Here’s why Research in Motion changed its name to BlackBerry

One of the real surprises from today's BlackBerry 10 launch was the name change from Research in Motion to BlackBerry. CMO Frank Boulben explains why the company did this in a video below.

One of the real surprises out of today’s BlackBerry 10 launch was that Research in Motion has changed its name to BlackBerry.

Starting on Monday, the stock will begin trading under the symbol “BBRY” on the Nasdaq, and “BB” on the TSX.

The company has just posted a video interview with Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben explaining the thinking behind the name change.

Boulben says the reality is that RIM was known as BlackBerry everywhere in the world, except for North America, and the company wanted to capitalize on this “global, iconic brand”.

Boulben, who joined the company less than a year ago says the timing is perfect for a rebrand because the symbolic change of the name will reflect the actual change happening in the products. He says the company will stick with the simplified, letter/number nomenclature of the Q10 and Z10 with future product launches.

In the United States, BlackBerry is already undergoing a modest revival of its badly damaged brand.

Here’s the full video: