The last Blog Aesthetic post talked about the recent RIM missteps around the Blackberry. Today’s blog post could continue that theme and examine the PR effect of the delayed/much-needed OS update for the PlayBook, now postponed until 2012. (Which, no doubt, is not the kind of bad PR any handset company wants on its, ahem, hands while still dealing with the fallout from a massive service interruption.)
Instead, let’s focus on one small litigation PR step RIM took today, in response to class action lawsuits it faces over service interruption. (Something which, BTW, our last blog post sort of predicted! Hooray for Praecere…) When asked for comment on the class action litigation, RIM wisely said it “has not been served with a complaint at this time,” and it “will formally respond to the matter in due course.”
And that’s exactly the simple, quick, and direct statement RIM needed to make in its litigation public relations strategy. What would be nice, of course, is if RIM had some good news to use as a pivot against this latest broadside. But in the meantime, RIM has deflected the hit for now, and certainly a few legal and business commentators will soon declare the class action lawsuits as frivolous litigation. Now let’s see if RIM can continue to make careful PR steps as the courts determine the merits of these claims.
