Hoo boy. This is… it’s something. You almost made it, BlackBerry. Almost made it through the entire BlackBerry 10 launch and the company’s rebirth without a memorable misstep. Sure, the Alicia Keys thing was weird, but no big deal. But this? This is on a whole new level. It’s a joke, sure, but people will be laughing at it, not with it. This is Bank-of-America-U2-cover-song territory.
“At last/Two new devices good to go/Complete with legendary keyboards/BlackBerry Balance hub and flow“? Seriously, Etta James is spinning in her grave. And the video. Oh, the video. It somehow combines the worst qualities of a bad lip sync with 3 a.m. Magic Bullet infomercial direction into one big awkward epic.
This could go one of two ways. The video is mercilessly mocked, tarnishing all the positive brand building the company has done over the last few months and feeds the “embarrassment” hype. Or! The video is mercilessly mocked but positions BlackBerry as the awkward, nerdy underdog and actually makes the brand endearing.
Still. GUITAR SOLO! CROWD DANCING! And the worst part? This isn’t the first time.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to go and set my eyeballs on fire.
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Technology
BlackBerry's new, incredibly awkward promo video
Brace yourself.
By Jeff Beer
Hoo boy. This is… it’s something. You almost made it, BlackBerry. Almost made it through the entire BlackBerry 10 launch and the company’s rebirth without a memorable misstep. Sure, the Alicia Keys thing was weird, but no big deal. But this? This is on a whole new level. It’s a joke, sure, but people will be laughing at it, not with it. This is Bank-of-America-U2-cover-song territory.
“At last/Two new devices good to go/Complete with legendary keyboards/BlackBerry Balance hub and flow“? Seriously, Etta James is spinning in her grave. And the video. Oh, the video. It somehow combines the worst qualities of a bad lip sync with 3 a.m. Magic Bullet infomercial direction into one big awkward epic.
This could go one of two ways. The video is mercilessly mocked, tarnishing all the positive brand building the company has done over the last few months and feeds the “embarrassment” hype. Or! The video is mercilessly mocked but positions BlackBerry as the awkward, nerdy underdog and actually makes the brand endearing.
Still. GUITAR SOLO! CROWD DANCING! And the worst part? This isn’t the first time.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to go and set my eyeballs on fire.
Follow @jeffcbeer