BlackBerry announced that it was bringing on Alicia Keys as it BlackBerry Global Creative Director when it unveiled BlackBerry 10 about a year ago. The move raised a lot of eyebrows at the time as she was seen as being no more than a celebrity promoter for the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. BlackBerry today announced that Keys will step down from her role effective January 30, 2014, exactly one year after being named to the role.
Keys attended a number of corporate events and participated in some promotional materials. The BlackBerry Z10 was also featured prominently during her “Set The World On Fire” tour. Despite the high-profile endorsement, BlackBery 10 devices have sold poorly since their launch (not that this should be attributed to BlackBerry hiring Keys).
A reason for Keys’ departure as BlackBerry Global Creative Director was not provided. Could her departure have been orchestrated by new CEO John Chen as he moves the company back towards its enterprise roots? BlackBerry would only say that “We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented and passionate individual.”
Do you think that BlackBerry would have benefited from Alicia Keys staying on as BlackBerry Global Creative Director for another year? Let us know below.
Source : CTV News