Well, a little misleading I must admit, but technically that is true. One of the surprise that we got out of the Keynote was the announcement that Research in Motion (RIM), will now be simply known as BlackBerry, and will soon begin to trade as BBRY on the NASDAQ instead of RIMM.

It makes complete sense. People always call them BlackBerry, even they themselves have been calling themselves BlackBerry more often than not. At events, you see the BlackBerry logo, not the RIM logo, despite the company being actually named RIM. For technical sake, when referring to the company that makes BlackBerry devices, I have always used RIM. It was the right way to address the company, but whenever I did so while talking to my less tech savvy friends, they always looked puzzled. Often than not, I had to explain, that that was the company’s name, they make BlackBerry products.

With the new brand, it will simplify the brand. As Thorstein aptly said, “One Brand, One Promise”. In an interview with Fortune, Heins said “My biggest issue was marketing. BlackBerry meant something different to everybody and there was no guidance or direction”. He hired Frank Boulben as Chief Marketing Officer. A former global director of commercial strategy for Vodafone and executive vice president of brand and consumer marketing for Orange, Boulben had been responsible for successfully consolidating 19 brands under the name Orange. It was his idea to change the company’s name.

My opinion is that it might not make a whole lot of difference to consumers, since BlackBerry has been the way they identified the company, in fact, the way the company identified itself for a long time. Even in marketing materials and advertisement, the BlackBerry name has always been they name they call themselves.

Personally, It sucks that I would have to get used to not calling the company RIM. At the same time, I am glad they made the move to do so. So, farewell RIM. From hence forth, it shall be known as BlackBerry.

 

Source: Fortune