NOKIA, You Old Dog

Now I’m what you’d call a NOKIA old-timer. Sure, sure, I’m only 21, but trust me when I say that I’ve been around since the early days of NOKIA (at least over here in Malaysia), and I’ve been using Nokia for god knows how long, I can’t even remember. It’s been a few decades already, and admittedly, the brand’s come a really long way since their days of producing bulky phones which, admittedly, could kill a dog if it was used as a weapon. But today’s a different day and age, and Nokia, the poor old bastard, is losing out to the other players of the industry that it helped to create in the first place, over two decades ago.

Okay, not to get all nostalgic and stuff, but I still remember the days when having a mobile phone was a big-ass deal. No one, and I mean no one “young” had a mobile back in those days. You wanna know why? Because back then, mobile phones cost a bomb. I’m talking, RM2000 a pop. With that amount of money back then, you could’ve easily bought a damn motorcycle or something. Hell, you could even buy a car. So yeah, only oldies used it back then, and even then, it was exclusive to the elite. Hell, I would’ve killed for a NOKIA 3310 back then, which, in retrospect, is a piece of crap right now. ANYONE would’ve killed for a 3310 back then, and probably would’ve massacred for the Butterfly series.

So anyways, during the past few decades, Nokia was a leading force to be reckoned with. After the whole “butterfly” craze, they got with the times and started dropping some high-quality stuff. Remember when the first color-screen and polyphonic Nokia phones came out? Man, everybody went apeshit right about then. I figure I’m a good enough authority on the subject, since I was one of those idiots that shelled out tons of clams on buying polyphonic ringtones. Hell, I feel so stupid now that I look back on the whole “polyphonic-ringtone” craze, but I guess it was a fad that had to happen. And who introduced it? The good people of Nokia. Of course, at the time, MOTOROLA was also at its peak, and they were coming up with all sorts of cool gizmos as well, as well as Sony Ericsson. Over the years, brands like ALCATEL and SIEMENS just began to look really sad and pathetic. Urgh.

Which brings us back to the now. Check it, nowadays, millions of youths openly admit to “trusting” NOKIA, but when you actually take the time to go through their bag, amidst their cigarettes and keys is bound to be a Blackberry, or, god forbid, an iPhone. I’m not a big fan of Apple, but for the purposes of this article, I’m willing to brush my feelings regarding those bastards aside (Grr). Anyway, the point here is yes, Nokia is definitely a good and trusted brand, and that’s all cute and what not, but nevertheless, they’re losing out to Blackberry and Apple. Nokia does have smartphones to rival the BB and iPhone, so what’s wrong?

Their attitude is what’s wrong. They have been too bloody focused on getting new customers that they forgot about their original friends. People like me. That’s right, they forgot about their pre-existing fans, who have been using their products for the past DECADE. They didn’t pay attention to what their fans had to say, they didn’t build a good relationship with their fans, and they just kept on developing new products for people who just didn’t give a rat’s ass. See, NOKIA has been developing products that they THINK we want, based on the arrogant assumption that we’re too dumb to know what we want. Unless you can bring something abso-effing-lutely new and sexy to the table (like the case with powerhouses such as Apple and their iPhone), you need to ask your fans what they want. You need to ask ME what I want, and how you can help me achieve it.

See, in this new age, marketing is no longer restricted to the marketing department. Get with the times, you old bastard. I AM your marketing department. I, along with your other fans, control what a lot of other people think about you. See, what your company speaker can do for you company, I can do it 100 times better, so come on, hear me out. Right now, you’ve got a pretty steady fan-base, at least over here in Malaysia (Thank goodness we haven’t ALL switched to iPhones yet). Oh, and countless of kids still use Nokia because it’s still a little too pricey to switch over to BB’s or iPhones right about now. So work with what you’ve got, mate. We’re all you’ve got, and it’s high-time that you see that. I know you’re desperate.

The recent venture between NOKIA and Microsoft is a pretty obvious attempt by Nokia to get back in the smartphone game. Of course, by the by, NOKIA also made a profit of billions of dollars, thanks to Microsoft’s deep pockets, but I’m pretty sure that has nothing to do with Nokia choosing Microsoft over Android. Apparently, too many phones operate on the Android now, so going with Microsoft Windows Phone 7 OS DOES seem to look like a bright idea. So, what with Google owning Android and all, I guess you could say that the entire reason (or at least 95% of it) for the deal between Microsoft and Nokia is the fact that they’re afraid of Google, who have already started to dominate major smartphones with their Android OS. Yes folks, NOKIA and Microsoft are afraid of Google. That’s just sad. It’s true, but it’s just sad.

Whether this move will work or not still remains to be seen, but my guess is, unless the two come up with a product that creates a revolution in the way we utilize our phones nowadays, they don’t stand a chance in the upcoming years against other well-established smartphones. It’s a gamble that NOKIA is taking, and who knows, they might hit the jackpot with this one, but nevertheless, they stand a chance to once again, drown under the weight of Apple and Blackberry. So Nokia, you old dog, please listen.

Focus on what you have, your current-existing fans. We’re still out here, and we’re more than willing to talk, if you’re willing to hear us out. We can help you. Hell, we’re your only chance.