????這一周是黑莓（BlackBerry）周。新的操作系統(tǒng)，新的手機(jī)，黑莓甚至可能借此機(jī)會(huì)扭轉(zhuǎn)局面。然而，公司最令人驚訝的怪誕之舉則是周三盛大的發(fā)布會(huì)上艾麗西亞?凱斯的亮相。這位曾獲得過(guò)格萊美獎(jiǎng)（Grammy）的流行歌手前來(lái)的目的并不只是為了給新設(shè)備的潮流因素站臺(tái)。如今，她在這家深陷困境的公司擔(dān)任著全球創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)的職務(wù)。

????常人的反應(yīng)大多可能是“搞什么名堂？”實(shí)際上，這類(lèi)結(jié)合跟Lady Gaga加盟寶麗萊（Polaroid）或杰西卡?阿爾巴入主Windows Phone手機(jī)有著異曲同工之妙。這里并沒(méi)有冒犯凱斯的意思，她顯然是一個(gè)非常有才華的人。但是，由于這一具有腐蝕性的趨勢(shì)會(huì)讓公司分心，因此技術(shù)公司必須叫停。

????“深受技術(shù)吸引”的凱斯表示，她將與應(yīng)用開(kāi)發(fā)人員、內(nèi)容創(chuàng)建人員和公司其他領(lǐng)域的人員進(jìn)行合作。她也將在巡演中帶上她那全新的全觸屏黑莓Z10手機(jī)——這是一個(gè)大的逆轉(zhuǎn)，因?yàn)樗谌ツ暝_(kāi)表達(dá)過(guò)對(duì)蘋(píng)果（Apple）iPhone手機(jī)的鐘愛(ài)。

????不過(guò)她也有可能為黑莓公司貢獻(xiàn)一些新的理念。然而，就像《財(cái)富》雜志（Fortune）最近采訪的首席執(zhí)行官托斯滕?海因斯所認(rèn)為的那樣，這種合作會(huì)為這家搖搖欲墜的公司帶來(lái)可信度，而就在該公司發(fā)布所有新聞的同一天，它的股價(jià)下跌了12%。（具有諷刺意味的是，就在6、7年前，黑莓在spades中也有過(guò)同樣的遭遇。）凱斯也認(rèn)為，她的參與將在某種程度上吸引更多的女性用戶(hù)。凱斯向《今日美國(guó)》（USA Today）透露：“每當(dāng)我想到黑莓手機(jī)，我就會(huì)聯(lián)想到一個(gè)以男性為主的用戶(hù)群。但是在意識(shí)到（女性）人口結(jié)構(gòu)的增長(zhǎng)和變化之后，我們有必要對(duì)這一領(lǐng)域給予關(guān)注?！?/p>

????技術(shù)公司聘請(qǐng)明星擔(dān)任創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)并不是什么新鮮事。理論上，這些明星比代言人更為賣(mài)力。因?yàn)榇匀嗣菜浦皇亲呱吓_(tái)，推出一款他們可能從未用過(guò)的產(chǎn)品，然后走下臺(tái)（懷里可能揣著一張支票）。2010年，寶麗萊聘請(qǐng)Lady Gaga來(lái)為自己產(chǎn)品線造勢(shì)。當(dāng)時(shí)那次合作的第一款產(chǎn)品是一款怪異的、帶有兩個(gè)液晶顯示屏的太陽(yáng)鏡相機(jī)。《財(cái)富》今年早些時(shí)候介紹過(guò)的歌手Will.i.am與芯片制造商英特爾（Intel）結(jié)成了類(lèi)似的聯(lián)盟。英特爾聘請(qǐng)這位饒舌歌手來(lái)預(yù)測(cè)消費(fèi)者在未來(lái)幾十年中的消費(fèi)趨勢(shì)。

????The week belonged to BlackBerry. New operating system, new phones, maybe even a shot at turning things around. But perhaps the most surprising twist at the company's big Wednesday launch was the appearance by Alicia Keys. The Grammy award-winning pop star wasn't there to simply vouch for the trendiness of the new devices. She is now the struggling company's global creative director.

????The appropriate response is probably 'WTF.' Actually, it's a match that makes about as much sense as, say, Lady Gaga teaming up with Polaroid or Jessica Alba hawking Windows Phone. With no offense to Keys, who is clearly an incredibly talented person, this corrosive trend is a distraction that technology companies have to put a stop to.

????Keys, who is "fascinated by technology," said she'll work with app developers, content creators, and other areas of the company. She's also taking her new keyboard-free BlackBerry Z10 on tour—a big reversal, given her professed love for Apple (AAPL) iPhone last year.

????It's possible she will drum up some refreshing ideas for BlackBerry. But its much more likely CEO Thorsten Heins, who Fortune recently spoke to, sees the partnership as a way to lend credibility to the flailing company, which saw its stock drop 12% the same day it unleashed all its news. (Ironic, given that just six or seven years ago, Blackberry had that in spades.) Keys also sees her presence as a way to pull in more women. "When I think of BlackBerry I think of a more male-dominated space. But knowing how much the (female) demographic is growing and moving, there needs to be that attention there," Keys told USAToday.

????A tech company hiring a celebrity as their creative director is nothing new. In theory, they're more involved than spokespeople, who seem to stroll onstage to plug a product they've probably never used and walk off (possibly with a check). Polaroid hired Lady Gaga to spice up its line in 2010. The first product from the collaboration was an outré pair of camera sunglasses with two built-in LCD displays. Will.i.am, profiled by Fortune earlier this year, performs a similar role for chipmaker Intel (INTC). The rapper is tasked with thinking about how consumers will spend their dollars in the decades to come.