The story of Etisalat's problematic BlackBerry software upgrade,
which we have covered in depth
, has now become a truly global one, with coverage by the
,
,
,
,
and
, among
For a nice take on the story, listen to this interview on Dubai Eye radio this morning
, where Alexander McNabb, the PR man behind the excellent
, explains pretty clearly why Etisalat has fallen victim to the classic law of media relations: news expands to fill a vacuum.
As we
quoted one BlackBerry user as saying in an earlier story
, "the less they talk, the more people will talk about it."
Going into media and customer blackout on this story directly led to a week of digging by the local press, lots of angry customers voicing their thoughts online, subsequent comments from RIM/BlackBerry, and the international media storm that followed. I hope Etisalat and their PR company, Asda'a Burson-Marsteller, has learnt something from the whole experience.
That doesn't seem to have happened though, judging by the
things said in this interview by Arabian Business with an Etisalat vice president.
