Marketing nostalgia

Original post:  Dec 2, 2015

Several years ago, I remember my reluctance at giving up my BlackBerry. What I missed most about it was my ability to thumb type. Over the years that I had the device, I was able to knock out quite a few lengthy e-mails with only two fingers. It took me some time to gain proficiency with the virtual keyboard on the iPhone. To this day, I don't think I can type as fast on a phone as I was able to on a BlackBerry. That said, the overall experience in most other areas is so much superior that I don't think I could ever go back.

BlackBerry is struggling as a company. They were too slow to realize the threat until their moment had passed entirely. They are now left with one desperate strategy:  nostalgia.

Having tried (and failed) at competing with copycat models, they are now marketing a smartphone with a keyboard.

Nostalgia is a powerful force. It evokes memories of how we used to be. For some of us of a certain vintage, it can remind us of less complicated times from younger days. If it's used well, it can make the retrograde version seem "cool" again. Think of all of the recent revivals of kitchen gadgets or fashion accessories that slide back into popularity with increasing regularity. It is rapidly making its way into technology. From an article on the Verge, here is a scientific explanation:

This nostalgic reaction to an old technology feature that most people no longer use is real. And so is the emotion driving it. "People have nostalgia for lots of things, including their gizmos," says Dr. David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind.

Linden says that some memories are written more strongly into the brain’s circuitry, like memories tied to emotions and memories for things that we hold every day for years — including gadgets. "Talk to orchestra musicians and they’ll give emotional descriptions of the cello they wrap their arms around, or the flute that they put to their lips," he says.

It might be BlackBerry last, best chance:

Contrast Apple’s subtle nod to its history with the BlackBerry Priv’s physical keyboard: the Finder isn’t driving Mac sales, while BlackBerry’s physical keyboard could be the single reason a person buys the new Priv. Apple can wink at users who are old enough to remember the original Finder, but BlackBerry may need this throwback feature to stay in the game. The Priv’s keyboard works as you might expect a tactile keyboard to work, but it also functions like a mini trackpad, letting you glide your fingers over its keys to control a cursor, making more precise on-screen selections. "We look to the past to modernize elements that created emotion before," says Scott Wenger, BlackBerry’s global head of design.

Here is the link to the full article:  Why BlackBerry is still betting on the keyboard | The Verge