Irish rockers U2 will step on stage tomorrow in Tampa, Florida, helped by BlackBerry’s sponsorship of their world tour in a deal no record company could offer.

Research In Motion Ltd.’s “BlackBerry Loves U2” advertising campaign is part of a trend where brands are stepping into the breach as plummeting sales shrink music labels’ marketing budgets. Once reluctant to be seen as selling out to corporate sponsors, artists are keen to sign up.

“BlackBerry made the TV commercial with our music and then spent many millions of dollars on media and TV worldwide,” U2 manager Paul McGuinness said by phone from the Toronto leg of the group’s multi-city tour. “They provided a budget that no record company could have possibly matched.”

Many question the fact that at most venues it does not even look like Blackberry is the sponsor. No creative thought into taging U2 and my blackberry at all. So I thought we would come up with my own 360 Blackberry marketing program if we was in charge of promotional work for either U2 or Blackberry. Yes we own a blackberry bold. So here goes

1. Take a photo at one of the venues and you can upload it to a blackberry photo booth where you can view, share and send your photo to anyone you like. The site would be branded with both U2 and Blackberry and the frames around the photos can be something like Blackberry loves U2 and U.
2. Change your tag line from “Sent from my XX Carrier Blackberry to Sent from U2 Venue Blackberry”
3. Create a photo booth at the venue where I can send a image to a friend again cross branding.
4. Blackberry Users and new owners get special access to media rich content that can be downloaded and saved on your blackberry.
5. Blackberry wrappers around the venue - ( industry term, large plastic wrapper)
6. For the early arrivals call home or send a message using a special Blackberry from the backberry tester. 
7. Enter win something anything
8. Tie promotion in with US wireless company - hum now that’s an idea
9. Create a limited edition U2 blackberry ( ah sounds like hum my U2 Ipod)
10. Do nothing. which seems to be the norm according to most venue fans.

 P.S. We had more but hey we don’t get paid for marketing Blackberry - But this last one is really good screen savers that can feature the venue or a member of the band

Promotional Consideration: NONE - We own Blackberry’s  long before it was cool to own one.