BlackBerry announces the end of its year-long partnership with philanthropic singer Alicia Keys.
Keys inked a deal with BlackBerry last January as global creative director in hopes of enhancing, promoting and transforming the struggling brand.
Keys was made creative director when BlackBerry released its “BlackBerry 10” devices, hoping to compete with industry giants Samsung and Apple. When this launch appeared to be a flop, Keys worked on several projects to revive the brand.
While creative director, Keys worked on BlackBerry’s Keep Moving project, which generated over 40 million visits for the company. The project brought together many artists, writers, athletes and filmmakers as they each took on their special projects using a BlackBerry 10 device.
The singer-songwriter also worked on a scholarship program for women studying science, technology, engineering and math.
“We thank Alicia for her many contributions including providing creative direction for the BlackBerry Keep Moving project, which attracted more than 40 million visits, advocating for women in STEM and launching the BlackBerry Scholars Program,” BlackBerry said via email.
“We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented and passionate individual.”
BlackBerry has struggled to make sales or to find a buyer for the company. Being forced to lay off workers and fire the CEO, BlackBerry has decided to focus less on the consumer market and more on businesses and government. Keys’ departure from the company may be for her own good.
(Source: PC Mag)