More stars move into the Constellation

The IIAR’s UK chapter had a highly interactive discussion on March 14 thanks to the presence of Constellation Research‘s R “Ray” Wang (@rwang0)  and three star analysts who’ve joined his firm as vice-presidents and principal analysts: Alea Fairchild (@afairch), Charles Brett (@charlesbrett) and Paul Papadimitriou (@papadimitriou).

The meeting at the IIAR London Forum, organised by Simon Levin in the plush Bell Pottinger, HQ heard a pointed discussion on the development of new value propositions in the analyst industry, reflected by the successful growth of Constellation, which only launched in 2010.

The heart of the discussion was the paradox that while many talk of a crisis of the analyst industry, both traditional (Ray says “legacy”) analyst firms like Gartner (@gartner_inc) and upstarts like Constellation (@constellationrg) are able to expand their market. Constellation, for example, is on course to work with 50 end-user clients. While Constellation stresses the new doors its accessible analysts open, facilitated by the firm’s focus on innovation, it hints that firms like Gartner and Forrester (@forrester) sell to older, less innovative, clients who will not prosper.

There was a spirited and sharp discussion, which continued into the excellent pub and then to the restaurant where the skillful upselling of the waitress turned the distracting conversation into an opportunity to make up massively over-order on food. Filled to bursting, we drifted onto the streets filled with gratitude to Constellation for sparking the liveliest discussion for ages.

Bottom line: with a new RAS offering lineup, Constellation seems to be shifting gear and moving its business model towards end-users. AR professionals should take notice, evaluate its impact and see where they should fit into their target audience.

Your thoughts: do you think Constellation will successfully leverage its huge online brand into real end-user impact?