Whaaat is going on here?

The new BlackBerry Z10 cannot set you on fire, give you elephant legs, cause you to disappear into a cloud of rainbow smoke or turn a speeding truck into harmless rubber duckies. But with only 30 seconds, on the world’s largest advertising stage it’s quicker to show you what it can’t do. In a fun and creative one-time spot that aired this Sunday, BlackBerry introduced the new BlackBerry Z10.

The fast and elegant BlackBerry 10 device symbolizes a restart for the company, which has completely re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented its products and its brand. BlackBerry 10 features many advances that are designed to make it stand out. With communication and agility at its core, BlackBerry 10 is for people who need to Keep Moving, which is the new tagline and mantra for the company.

For the big game, rather than run an ad that is expected for the tech category – one that showcases the features of the product – we decided to have fun and challenge the status quo. We knew that for this event, it was important to spark a conversation about BlackBerry 10 and to make people curious enough to find out more. We’ve got the great benefit of having one of the largest social networks in the world with 30 million fans on Facebook and Twitter, and we wanted to drive people both there and to our website to discover what makes BlackBerry 10 stand out.

Frank Boulben sat down with the Inside BlackBerry Blog crew to talk about the commercial:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

We’re four days after the launch of BlackBerry 10 – our largest product introduction ever. The response to the product has been tremendous and we’re building off that momentum on the largest advertising stage of the year.

Don’t forget to check out BlackBerry.com to see what BlackBerry 10 can do.

With deep experience in the mobile computing industry, Mr. Tear and Mr. Boulben will complement RIM’s existing executive team as the company continues to focus on expanding its global customer base and prepares for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 platform.

“Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market and will help RIM as we sharpen our focus on delivering long-term value to our stakeholders,” said Thorsten Heins, RIM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.”

Mr. Tear joins RIM from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as Executive Vice President. He previously held a variety of operational leadership positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At RIM, Mr. Tear will serve as Chief Operating Officer overseeing all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

“RIM is an important player in the mobile industry and I am excited to be a part of its future,” said Mr. Tear. “I look forward to working with the talented RIM employees and harnessing their ingenuity and creativity for the benefit of more than 77 million BlackBerry users around the world. I also look forward to helping RIM attract a brand new generation of BlackBerry users.”

Mr. Boulben is the former Executive Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared. He joined LightSquared after serving as Global Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group and Executive Vice President of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group. Mr. Boulben will oversee global marketing efforts at RIM.

“RIM is a pioneer in the mobile world and the BlackBerry brand is a global icon,” said Mr. Boulben. “We all know how fast the mobile arena evolves and with the BlackBerry 10 platform, I believe RIM will once again change the way individuals and enterprises engage with each other and the world around them. I could not resist the opportunity to be part of that transformation.”

For more information about Mr. Tear and Mr. Boulben and the entire RIM executive team, please see our newsroom.