According to BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben, singer Alicia Keys' role as the company's global creative director is more than just a flashy name for spokesperson.
According to Ad Age, "Ms. Keys has sat in on five marketing meetings with the company, even presenting her own PowerPoint slides at one, he said. She is also expected to give a presentation at the company's upcoming BlackBerry Live event."
These days, celebrity endorsements of major brands are rampant — some more successful than others. Jay-Z and Budweiser, Rick Ross and Reebok (before he was fired), and Marc Jacobs and Diet Coke are just a few of the recent pairings.
But a "global creative director" actually contributing their own input to a brand's marketing strategy is relatively unheard of. Brand ambassadors usually get by just flashing a logo every now and then — Keys' PowerPoint presentation takes the role to a new level.
Does Alicia Keys have what it takes to pull BlackBerry out of its deep rut?
She already has a bit of ground to recover after a brand misstep in January when her Twitter account was linked to an iPhone. But Boulben told the Ad Age Digital Conference that Keys only got her role after expressing explicit interest in BlackBerry's technology, so she seems dedicated to the cause.
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