Motorola’s plan to spin off its Mobile Devices business from its Broadband & Mobility Solutions businesses this year has been getting more airtime. It’s the sequel to pressures from investors and a recent tumble in handset market share from No. 2 in 2006 to its current rank at No. 4, trailing Nokia, Samsung and LG.
The Enterprise Mobility Solutions (EMb) and Home & Networks Mobility divisions are the two profitable ones, with notable successes in MC75 and MC55 WWAN handhelds used in enterprise mobility and rugged mobile environments. After all, the EMb division did invent both the bar code scanner and WLAN communications!
So what’s going to happen after the split? Will Motorola come back stronger divided? Oddly, the brand strategy reminds me of what the James Bond 007 franchise started nearly five decades ago…
Who would’ve ever thought six different actors could so successfully pull off the same character in 22 different films? Each actor brought a unique attitude and influence to the Bond character, which made the series even stronger—obviously, with its $11 billion gross revenue. To the fan base, it wasn’t so much the faces that mattered. It was the gadgets.
Winning technology has built strong storylines for the Motorola businesses, with star performers on the cell phone side (the RAZR) and on the EMb side (the MC9000). If the company eventually splits, who will own the brand “Motorola?” Will each division be able to deliver new gadgets to drive revenue? What will those be? Will stars from Motorola’s newest TEAM product or WiMAX woo the world of mobility? Will mobile phone buyers line up for Motorola’s upcoming debut of the Android this holiday season?
Who knows? Right now I suppose it’s “For Motorola’s Eyes Only.” Let’s hear your prediction.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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