How To Message "Cloud" Offerings And Not Get Lost In The Fog

The cloud computing phenomenon is extraordinarily hot, leading tech marketers to make messy messaging mistakes in their rush to respond. Positioning IT products and services vis-à-vis cloud concepts is challenging because marketers are using the term "cloud" to describe many contrasting concepts. Many marketers are using "cloud" in ways that obscure their brand, promote competitors, drive bad leads, and lengthen sales cycles. To cut through the fog blanketing this new industry trend, marketers should first develop their message entirely without the "C" word and then retrofit specific cloud-related terminology to make detailed points for appropriate audiences. Vendors should substitute "something"-as-a-service for "cloud" and entirely avoid putting "cloud" in product names and top-line messaging.