For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

2009 Forrester Groundswell Awards Winners Offer B2B Tech Marketers Valuable Social Media Lessons

by Laura Ramos, November 4, 2009

Business-to-business (B2B) marketers approach social strategy with a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism. Most want to know which firms execute social pursuits well and what tangible outcomes occur. The B2B Division winners of the 2009 Forrester Groundswell . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How AT&T Is Helping The Williams F1 Racing Team Become More Competitive

by Mike Cansfield, September 22, 2009

AT&T is the title sponsor and exclusive telecommunications services provider of the Williams Formula One (F1) motor racing team. Like any other business, F1 is a relentlessly competitive environment. AT&T is more than just a sponsor of the team; . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: MetricStream Builds B2B Community With ComplianceOnline

by Laura Ramos, June 17, 2009

As a premier destination for content, training, and advisory services dedicated to regulatory compliance, IT governance, and corporate risk management, ComplianceOnline is a model online community that delivers two million visitors annually to MetricStream's . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Expand Globally, Market Locally

Adapting The Four Ps Of Marketing To New B2B Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., March 31, 2009

Taking the show on the road — expanding into new markets — is a daunting proposition for tech marketers. New markets mean new requirements, including not only product features, but also price, promotion, and placement attributes — the Four Ps. New geographic . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Telstra's Telecom Marketing Excellence

by Mike Cansfield, March 26, 2009

Telcos today don't just compete with other operators; they also compete with premier brands such as Apple, Sony, and Microsoft. To be successful, they need to be top-notch marketers, yet traditionally, telcos are poor at this. Telstra, the Australian . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Intuit TurboTax Uses Crowd Wisdom To Make Online Support Less Taxing

by Laura Ramos, March 4, 2009

Intuit TurboTax used the wisdom of crowds — gleaned by analyzing how tax filers and tax preparation businesses interact with thousands of pages of support and tax code information — to supercharge its online support and hold down costs. Business-to-business . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Role Profile: The CIO

Understanding And Marketing To The CIO Professional

by Emily Van Metre, Eric G. Brown, December 18, 2008

Knowing your customers will help your sales force start the right conversation with a prospect, understand how your products are relevant to your customers' daily life, and in the end help to land you a sale. This role profile will take you through key . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Case Study: Iron Mountain Uses Personas For Marketing Success

by Vidya L. Drego, September 12, 2008

Iron Mountain's marketing team found that its product development priorities were driven more by advancements in technology than by customer challenges and pain points. To help remedy this — and therefore increase product differentiation and fit — visionary . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Building An Effective Green Marketing Strategy

by Cindy Commander, Brian Haven, July 31, 2008

Organizations are under pressure from consumers, shareholders, and government bodies to develop green strategies. However, many marketers are jumping on the green bandwagon and committing common green marketing mistakes. To avoid these mistakes and build . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Case Study: Intel Uses Partnerships For Green Strategy

by Cindy Commander, Brian Haven, July 31, 2008

Intel actively participates in efforts to improve the sustainability of all aspects of the product life cycle and value chain, from the materials it sources to the end-of-life reuse and recycling efforts. To push these efforts forward, Intel uses the . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Tech Horizons: What The Startup Xobni Teaches Tech Vendors About Innovation

The Company Scores A Win With A Simple Improvement To Microsoft Outlook

by Chris Andrews, July 16, 2008

The San Francisco-based startup company Xobni offers personal computer users a free plug-in to Microsoft Outlook that adds improved functionality and social networking capabilities to the popular email program. The company is notable for the simplicity . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Web 2.0 Propels StackSafe's Debut

by Laura Ramos, June 23, 2008

Software startup StackSafe used Social Computing technology to burst onto the scene in the multitier testing and change control market. How? The companies' marketing professionals engaged prospects in a community conversation to validate a problem, postulate . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: PAETEC's Customer-Focused Strategy Captures US SMBs

by Michele Pelino, May 30, 2008

PAETEC, a US communications solution provider, often flies under the radar screen when compared with better-known wireline operators like AT&T and Verizon. This may be about to change — PAETEC recently acquired US LEC, Allworx, and McLeodUSA to expand . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Ride The Innovation Wave With Your Customers

Networking Vendors Will Embrace Customer-Driven Innovation To Thrive

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., May 19, 2008

Networking vendors are starting to engage customers by co-founding joint ventures. Tech vendors can co-innovate with their corporate clients in a joint venture, thereby differentiating themselves in an increasingly customer-centric market.

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Building Effective Vertical Industry Thought Leadership Programs

How Capgemini Capitalizes On Research-Driven Marketing

by Ellen Carney, April 10, 2008

Industry thought leadership demands deep insight into specific vertical industries. Many technology providers conduct primary research to validate their thought leadership. But primary research can be expensive, so how should companies in the early stages . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

What Industry Marketers Need To Know Before Going Global

Lessons From PwC: Applying Global Thinking To Local Action

by Ellen Carney, January 30, 2008

Global industry marketing strategies promise seamless service regardless of where it's delivered, but local market conditions matter, too, posing a challenge for tech marketers and consulting directors trying to articulate a clear industry strategy. Forrester . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Networking Vendors Will Embrace Customer-Driven Innovation To Thrive

How Alcatel-Lucent And UPMC Partnered On IP Infrastructure

by Maribel D. Lopez, November 20, 2007

Technology marketing executives in both consumer and B2B firms have been working with lead users to identify new product opportunities for years. What's different now? To ensure the success of products, B2B networking vendors are moving beyond requirements . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Taking Industry Vertical Marketing To The Web

Lessons From 100 Site Visits And One Excellent Example

by Ellen Carney, November 5, 2007

IT buyers rate vendor Web sites as one of the most important information sources they use when researching technology purchases. Vendors, too, are increasingly trumpeting industry solutions on their sites. But the great irony is that despite the seeming . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

The Content Management Market Goes Mini-Vertical

ECM Vendors Are Thinking Small For Bigger Impact

by Ellen Carney, Barry Murphy, November 5, 2007

Fragmentation and blurry boundaries among offerings create big challenges for enterprise content management (ECM) tech marketers to distinguish their products. How are enterprising ECM vendors standing out? Forrester did some digging and learned that . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

The iPhone Is A Win-Win-Win

New Device Benefits Apple, AT&T, And The Industry

by Charles S. Golvin, July 6, 2007

The long wait is over. Apple's iPhone is now in consumers' hands, with some equity analysts estimating that Apple and AT&T sold an unprecedented half million units in its opening weekend. Apple now has a new product category with excellent growth . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Green Electronics: Coming To A Wal-Mart Near You

Wal-Mart's Focus On Sustainable Electronics Will Encourage Green Technology

by Christopher Mines, June 18, 2007

Retailers, like companies in most industries, are adopting more environmentally responsible business practices. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, recently announced plans to evaluate consumer electronics suppliers in part based on the environmental . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Forecast Your Industry Sales Future

Use Business Process Maturity To Chart Your Industry Sales Model

by Ellen Carney, May 9, 2007

Targeting the business IT needs of specific industries is now one of the most common customer segmentation strategies. Despite conventional wisdom, it turns out that vertical segmentation is a relatively recent phenomenon, with many companies only just . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Are You Ready For Vertical Marketing?

by Ellen Carney, April 18, 2007

Many companies talk the vertical talk; some, like Motorola and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), are walking it; and others are struggling with the basic steps of a successful vertical marketing strategy. What do the masters know that beginners can . . .

Hey Presto! Dell Does Consumer Support Service

What Can Product And Channel Managers Learn About New Service Revenue Opportunities?

by Paul Jackson, January 25, 2007

Dell today launched Presto, a consumer home service offering in the UK, France, and Germany that is like US services such as Geek Squad. Dell's size, European presence, and existing support and field engineer expertise means it has a good chance of carving . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Motorola's Quest For Supply Chain Excellence

Ongoing Supply Chain Overhaul Leads To Growth And Profitability

by Noha Tohamy, October 5, 2006

In the early 2000s, Motorola's leadership and market share were eroding. Realizing that a return to growth necessitated transforming its supply chain, the company embarked on a major initiative to realign business units, rationalize the supplier base, . . .