“Finally a member of the Blackberry nation! Send me your PIN!”
The above is one of several Facebook status updates I’ve seen over the past few months declaring that yet another one of my friends has caved in and gotten a Blackberry. And for those who are familiar with Blackberries, it also contains what I think is the deciding factor in the purchase decision my friends have just made. Can you see it?
Blackberry Messenger, or BBM, is a service that connects your Blackberry to the Blackberries of all your friends via a unique PIN code that you choose to share. Once you’ve established another Blackberry as a contact, you can send text and pictures for only the cost of the data transfer – which is much cheaper than sending actual text messages! BBM is also what I believe to be the key in growing Blackberry’s youth market.
Of the four people I’ve heard of switching to Blackberry over the past few months, all four belong to the same extended social circle, and I have added all four to my BBM contact list. One of the four is a close friend, and she openly admitted that a large part of her decision was that she wanted to stay in better touch with me on my semester abroad in Australia. In this group, BBM has pushed us towards a tipping point, and barring any cost concerns, I doubt whether any other phones have a chance when the rest of the social circle decides to upgrade.
So Blackberry, go for those early adopters – the ones who are similar to their peer groups and very engaged in many social circles. A few strategically placed BBM enthusiasts can have the rest of the group signing up in droves – I should know, I’m experiencing it!
Have you used BBM? Do you consider it important for Blackberry’s overall growth?


