Category: Analyst industry

Social media is a multi-facet opportunity for major industry analyst firms

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icon-social-media-blue.jpgMajor analyst firms like AMR Research, Gartner, IDC and Ovum are rightly criticized for being slow out the gate when it comes to addressing and using social media. The one major firm that has done the most to leverage the potential of social media is Forrester, but even Forrester has not been as aggressive as it could be. Here are some ways that major analysts firms should be involved with social media tools:

Research it

Social media should be a topic of research.  We think this is quite obvious, but with the exception of Forrester none of the major firms have done any in-depth, systematic research on the topic. No doubt some of the firms will say that […]

Did you know that you can comment on Forrester’s research on its website?

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icon-social-media-blue.jpgSomething that came up yesterday at the AR Effectiveness Seminar is that nobody knew that they could rate and comment on research notes on Forrester.com. This is another example of Forrester embracing social media and they deserve kudos for doing so. However, to make it really powerful, Forrester should actively promote the use of this feature to its clients.  This will begin to create a true community focused around the conversation on research.

A key issue for vendors is the ability to easily influence the impact of Forrester research.  This feature should be a powerful tool for all vendor analyst relations (AR) teams.

End users (aka IT buyers, your customers) are using Forrester.com to find and read […]

AR managers do not like surprises, which mean they are a little annoyed at blogging analysts

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icon-social-media-blue.jpgObviously SageCircle is a big proponent of social media and the potential for positive impact on the analyst ecosystem. However, that view is not shared by all AR professionals. I recently had an interesting conversation with an AR manager who was more than a little irritated with major firm analysts who blog. Are these normal growing pains in the evolution of the AR-analyst relationship or is this a nascent backlash?

A big part of this person’s annoyance was centered on the lack of discipline and rigor in the analysts’ […]

Spotlight on Enderle Group’s Rob Enderle — High profile yes, but also smart and insightful

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photo-rob-enderle.jpgOne of the more controversial analysts in the analyst ecosystem and blogsphere is Rob Enderle. For instance, some of the more colorful posts are “Why Rob Enderle is a moron” and “Rob Enderle: Putting the ‘Anal’ in ‘Analyst'”. This animosity is due to the fact that he gets the most press quotes of any IT industry analyst – more than most firms – and that Rob takes strong stands on industry issues that ruffle a lot of feathers. The high profile in the press is a deliberate and smart marketing strategy on Rob’s part, but sometimes it obscures the fact that he is smart and insightful.

When I first got to my previous employer, I frankly had a similarly low opinion of Rob. Like many AR professionals, this opinion was not based on any personal interaction with him, but just a visceral reaction to […]

Synovate – the market research company with marketing

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I had never heard of Synovate until one of its employees friended me on Facebook. That got me looking at it’s website. Hmm, actually has a little marketing going with some interesting branding (tag line “The global marketing company driven by curiousity”) has hip, clean visuals (brochure cover to left, click to enlarge) and uses social[…]

Forrester and Gartner Q4 and full year earnings — Higher prices and emphasis on role-based services

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The two analyst firms that are publicly held conducted earnings calls last week, Forrester (February 5) and Gartner (February 6). This analysis does not look at areas of interest to investors, but seeks to pull out insights that are relevant to clients and prospects as well as CIT vendor analyst relations (AR) teams.

For clients of both firms, one important fact jumps out of the earnings calls – price increases will be […]

Gartner grows 12% in 2007 — SageCircle will be microblogging during earnings announcement

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Carter will be on Twitter (“follow” me at http://twitter.com/carterlusher) giving a running commentary. Even if you cannot follow live, you can see the complete commentary by clicking on my profile afterwards. The comments will be focused on the interests of members of the IT analyst ecosystem (e.g., AR managers and enterprise IT clients) not investors. The earnings call starts[…]

Introducing SageCircle’s Fog of Influence

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icon-social-media-blue.jpg(Editor’s Note: A draft of the Fog of Influence graphic has been replaced with the final version. 2/4/08 12:50 pm PT)

It used to be so simple to identify the influencers of technology deals in those idyllic days of yore. IT managers would talk to the IT advisory analysts, read the IT trade press, listen to the IT vendors and play golf with their buddies in IT in other companies. It was reasonably predictable as to who was influencing each step of the product purchase project and to what extent.Today, of course, the model of influence is anything but simple and predictable. Social media has exploded onto the scene adding many new voices to the discussion. On-line publishing has expanded the number of “IT trade press” outlets to dizzying new level. The analyst industry continues to consolidate and simultaneously expand with analyst firms with new business and research models starting up every week even as others are being acquired. It is easier for IT managers to interact with peers beyond hitting the golf course. IT vendors are embracing new forms of communication with mixed levels of success. It is enough to make your head spin.

sagecircle-fog-of-influence-2-feb-08.jpgOver the last ten years there have several approaches to representing the ways that buyers and influencers interact (see The IT industry analysts’ role: evolution of perception). This post introduces the latest SageCircle update, the Fog of Influence (left, click to enlarge). The Fog of Influence incorporates social media, Web 1.0 and […]