BlackBerry Presents John Mayer

GPJ helped change consumer perception of BlackBerry from a corporate tool to a cool lifestyle product with a integrated sponsorship marketing campaign, using John Mayer as the catalyst.

BlackBerry, a long-standing mobile e-mail and smartphone device, had a strong hold on the business consumer, but with the launch of the multimedia Curve, they need to show relevancy to a completely different consumer - the 20-somethings who were looking for more than e-mailing capabilities. Singer-songwriter, John Mayer, had a young audience following and a reputation for being a gadget guy. Knowing that Mayer’s highly-attended concerts were the perfect venue to communicate BlackBerry’s lifestyle tools to the target audience, GPJ secured BlackBerry as the sponsor of the John Mayer Concert Tour.

To demonstrate Mayer’s adoption of the device, Live Experience Centers were set up at concert sites for fans to interact with products. The campaign included online elements, such as downloadable ringtones, and exclusive photos and videos. Mayer’s tour busses were wrapped in BlackBerry branding, concert venues were blanketed in BlackBerry signage, and concert video screens played footage of audience members interacting with the phone.

The BlackBerry Presents John Mayer Concert Tour was a success in changing consumer perceptions. As one concert-goer said, “Anything John Mayer, I want.”