) that

still uses a BlackBerry. Way to go for a new demographic, RIM. What’s worse, the mantra of “BlackBerry isn’t for everyone” is woven throughout the campaign. “We know some people will choose

to float on by, and that’s fine,” says the random voice. Not once throughout the ad does the company make mention of why RIM is ready to take on the iPhone and grab its core customer base

(or floating corks, if I may be so _bold_), and the campaign can’t even really crack a solid joke at Apple the way Samsung manages to do in its campaign spots. I usually love writing about

phone ads, but this was a depressing and disappointing way to open up the week. Thanks for that, RIM.