The BlackBerry brand has been gaining popularity in the U.S. since the launch of the company’s new Z10 smartphone last month, in spite of the fact that the signature product of the Canadian-based company is yet to reach the U.S. market and will still take some time to do so.
According to a report YouGov BrandIndex, BlackBerry is at its peak of popularity in the U.S. since September 2011, and the main reason behind the brand’s popularity is the launch of the new product. In terms of popularity, BlackBerry has now reached quite closer to Apple and Samsung that are dominating the smartphone market with iPhones and Galaxys respectively.
The BlackBerry brand received negative scores from consumers for more than a year, but the hype around the launch of the new product turned the fortune in favour of BlackBerry that saw positive scores from customers ahead of the launch of the new product and is still receiving the same feedback.
YouGov BrandIndex measured the perception of BlackBerry, Galaxy and iPhone after carrying out a survey. The survey question asked 18-plus adults: “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”
According to the results, BlackBerry and Samsung are moving upwards in the score while Apple is facing a decline even though it is still leading the race. Explaining the results in detail on its website, YouGov BrandIndex mentioned:
“Blackberry was hovering around the zero mark from December through mid-January before rising to its current Buzz score of 7. Ahead of Blackberry is Samsung’s Galaxy brand at 16, which started January 2012 with a Buzz score of 2.
“Apple’s iPhone brand reached its 2012 peak with a 38 Buzz score, on October 1st, when the iPhone 5 was launched. Its Buzz score has recently been on a slide, seemingly coinciding with its latest quarterly financials, a falling stock price and press articles questioning its “cool.” In the third week of January, the iPhone’s Buzz score slid from 27 down to its current 17, just a point ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy and 10 points ahead of the Blackberry.”
The new BlackBerry has not even reached the U.S. and the increase in its popularity will be beneficial for the company if it translates into increase in sales once the product is available in the market.