Fanciful BlackBerry Super Bowl ad focuses on what new Z10 smartphone can‘t do

TORONTO – In an usual marketing twist, the maker of the BlackBerry bought a 30 second advertisement on the Super Bowl to promote what the new smartphone can’t do.

The fantastical commercial showed a man walking out of a store playing with the features of his new BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen device.

The first time he swipes the phone’s screen his sweater catches fire, while the second time his lower body turns into elephant legs.

When he swipes the phone again he bursts into colourful powder before another swipe turns a crashing tanker truck into hundreds of rubber duckies.

“In 30 seconds it’s quicker to show what it can’t do,” an announcer says at the end of the commercial.

The advertisement featured the classic soul song “Who Knows” by Marion Black.

Last week when BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) unveiled the device it spent much of the time focusing on what the features of the phone could do.