How to structure a briefing?

Posted on Monday 31st October 2011 by Ludovic Leforestier

James McGovern (@mcgoverntheory, LinkedIn) asked here how to structure a briefing.

Here are some past posts on the IIAR blog that dealt with the subject:

There are also tips hidden away on the Gartner website:

Kevin’s got a point that briefings have to be  remembered and it can pay to change the order. I’d say it depends on  your spokesperson: if you do something too un-natural and un-comfortable it’s most likely to backfire and you won’t get a good result.

In terms of content, there’s nothing wrong with the good old funnel structure, even if you  change the order:

  • vision
  • strategy, inc. GTM
  • issue, business problem
  • solution, product, capabilities
  • differentiators
  • use cases, credentials
  • architecture and the rest of the technical aspects, delivery model, pricing aspects, ROI
  • wrap-up and summary

AR pros: how do you do it?

Analysts: what do you like to hear?

Filed under: AR, AR Best practices | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Social media for the APJ AR pro

Posted on Thursday 27th October 2011 by hlaceygutsell

IIAR Asia-Pacific recently held a virtual forum to discuss social media. It was a great opportunity to talk more about one of the current hot topics in the AR industry and how it relates to the local APJ markets.

Discussion centred on different uses of varying social media channels leading to the conclusion that social media represents an extension to personal communication preferences. For Steven Noble, (Senior Analyst / Forrester), social media is a normal part of his working life and used through the development of a research paper. At each step social media plays its part; awareness gathering, development of research topic ideas, information gathering, surveying, publishing, promotion. (more…)

Filed under: AR, Forrester, IIAR, IIAR Forum, IT Analysis Firms | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

[Job Posting] VP Media and Analyst Relations – APAC

Posted on Tuesday 25th October 2011 by hlaceygutsell
An international tier-one IT vendor and solutions provider is experiencing continued growth across the globe. There is a need for a proven communications leader to create and implement communications strategy across the region.
  • Leading global IT Vendor
  • APAC Region including Japan
  • Competitive remuneration and genuine career development
  • Location: Hong Kong SAR (more…)

Filed under: AR, Jobs -AR roles | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

And the IIAR Analyst of the Year 2011 is…

Posted on Friday 21st October 2011 by Jonny Bentwood

For the fourth year running, AR professionals have been polled to select the analyst and firms they consider the best best for thought leadership, ease to do business with, influence and value for money.

The IIAR is delighted to announce that this year’s IIAR Analyst of the Year 2011 goes to…

(more…)

Filed under: AR, Constellation, Forrester, Gartner, Horses for Sources, IIAR, IIAR Analyst Of The Year, IT Analysis Firms | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

IIAR Bangalore Forum meet to discuss the Indian AR community

Posted on Thursday 20th October 2011 by hlaceygutsell

IIAR Bangalore Forum delegates

The recent IIAR Bangalore Forum, hosted by Aarti Patil (WNS / IIAR India Chapter Lead) proved a huge success and the perfect networking opportunity for AR professionals in India. Discussion focused on key highlights of the changing landscape of the Indian analyst relations (AR) community. This encompassed the evolving approach needed, maturing expectations and tools and practices put to address the needs of the influencer community. While pinning your mark on a relevant industry research report still comes top on the agenda item of any analyst relations professional, supporting the sales organization is fast becoming the next top item on the agenda list.

Other discussions included; technology market overview for India and the value of social media to AR in India.

The IIAR would like to thank our Guest Speaker of the day Ms. Sudha Kumar, CEO – Prayag Consulting who provided an overview  on the “India Market” and shared perspectives on ”Expectations from the Indian analyst relations community”. Also thank our kind host of the day – Infosys.

IIAR members can find the full notes on huddle along with the presentation from Prayag Consulting.

Filed under: AR, IIAR, IIAR Forum | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

[REBLOG] How to read an analyst report?

Posted on Tuesday 18th October 2011 by Ludovic Leforestier

slfisherThis article was originally posted on hp.com: How to Read an Analyst Report. Good read.

Unfortunately we can’t reblog this, read the original report and some quotes below. The advice it gets can be summed up as follows.

  1. Picking a Firm
    • What kind of analyst firm is it? According to Ludovic Leforestier of IIAR, the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations, an industry group of analyst relations (AR) professionals, there are three major types of analyst firms:
    • The big three are Gartner (750 analysts and about $1 billion in revenue), IDC (1,200 analysts), and Forrester (300 analysts and about $300 million in revenue).
    • Midsize niches, typically with five to ten analysts, are often focused on a particular area, such as ESG for storage or Evans Data for software development trends.
    • Independents are a diverse category.
  2. Does the analyst take vendors for clients
    • “Is the report commissioned by a vendor or is it written prospectively?” asks Leforestier. “This is an important point: Although good AR people will avoid pay-to-play to get endorsements, some are known as analysts for hire. Check the research library on the analyst website and you’ll clearly see some are always writing positively about one vendor.”
  3. Is the report pay-to-play? 
  4. Where does the analyst firm get its information and analysts?
  5. What type of deliverable is it?

Filed under: AR Best practices, AR debates | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

[Job Posting] Fujitsu AR Manager – München, Germany

Posted on Monday 17th October 2011 by hlaceygutsell

Fujitsu is looking for an AR Manager to drive their AR program in the CEMEAI region. The role will be to provide internal consultancy on AR topics to marketing teams and senior executives, working closely with global AR team colleagues. The successful candidate will serve as an internal evangelist and “go to” person for all AR-related matters. (more…)

Filed under: AR, Jobs -AR roles | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

[Job Posting] Director, Analyst Relations for VMware – US

Posted on Friday 14th October 2011 by hlaceygutsell

Reporting to the Head of Global Communications who reports to VMware’s Chief Marketing Officer, this candidate will lead VMware’s global analyst relations program.

Location: Palo Alto, US

Specific Responsibilities

-       Driving the development and execution of a multi-dimensional analyst relations strategy that supports the company’s vision, desired long term position, and specific go-to-market themes.

-       Managing a team of analyst relations professionals, and the operational aspects of analyst relations including budget, research subscriptions, and measurement.

-       Helping VMware achieve its desired position as a central vendor of the Cloud era.
(more…)

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Analyst firms: rock star bands or record label dinosaurs?

Posted on Wednesday 12th October 2011 by Ludovic Leforestier

A recent contract renewal conversation with an IT analyst firm rep got me wondering how record companies ended up suing their best adopters and whether the end is nigh for them. Both music and research live on IP, and there are many similarities, though we’ll only explore the consumption and value aspects in this post.

Many have a better informed opinion than myself on the music industry but I tend to agree with Jon: there’s been a lack of innovation. The CD was a more practical format but quality wasn’t one hundred times better. I have yet to be immersed in a true quadriphonic experience, and so on. Sure thing, the mp3 format is much more practical but it would be far fetched to claim to say that the industry embraced it willingly. Actually, I would go as far as to say iTunes is Steve Job’s best ‘invention’, that was to get record labels to licence their music on it. In addition to the lack of technical innovation, there isn’t a great deal clarity in the offerings. Good new sounds maybe surfacing all the time however most are ephemeral. I can’t think of many that indeed built a following matching that of the 60ies  and 70ies (and even 80ies) household names. That last point is important, as building up a loyal consumer base is much more profitable than rotating new products. (more…)

Filed under: AR debates, Forrester, Gartner, IT Analysis Firms | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

IIAR Bangalore Forum: RSVP for this event

Posted on Tuesday 11th October 2011 by Ludovic Leforestier

The IIAR Indian Chapter is organising an event in Bangalore this Thursday, the 13th October from 1300 till 1700 IST.
At this in person event, members will be able to connect and catch up on latest trends in India and most importantly what’s happening on the Indian analyst relations landscape. Non-members can attend once as a try and buy offer.

The agenda will feature as guest speaker Ms. Sudha Kumar, CEO- Prayag Consulting. The event is very kindly being hosted by Infosys.

For confirmations, queries, please reach out to the IIAR Indian Chapter lead, Aarti Patil (apatil=at=analystrelations+dot+org)

Filed under: IIAR | Leave a Comment »

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