Jane Bradley: The ‘uncool’ BlackBerry has cachet all its own

For the company which was once the darling of new millennium yuppies is struggling to keep up with younger, much trendier cousins – namely the iPhone and any handset with something called an Android.

Admittedly, it doesn’t look quite as pretty as some of the swankier models, but I admire the BlackBerry for being practical, hard working and functional. Unlike some of the touchscreen models, I could, if I so wished, easily type this entire column on my BlackBerry handset, with its sweet little qwerty keyboard and a screen which even my 91-year-old grandmother can read clearly.

The BlackBerry from which I just upgraded was the somewhat clunky model handed down to me as part of a severance package by an employer who, two years ago, told me as she gave me my P45: “Anyone who has been made redundant needs a BlackBerry: it gives an illusion of employment.”

She was right. And that was where BlackBerry went wrong.

I noticed that the brand appeared to have changed its marketing strategy.

No more did its adverts feature handsome businessmen in suits, clinching important deals as they barked instructions into their BlackBerry phone. Now, the handset appeared to be aimed at teenagers, all BlackBerry Messenger-ing each other as they rushed between social events.

Really? The BlackBerry was never going to be cool. It briefly cornered the youth market, chiefly because cash strapped teens wanted a free way to communicate – but once BlackBerry Messenger was superseded by similar chat systems on other handsets, its moment in the sun was over.

What it should have done was to try and win the men in suits back. Like an embarrassing dad, it continued to try to ingratiate itself with the youngsters, not realising they were sniggering behind its back.

An important lesson. What BlackBerry will do now remains to be seen, but I for one, will remain a loyal, proudly uncool customer.