Young South Africans have voted BlackBerry the “Coolest Brand Overall” in a Sunday Times competition, reaffirming the Canadian brand’s popularity in the country despite its troubles overseas.
BlackBerry launched its latest handsets at the beginning of the year, while also rebranding its parent company Research In Motion (RIM) to BlackBerry to bring more brand continuity to operations, but has continued to struggle worldwide as it fell behind the likes of Apple and Samsung in the global mobile market.
But the Sunday Times Generation Next 2013 Brand Survey Awards has delivered a confidence boost, handing it top spot in the “Coolest” category for the third year in a row.
Alexandra Zagury, managing director for South and Southern Africa at BlackBerry, said: “Success in the youth market is not about selling products, it’s about sincere engagement with your audience.
“Young people want a relationship with the brands that they love and BlackBerry gives South Africa’s mobile and hyper-connected youth the tools to communicate and co-create with the world around them.”
BlackBerry’s Q10 and Z10 devices are already available in South Africa, while the Q5 is expected soon.
