When new CEO Thorsten Henis took the reins at Research In Motion, he immediately pointed to the smartphone vendor’s marketing strategy as an area the company needed to focus on if it hoped to regain share in key markets like the United States. The wheels on RIM’s recent marketing efforts had already been set in motion, however, and early reports suggest that the increased volume of familiar BlackBerry ads aren’t having the impact RIM was hoping for. Read on for more.

RIM ramped up its marketing efforts in January, but the move does not appear to have paid off. “Our January checks indicated weak sell-through trends for the new BlackBerry 7 smartphones despite increased marketing efforts,” Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley wrote in a research note to investors late Wednesday night. “With very strong share gains for the iPhone 4S, increasingly price competitive Android smartphones, improving Windows smartphones, and strong sales of the affordable 7 inch Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, we anticipate increasing competition across all tiers of RIM’s products in C2012.”

As a result of weakening device sales and RIM’s poor outlook for the current quarter, the analyst lowered his estimates for RIM’s February quarter as well as the vendor’s full fiscal year. And despite a new round of marketing that kicked off in February with RIM’s “Be Bold” campaign, Walkley doesn’t see much changing for the Waterloo, Ontario-based until late in 2012.

“Given the strong share gains for Apple post the launch of the iPhone 4S and increasing Android and Windows competition in all price tiers, we believe BlackBerry 7 products will continue to struggle until BB10 products launch in late C2012,” the analyst noted. RIM expected to launch its first QNX-powered BlackBerry 10 smartphone — code-named the BlackBerry London — toward the end of the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter.

Walkley reiterated his Hold rating on RIM’s stock and maintained his $15 price target.

Research In Motion released the first set of commercials from its new “Be Bold” advertising campaign on Thursday and while the ads feature new faces, they are nearly identical to the campaign RIM has been running for months. The Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone vendor was quick to point out that the team of four awkward superheroes that starred in an infographic RIM recently posted were not part of its upcoming advertising blitz, but perhaps they should have been. RIM’s new ads feature BlackBerry devices in real-world situations and they do a good job of showcasing key features like BBM. What the ads are not, however, is different or memorable. RIM’s new CEO Thorsten Heins named the company’s marketing strategy as one of the first orders of business he plans to address in his new role. With an exciting new breed of devices like the BlackBerry London on the horizon, marketing and advertising will be more important than ever for RIM as the company continues struggling to maintain its footing in key markets. A pair of Be Bold ads can be viewed after the break.

Apple has hired a former marketing executive from Microsoft to help promote the App Store and iTunes in Europe, MCV reports. Robin Burrowes, former head of Xbox LIVE marketing in the EMEA region for Microsoft, joined Apple in January according to his LinkedIn profile. His formal duties at Apple remain unclear — Burrowes’s profile only states that his role involves “App Store Marketing” — but the executive’s background suggests gaming will be a strong focus. Apple has hired a number of executives with experience in the gaming market recently, including Nintendo’s former head of public relations Robert Saunders and former Activision, EA and Xbox PR head Nick Grange. The video game industry finds itself among a number of businesses that have been disrupted by Apple’s iOS lineup, and the company’s recent hires suggest that Apple intends to continue pushing the gaming capabilities of its mobile device lineup.

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Research In Motion’s newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins said during his first day on the job that hiring a new marketing boss and revamping the company’s marketing strategy was among his first orders of business. If some of us were unsure why finding a new CMO and revamping RIM’s marketing efforts are such a priority, this new campaign should help clear things up. RIM on Monday introduced four new cartoon superheroes who will help the company spread the word about its products. Gogo Girl can save the day with her “brilliant strategy, a smile or a spatula,” Max Stone is “tough, proud and a little wild,” Justin Steele is “always ready to stick up for his friends and Trudy Foreal is “not afraid to call it as she sees it.” We’re not afraid to call it like we see it either, and we sincerely hope this new cartoon superhero campaign dies on the vine. RIM’s super infographic starring The Bold Team follows below.

UPDATE: RIM posted a note to its blog on Tuesday to clarify that The Bold Team is not a part of its new advertising campaign.

[Via Mobilesyrup]

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Samsung’s new run of television commercials is the start of a wider effort to make the company’s products the apple of the U.S. consumer’s eye. The ads, which mock iPhone users for their obsession with Apple products, attempt to present Samsung as the smarter, cooler alternative. On a larger scale however, Samsung is hoping to create a fundamental shift in the way its products are viewed by consumers. ”Especially in U.S., people are obsessed with Apple,” head of Samsung marketing Younghee Lee told AllThingsD in a recent interview. “It’s time to change people’s attention.” Lee is looking to shift consumers’ obsession to the East, and to figure out ”how I can engage with consumers from the bottom of their heart, and not just be a big and functional and rational and reasonable brand.” While mocking consumers’ unhealthy love of one brand in an effort to create an obsession with another is a curious strategy, Samsung’s attempt to reinvent itself as a global smartphone leader is having a clear impact — the company reported a record holiday quarter during which it shipped an estimated 36.5 million smartphones worldwide. Three of Samsung’s recent commercials can be viewed after the break.

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Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse said in a note to employees Friday that Sprint will merge the marketing and sales teams of its enterprise and consumer businesses into one body. Hesse said the carrier is restructuring in an effort to better streamline its operations, Reuters reported on Friday. As a result, Sprint is also removing four executives from their roles with the firm. “As the wireless market has evolved, the lines between consumers and businesses have blurred,” Hesse said, according to a note to employees obtained by Reuters. “We believe that we no longer need to support two separate business units, and that it is more logical now to evolve to unified marketing and sales organizations. Because of the enormous investments we’re making this year in Network Vision and in the iPhone, we need to consistently be looking for ways to be more efficient.” Sprint’s chief marketing officer Bill Malloy will run the merged marketing and sales unit. Sprint has decided to remove the president of its consumer services group, Bob Johnson, the president of its integrated solutions group, Danny Bowman, the senior vice president of its corporate development and spectrum, Chris Rogers, and the senior vice president of consumer marketing, John Carney.

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Microsoft, Nokia and carrier partners are planning a $100 million marketing push for the Nokia Ace (also known as the Lumia 900) when it launches in the United States. While the Ace isn’t yet official, it has been rumored that AT&T will unveil the device during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. We exclusively reported in November that the Ace will offer a 1.4GHz processor, a 4.3-inch ClearBlack display and an 8-megapixel camera. Other reports have suggested it will run Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and support AT&T’s 4G LTE network. According to BetaNews, the Ace will hit AT&T store shelves in March where it will receive “hero” status. It is unclear how Microsoft, AT&T and Nokia will split the $100 million in marketing, but the hero status suggests it will be the focus of AT&T commercials, print ads, digital ads and in-store marketing.

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We had a chance to spend some time with AT&T Vice President of Marketing, Mike Woodward, a little while back to talk about AT&T’s first 4G LTE smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and HTC Vivid, in addition to 4G LTE in general, the company’s stance on Android, iOS, and more. Catch the interview after the break!

It worked. 4G has been marketed so well by wireless carriers and vendors that people want it even if they don’t quite know why. A recent survey conducted by market research and intelligence firm In-Stat found that 75% of respondents listed 4G as one of the features their ideal phone would include. When asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, most respondents were left stymied. “Although 4G is an important feature for handset buyers, there is a lot of confusion surrounding 4G,” In-Stat analyst Greg Potter said in a statement. Read on for more.

Potter continued, “When survey respondents were asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, the majority of the respondents either didn’t know or felt they were the same across carriers.” A new bill presented to the U.S. Senate earlier this month suggests that wireless carriers should be forced to clarify what kind of speeds their 4G networks afford in marketing and advertising, but it is not expected to be made law.

The survey of 1,208 consumers was part of the In-Stat’s Next-Generation Phones: Consumer Insights Drive Future Handset Designs report, which also found that 36% of consumers plan to stay loyal to their current smartphone operating system compared to just 23% last year. The firm also found that 20% of T-Mobile subscribers plan to switch carriers in the next 12 months.

Market research firm In-Stat released a report on Monday that suggests NFC chip shipments will grow dramatically during the next several years as an increasing number of mobile devices adopt near-field communications (NFC) technology. In-Stat said NFC chip shipments will surpass 1.2 billion units by 2015, the same year the technology is expected to reach a 30% global penetration. “As the costs of NFC chips decline, and NFC radios are combined with other chip functions, the cost to integrate NFC into handsets will be outweighed by the benefits,” In-Stat research director Allen Nogee said. “The growth of combo chips will also allow NFC radios to piggyback on technology that already has significant penetration in the market. For example, Bluetooth radios, which currently have 100% market penetration, can be integrated with NFC radios, making the choice to include NFC easy for OEMs.” Read on for more.

The adoption of NFC for mobile payments has been slow to catch on in the United States. Sprint currently offers the only handset capable of making mobile purchases with Google Wallet, the Nexus S 4G, but Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are hoping the ISIS initiative will help drive adoption in the near future. In-Stat said the NFC market is moving away from mobile payments and towards marketing uses, however, where retailers might be able to embed the technology into posters and other advertisements.

There are plenty of other uses for NFC, too. Google recently introduced a new “Android Beam” feature of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that will allow users to share content, such as games, pictures or other media, by tapping one phone to another. In-Stat’s press release follows below.

NFC Chip Shipments to Surpass 1.2 Billion by 2015, Says In-Stat

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., October 24, 2011—As the number of mobile payment users grows to over 375 million in 2015, the demand for devices with near field communications (NFC), the underlying communications technology behind many mobile payment solutions, grows as well.  New research from In-Stat (www.in-stat.com) forecasts that adoption of this technology will push global annual shipments of NFC chips to over 1.2 billion by 2015.

NFC is a set of technologies that supports communications between two devices in close proximity to each other. An NFC link is very quick to set up, enabling small amounts of data to be exchanged over short distances.  This capability is unique compared to other wireless technologies, it and makes NFC an ideal solution where quick exchange of small amounts of data is paramount to quality user experiences such as mobile payments.

“As the costs of NFC chips decline, and NFC radios are combined with other chip functions, the cost to integrate NFC into handsets will be outweighed by the benefits,” says Allen Nogee, Research Director. “The growth of combo chips will also allow NFC radios to piggyback on technology that already has significant penetration in the market. For example, Bluetooth radios, which currently have 100% market penetration, can be integrated with NFC radios, making the choice to include NFC easy for OEMs.”

Recent research findings include:

• Today, the focus of the NFC market is shifting from payment applications that can be enabled by NFC, to marketing applications. With this focus shift, we expect retailers to begin pilot programs in the latter part of 2011 and into 2012 that incorporate smart posters into their signage and outdoor advertising strategies.
• NFC will reach 30% global penetration by 2015
• Global annual shipments of NFC chips will grow at a CAGR of 129% over the forecast period.
• New In-Stat research,NFC Chips and Tags: Worldwide Market Analysis and Forecast (#IN1105140SI) provides insights into the market for NFC devices and components. It compares and contrasts NFC with other complementary and competitive technologies and looks at market drivers, including mobile payments, and market barriers.

New In-Stat research, NFC Chips and Tags: Worldwide Market Analysis and Forecast (#IN1105140SI) provides insights into the market for NFC devices and components. It compares and contrasts NFC with other complementary and competitive technologies and looks at market drivers, including mobile payments, and market barriers.

Forecasts include:

• NFC chip and tag shipments
• Mobile handsets shipping with NFC chips
• NFC chip shipments for readers
• NFC-enabled infrastructure
• NFC tag shipments for smart posters and marketing
• Regional analysis includes Asia Pacific, Europe, and Americas
• Vendor profiles include Broadcom, Inside Secure, NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics, Samsung Semiconductor, and STMicroelectronics

Nokia will aggressively pursue the teenage market with its next batch of phones, head of marketing for U.K. and Ireland John Nichols said recently. The Finnish smartphone maker will join forces with celebrities and increase its social media presence in an effort to catch the attention of a younger, tech savvy crowd, MarketingWeek explained following an interview with the executive. “This isn’t a standing start, we already have a huge youth market but for teenagers we need to ensure that we create the content and partnerships that matter,” Nichols said. “As a teenager, the brands I loved had an opinion and told me whether to engage with them or not. The trick is to remember not to just wade in; otherwise our personality could look like the drunken uncle dancing at the wedding.” Nokia will further discuss its strategy during its October 26th Nokia World press conference, when it is also expected to unveil its first Windows Phone-powered devices.

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Verizon Wireless began alerting its customers of changes to its official privacy policy on Friday. The carrier confirmed it will now use information for “private business and marketing reports” and “making mobile ads more relevant.” Verizon Wireless will share the URL of websites you visit, the location of your device, as well as app and device feature usage. It will also share information on data and calling features and your demographic so that it, and outside firms, can create reports and target ads more efficiently. Read on.

Verizon did say, however, that it will not share any information that will identify its customers personally. “Protecting data and safeguarding privacy are high priorities at Verizon,” the company said in a statement to BGR. Instead, the information will be used to generate reports that may, for example, state that 5,000 of its customers visited ESPN during any given month and 89% were men.

“A local restaurant may want to advertise only to people who live within 10 miles, and we might help deliver that ad on a website without sharing information that identifies you personally,” Verizon Wireless explained in the notice.

If you are worried by the changes, you can stop Verizon Wireless from collecting your personal information by visiting http://www.vzw.com/myprivacy. Read on for a full statement on the changes, provided to BGR by Verizon Wireless.

Protecting data and safeguarding privacy are high priorities at Verizon. Verizon Wireless recently introduced a new program that involves the creation of new types of aggregate business and marketing reports.  For the business and marketing reports offered by Verizon Wireless, records about websites visited, cell phone locations and other consumer data will be combined (or aggregated) to compile reports that provide businesses with insights about their customers.   In addition, Verizon Wireless and Verizon Telecom also introduced new ways to advertise to mobile users and wireline broadband customers.

For example, these insights may include the demographics (age ranges, gender, etc.) and interests (such as “pet lovers” or “tennis enthusiasts”) of visitors to a Web site, or commuters who might pass an outdoor billboard.  These aggregate reports could be used by web publishers to help provide content that is more appealing to users, or to help advertisers better select the ads they will display on outdoor billboards or at other venues.

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China’s No. 3 wireless carrier is readying a massive marketing and advertising blitz as it prepares to begin taking iPhone 5 pre-orders at the end of this month, a report claims. Chinese-language daily newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily on Wednesday reported that China Telecom has already begun training staff in preparation for the launch of Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone handset. Sales of the device will begin in October, however the carrier will reportedly be opening pre-order sales toward the end of September. Southern Metropolis Daily also notes that China Telecom may increase the subsidy it offers on the new Apple smartphone in an effort to bump sales, and the carrier is also rumored to be prepping a 1.5 billion yuan ($235 million) marketing and advertising campaign surrounding the iPhone 5. With the country’s top carrier, China Mobile, expected to offer the iPhone 5 as well this fall, China Telecom’s aggressive strategy should do well to help bolster sales.

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Another executive is out of Waterloo, ON. Today, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it has confirmed the departure of Brian Wallace, VP of Digital Marketing and Media. The report also confirms that Wallace has been scooped up by Samsung Mobile. This move comes amid a flurry of other departures from RIM recently, including the company’s chief marketing officer, VP of brand creativity (what?), and chief operating officer. Samsung confirmed the report, WSJ says, though the company wouldn’t make Wallace available for comment.

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We recently sat down with Verizon Wireless’ Chief Marketing Officer Marni Walden to discuss a wide range of topics — how Verizon went from smartphone zero to smartphone hero, the carrier’s colossal push that was a major catalyst for Android’s explosive growth, and even Verizon Wireless’ plans to take a leadership role with tablets just as it has with smartphones. We found it interesting that many phones are passed over when it comes to DROID branding, as that stamp of approval for only the best of the best. We covered Microsoft and RIM as well, and Ms. Walden even confirmed that Verizon Wireless will be launching three BlackBerry devices this year. The entire interview is after the break.

BGR Interview is a series of interviews and conversations with executives, influencers, tastemakers and innovators, covering the mobile and consumer electronics industries.

Historically, Verizon Wireless wasn’t really known as a leader in the smartphone space. What changed to make the company attack smartphones so aggressively over the past two years, and how would you say that this has changed the company’s approach to marketing and advertising?

I’ll first start off with saying customer demand; it’s obvious that the iPhone changed the marketplace and it created interest for customers to do things that were simply beyond voice and text. At that time I’d really say RIM was probably leading the smartphone in space, so it became very clear that customers were choosing wireless carriers and staying with the wireless carrier first for network, but then second for device.

So we made a change to say we’ve got to have more smartphones in our lineup. We want to offer customers choice. We’ll continue to have the very best network and we’ll also have the very best lineup of devices. Our strategy today is that same strategy: to bring the best selection of devices to the very best network and deliver the best customer experience that we can on those devices.

And how would you say customer demand and your smartphone lineup has changed Verizon’s marketing and advertising?

It’s even more apparent with 4G LTE. What we have to do is show customers what devices can do and what the network enables them to do. It’s not simply about putting a device in the paper or TV, and having a service offer around it. You really have to showcase the capabilities of the devices so I think it’s harder work, but it lines things up perfectly with what Verizon Wireless does best, which is having a network that empowers customers to do that.

For many years, customers made their decisions often times on service pricing — Family Share for example. Then by device, but really, as I said, device and network are the two that have risen to the top. In advertising, our strategy for that is we have to make sure we hit those very hard and showcase what those two things, when you bring them together, can empower customers to do.

Verizon’s 4G LTE is by far the fastest 4G network I’ve tested. How do you basically break this down and convey it to consumers with so much noise in the 4G space now?

At the end of every day it’s about the reality of the customer voting for you in terms of picking you and staying with you, so they get that the network is the best. In terms of messaging to the marketplace, what you have to be able to do is showcase. And if you’ve seen some of our recent “Test Squad” columns, they’re showing cases of applications and things that you can do that really are real-life kinds of applications. You might have seen us shooting a rocket into a 4G hotspot but that’s not real life. You have to show customers what they can do with the network and that’s harder work as I said. It’s not just about putting a device and a price in the advertising.

You have to really showcase the application. But at the end of the day, the best way to win at this and rise above all of the noise is what we’ve done best, which is customers are voting with their loyalty for us and we’re getting the accolades that clearly state that we’ve built a network that is the best and the fastest out there.

How do you feel about the companies and carriers launching all these massive ad campaigns to market 4G networks based on 3G technology?

I think it catches up to you. At the end of the day, you can look at our first quarter performance and say we rose above that — and customers figure that out. We have the highest level of integrity in terms of making sure that what we say is what we do and vice versa. It’s all about the fact that customers see through that over time, and that’s where our focus is: making sure that we’re doing what’s right for the customers and giving them what they expect, and over-delivering.

I want to jump back to smartphones for a moment. How much of a role do you think Verizon and all the aggressive campaigns — the Motorola DROID campaign, for example,  was rumored to be a $100 million endeavor — but how does that play with all the explosive growth we’ve seen with Android over the past two years? And do you think that Verizon’s DROID brand is the most recognizable Android brand?

Let me just start with the importance of the work we did with Google and with Motorola. I think that you’re very familiar with this, but for many months if you look at prior to 2009 and the launch of the DROID, Android was in the market but really not accelerating at all. Then if you look at the time after we formed the strategic partnership with Google, who have obviously done business with Motorola for many years, you saw the hockey stick growth. So clearly we believe that Verizon Wireless and “DROID” were key in what’s happened in the marketplace, and we continued that strong partnership. I think the work that we’ve done together is critical, and then the effort that Verizon Wireless put behind it to make this happen was key.

From a DROID perspective, the DROID brand is very important. What it does is it represents the best product on the best network. Not every candidate that comes across my desk gets DROID status. We carry lots of Android devices but they don’t get the DROID status. For us, that is exclusively for the best products. I think it’s very important. When we put the DROID brand on a device, it outsells others. People understand what that means and we’ll continue to do that, but not all candidates get to be a DROID.

Speaking of the DROID campaigns, they’ve always been pretty masculine. Do you think this scares off some female consumers?

Being a female, I’d say, no [laughs]. We know that it does skew male. That clearly is true. But it doesn’t turn off or alienate the female population. We’ve done a lot of research on that to make sure we really understand that. I do think that there’s opportunity — without leaving what it stands for — to diversify a bit, but still have the same characteristics that have been known to be DROID, which are “powerful,” “formidable,” and “strength.” But those sorts of things can relate to male or female.

We just talked about how aggressive the campaign was for the DROID and all the marketing behind DROID. How is the approach with the iPhone different and why?

One of the strengths with Verizon Wireless is choice. That is really important to customers and the iPhone is a great compliment to our lineup. If you look to come into our location we have choice and it represents the best products. iPhone is a great compliment, clearly a great brand, and a great device that consumers want and expect to have on the best network. I would just tell you that bringing the iPhone to our lineup was a compliment to what we already do, which is putting the best devices in the hands of our customers.

Do Apple’s massive ad campaigns take care of most of the heavy lifting? Does the iPhone sell itself?

Having a great brand and a great device that has a great reputation clearly goes a long way, but I would tell you that it doesn’t sell itself. I think any of the devices require true customer satisfaction at the point of sale, wherever that might be, and the require clear communication and education for customers. Customers have different needs and it’s not a one-party game. So while a very strong product does very well at Verizon Wireless, I don’t think any device sells it self. We require that the people that sell out devices educate customers so we get them the right device the first time.

What is your view on tablets? Do you see them as a short-term trend or an eventual commodity?

We believe that the tablet space has enormous potential. If you’ve looked at some of our lineup lately, or some of the announcements we’ve made, we plan to make a leadership position out of this business. We think that it’s a growing category, and we will have the best lineup across the operating systems to make sure that we lead in this space. I don’t think it’s a trend… I think it’s just getting started.

What market segment do you think tablets appeal to most and why?

I don’t think it’s one particular market segment. We’ve seen success with various consumers, whether it’s young adults, or singles or married; whether it’s stay-at-home moms or working moms. In the enterprise space, we’re also seeing more adoption. For example, at Verizon Wireless we all carry tablets and we started to use tablets instead of paper in meetings, and a lot of people are not carrying laptops as much. It’s really crossing all segments.

We are definitely seeing the device goes back and forth from consumer to enterprise. For me, I use my device at work but I also take it home and it becomes something that I use in the evening for multitasking while I’m watching T,V or carrying with me on airplanes. I also let my six-year-old son watch videos. I don’t think it’s one segment or the other. We’re seeing growth across all segments, and then this duality with intertwining your business and personal life is happening as well. That’s why I think it has such good opportunity for future growth. Then you add an LTE component where you can do things that you couldn’t do before, or you can now use the tablet where you go because of the wireless connection, and I think it will have a big impact on growth.

Switching gears a little bit I just want to quickly talk about Windows Phone 7. You guys recently released your first Windows Phone, and the launch was pretty quiet. Will Windows Phones play a significant role in your lineup, and therefore marketing, moving forward?

The launch of our Windows device wasn’t significantly different than many of the devices we bring into our lineup. We’re very loud in the market today with 4G LTE, and since that device is only on our 3G network, we weren’t as loud in the marketplace. But it was very similar in terms of training and go-to-market preparation, as well as social and viral kinds of media — a lot of that you may not see in the general marketplace because there wasn’t TV presence. But we did do a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and there were resources and money spent to make sure we trained and launched it correctly.

On your second point, we have a very important relationship and partnership with Microsoft in general. We do many things with them and so our plan is to represent the smartphone lineup with Windows and we’ll continue to look for ways to work together. That continues to be an important partnership. It goes back to what I said earlier: what we want to represent at Verizon Wireless is choice for our customers, and this is another element of customers having a choice in device selection and operating systems.

Where does that leave you guys with RIM? If I’m not mistaken, Verizon Wireless was at one point the largest seller of BlackBerry devices in the U.S. Maybe I’m wrong about that, but you were a very, very large partner. With the company going through a transition period, do you see Research In Motion being a strong part of your lineup in the future?

I do. RIM is still very, very important in the enterprise space. It does resonate in some of the consumer space as well, particularly with BBM. We’ll have three devices this year that we will bring to market with RIM. We’ll continue our partnership and it’ll be important for now going forward.