Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR)
The IIAR is a not-for-profit organisation established to raise awareness of analyst relations and the value of industry analysts, promote best practice amongst analyst relations professionals, enhance communication between analyst firms and vendors, and offer opportunities for AR practitioners to network with their industry peers.
For those of you who have not yet voted for this year’s IIAR Analyst of the Year please do so and fast!
The survey will be closed on Friday 30th September so there’s only two days now left to vote. We’ve had a phenomenal response to our survey so far but every vote counts so please make sure yours is one of them.
Thank you for your time and a big thank you to those of you who have already voted – we will be announcing the results in October.
The 2011 survey to find the IIAR Analyst of the Year is now open.
Our search for the industry’s top-rated analyst and analyst firm has begun. This year, to reflect the changing analyst landscape, we have introduced a new category – ‘Best New Analyst Firm’. This is for a firm that has been set up in the last 12 months, which was not trading under the same name prior. It can be a firm created as a spin-off of an established firm but can’t be a simple re-branding or switch of coverage.
Following member feedback, we have also added account management into the considerations of deciding on top analyst firm.
Make sure your nominated analyst and analyst firm get the recognition they deserve…
This survey is open to members and non-members and all votes are strictly confidential.
The survey will be closed on Friday 30th September with the results announced late October.
Our huge thanks to Jonny Bentwood for his help and support with this survey.
This year the IIAR conducted the largest survey yet to identify who AR pro’s believe are the best firms and analysts in the market. These awards, summarising the votes of over 150 participants, reflect a significant change from previous winners and demonstrate that in a year of monetary uncertainty more focus has been spent geared towards the large international houses as oppose to the regional boutiques.
IIAR analyst of the year survey
For the past few years, the IIAR has sought to indentify the analysts and firms who deserve recognition. In a world where most firms are only contacted by vendors because we want to brief or learn something from them, it is appropriate that once per year we pause and think – who did a damn good job and why?
It is not always the biggest analyst house that wins or the individual with the most twitter followers – what this survey has continued to show is that integrity, independence and market knowledge are the analyst qualities that are most highly valued by AR professionals.
This is a global survey with awards recognised for specific topic areas, globally and by region. There’s only 10 questions and won’t take more than a few minutes to please take part.
This survey is open to all in the AR industry – whether you are an independent, in-house or at an agency. Your vote counts so please vote now.
You can discuss this survey on twitter with the hashtag #iiarsurvey or share the link: bit.ly/iiarsurvey
Next week the IIAR Analyst of the Year survey will be launched. This is an annual award that AR pros vote on to praise the analysts who they think are the best.
The survey is in it’s final stages of being completed – my ask to you is..
what questions do you want to ensure are included?
Put your comments below and we’ll try and make sure they are included.
For previous years results check out the following links:
London, 25 August 2009: The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR) today named Ray Wang, most recently Vice President, Principal Analyst with Forrester Research Inc., as its Analyst of the Year for the second year running. Ray was nominated by a global survey of 137 analyst relations professionals. Runners up for the title were Jon Collins of Freeform Dynamics and David Mitchell of Ovum. Jon Collins of Freeform Dynamics was voted the EMEA Analyst of the Year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given an industry-wide retrenchment in IT research spending, the traditional global analyst firms performed very strongly this year. Gartner, Forrester Research and IDC were ranked first, second and third respectively in the Analyst Firm of the Year category. The three firms were also highly rated in terms of their importance, achieving top three places in five of the nine industry segments. Nevertheless, boutique firms and specialists, particularly those based in Europe, also managed to hold their own in a tough economic environment. Freeform Dynamics, RedMonk and Quocirca all appeared in the top five Analyst Firm of the Year in EMEA, and their analysts scored highly in terms of importance in SMB, developer/IT Pro and Software, and green IT/sustainability, respectively. What do AR professionals most value when working with analysts? In addition to knowledge and market insight, flexibility in approach, responsiveness and willingness to listen all scored highly. “At a time when vendors are having to evaluate carefully where they should invest their limited funds, it is refreshing to see best-of-class analysts receiving recognition for the value they deliver.” said Jonny Bentwood, Board Member for the IIAR. “Now, more than ever before, analysts have to prove their tangible worth and those that provide independence, integrity, flexibility and deep industry knowledge of their specific areas are being recognised as true partners for vendors and IT buyers.”
Commenting on his award, Ray Wang said: “It’s a great honour to be recognised by the IIAR, especially in a year where clients challenge analysts to provide more actionable and personalised advice. As we rely more on social media tools to improve client delivery and outreach, I’m often reminded not to forget the other part of the equation – building strong relationships. In fact, the best AR pro’s I work with master the art of fostering strong relationships and understand that art often trumps science when dealing with people.”
A full list of the winners can be found at http://blog.analystrelations.org.
Honesty, integrity, knowledge, curiosity, insight, passion, respect and influence
These characteristics were repeatedly highlighted when AR Pro’s were asked to identify the analyst house and individual who they wanted to recognise as being the best in the industry. This second post in the “analyst of the year” series aims to highlight individuals and firms who are seen as the best in the industry regardless of their speciality sector. See here for the first post.
At a time when vendors are having to evaluate carefully where they should invest their limited funds, it is refreshing to see best-of-class analysts receiving recognition for the value they deliver. Now, more than ever before, analysts have to prove their tangible worth and those that provide independence, integrity, flexibility and deep industry knowledge of their specific areas are being recognised as true partners for vendors and IT buyers.
Without further ado, here are the results:
Global Analyst of the Year
| 1st | Ray Wang, Forrester |
| 2nd | Jon Collins, Freeform Dynamics |
| 3rd | David Mitchell, Ovum |
| 4th | James Governor, RedMonk |
| 5th | Steve Blood, Gartner |
This is an incredible coup for Ray having been named the analyst of the year in 2008. Some people have argued whether his influence will diminish now that he has left Forrester but in my opinion, when we get to the cream of the analysts, companies seeking to work with analyst houses tend to invest in the individual rather than the firm they work for. Ray has of course now left Forrester and joined Charlene Li as a Partner at Altimeter Group looking at bridging today’s world of enterprise apps with the E2.0 world of connected business platforms. Commenting on this award, he explained:
It’s a great honor to be recognized by the IIAR, especially in a year where clients challenge analysts to provide more actionable and personalized advice. As we rely more on social media tools to improve client delivery and outreach, I’m often reminded not to forget the other part of the equation – building strong relationships. In fact the best AR pro’s I work with master the art of fostering strong relationships and understand that art often trumps science when dealing with people.
I mentioned this last point in the previous post but believe it is worth reiterating as to why so many European analysts tend to feature so well. At first analysis, I was immediately concerned over the relatively high number of awards that have gone to EMEA-based analysts and firms thinking that this was due to the physical location of the voters.
However, 72% of all respondents were based in the US or Canada.
My personal view is that whereas a great deal of syndicated research tends to get created and published from the US, the European analysts have to rely on their revenue stream coming from their local market knowledge, deep messaging insights and customer focus. To put it bluntly, they need to prove value otherwise they will be out of a job. This point may well be the most contentious and I am happy to discuss this point further.
Global Analyst House of the Year
| 1st | Gartner |
| 2nd | Forrester |
| 3rd | IDC |
| 4th | Ovum |
| 5th | AMR |
This year has seen the larger, global firms dominate the awards when it comes to sector importance. It is of little surprise therefore that when it came to picking an individual firm who represented the highest value, Gartner came top. Their success should not be underestimated. In a time when many firms are cutting back on their analyst expenditure, the fact that the Gartner remains so highly recommended (even though they are far from cheap) is tantamount to the calibre of people they have working for them as well as their relevance and influence they bring to the table. Peter Sondergaard, SVP & Global Head of Research, Gartner was delighted at Gartner’s recognition and explained:
We really value this feedback from the analyst relations community as we are fully committed to constantly improving the quality of our products and the service we provide to all our clients worldwide.
I am especially pleased to see that Ovum and AMR can be recognised after they both missed winning ‘importance’ awards by sector by coming in fourth place. As an aside, and similar the UK premier league, it is always refreshing and healthy for there to be a highly competitive market where the larger firms cannot rest on their laurels and must continue to innovate or be overtaken by the competition.
EMEA Analyst of the Year
| 1st | Jon Collins, Freeform Dynamics |
| 2nd | David Mitchell, Ovum |
| 3rd | James Governor, RedMonk |
| 4th | Steve Blood, Gartner |
| 5th | Neil Rickard, Gartner |
It has been a great year in Europe for boutiques. These firms, more than any, have had to challenge traditional analyst business models and the boundaries in which they operate such that the art of defining what an analyst is and does has had to change. Nevertheless, a few firms with considerably fewer analysts have seen their share of voice rise disproportionately – within the market they are recognised by AR Pros as being able to contribute a level of service that is exemplary. Jon Collins, who has recently taken over the role as MD at Freeform Dynamics explained upon receiving his award:
I’m delighted to be called out, I see this as a vote of confidence not just for me but the whole Freeform Dynamics team, not to mention its collaborative philosophy and approach, which keeps us all grounded in the real world of mainstream IT usage and makes this job such a pleasure to do.
EMEA Analyst House of the Year
| 1st | Gartner |
| 2nd | Freeform Dynamics |
| 3rd | Forrester |
| 4th | RedMonk |
| 5th | Quocirca |
Gartner once again steal the show. With a solid presence of industry experts, they are recognised as being the best in the region. However, a significant number of ‘boutiques’ also make the top 5 – edging out likely candidates such as IDC and Ovum. In the previous post I explained that it is of little surprise that firms are cutting back and focusing on the analyst houses that have the greatest global reach. However, it is somewhat refreshing that other houses have managed to carve out their own niches – notably: Verdantix and Quocirca in the green IT space and RedMonk and MWD in the developer/ IT Pro sector. It is in these smaller, areas where ‘boutique’ firms have managed to push their own USP and become sector leaders.
Comparing important analysts and ‘analyst of the year’
it’s quite an interesting dichotomy between the analysts who were voted as most important by their coverage areas (as it highlights perceived expertise) compared to the analyst of the year overall ranking. The characteristics that stand-out amongst this crowd are difficult to combine but necessary to be a good analyst:
Final thoughts
My congratulations go to all the firms and individuals who have been recognised with awards. The third and final post to be published in a couple of weeks will look at which firms provide the greatest offering for bespoke research, consulting/inquiry and reports. It will also identify which firms have increased in relevance the most over the past year and the key reasons why people tend to work with analysts in the first place.
As I complete this second post, a statement that Vinnie Mirchandani made to me when I was discussing the definition of an industry analyst sticks to my mind:
“analysts” are just a small subset of a 1000 points of influence
Regardless of the debate regarding ‘who is an analyst?’ – a clear point remains. We work in a time where those that can influence buying decisions are in high demand. If analysts wish to remain a significant player within this, they must continue to offer the level of service and value that the firms and individuals who have been recognised by the IIAR in these awards provide.
Methodology
1) Entrants:
This survey was open to anyone who works in analyst relations in any country, either in-house or at an agency/consultancy. In order for someone’s entry to be validated, they had to submit their email address and company name to verify they not an impostor trying to distort the results. This personal information will not be distributed or used beyond sending copies of the results to all participant. The survey was open for specific period of time and IP addresses were taken to ensure that someone could not vote twice. A total of 137 AR Pros completed this survey.
2) Questions:
The survey specifically focused on an individual’s perception of the analyst world. A full list of every analyst house was made available for respondents to select their preference.
3) Segmentation:
Respondents were asked to specify their submissions based upon geography and segment. Based upon these criteria further analysis could be made of the results to identify specific regional or segment champions.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey please contact me (@jonnybentwood)
In a year where analysts have had to prove their worth to fight back against the reduction in discretionary spend, we would like to applaud those companies and individuals who have shown a commitment to providing a service that goes above and beyond what is expected.
This series of blog posts will showcase the results of the recent ‘Analyst of the Year Survey’. The results of this survey were collated over a three month period during which time 137 AR pros responded to a questionnaire available on surveymonkey.
In case you are wondering, the highest accolade of “Analyst of the Year” and “Analyst Firm of the Year” will be announced in the second post in this series.
Results (part 1)
Most Important Analyst House
Most Important Analysts
*NB. Not enough data was collected on “important consumer analysts” to make the results confident.
Opinion on Firm Importance
Note – this post refers to ‘importance’ NOT analyst of the year which will be covered in the next post.
When I compare the results from last year there seems to be a significant trend to the larger international houses. Gartner, Forrester and IDC seem to haul in the majority of opinions as to which firm is the most important.
Perhaps it is of little surprise that firms are cutting back and focusing on the analyst houses that have the greatest global reach. However, it is somewhat refreshing that other houses also are listed and have managed to carve out their own niches – notably: Verdantix and Quocirca in the green IT space and RedMonk and MWD in the developer/ IT Pro sector. It is in these smaller, areas where ‘boutique’ firms have managed to push their own USP and become sector leaders. Whether this was by choice or accident, I don’t mind but perhaps this is a new trend that we should monitor.
It is also worth giving a special mention to both AMR and Ovum who between them seemed to just miss out as they both made a high number of 4th places.
Opinion on Analyst Importance
There is a partial correlation between analyst house importance and analyst importance with a few significant exceptions. Most notably where people attach more importance on the individual rather than the company. This could be because of the bespoke value they give to firms and their unique intelligence and insight.
Notable analysts who fall into this category include David Mitchell from Ovum, Ray Wang from Forrester and James Governor from RedMonk.
David Mitchell, commenting on the results said:
Being recognized by your customers is always an honour, especially when the recognition comes from the IIAR and its members. Being recognized in enterprise, software, and services is especially gratifying.
European excellence
Even though the IIAR is based in the UK, the fact that new chapters are opening up around the world is testament to the fact that this survey was truly global in its reach. At first analysis, I was immediately concerned over the relatively high number of awards that have gone to EMEA-based analysts and firms thinking that this was due to the physical location of the voters.
However, 72% of all respondents were based in the US or Canada.
As to why the Europeans tend to so well…
My personal view is that whereas a great deal of syndicated research tends to get created and published from the US, the European analysts have to rely on their revenue stream coming from their local market knowledge, deep messaging insights and customer focus. To put it bluntly, they need to prove value otherwise they will be out of a job. This point may well be the most contentious and I am happy to discuss this point further.
Given that there are NO US boutique analysts that appear in the “most important” list, perhaps the question that should be raised is “what gives European based analysts this reputation in the US but not vice versa?”
What factors make someone pick a firm or individual as important
Brand, sales coverage and processes (to ensure the quality, independence and exhaustiveness of the research) are universally important. So is the impact that an analyst firm has on deals.
Individual traits include: bringing unique insights to the table, being easy to deal with, delivering value to end users and vendors with each interaction, and understand user needs whilst providing tangible real world benefits.
In the second of this series of blog posts, the coveted “Analyst of the Year” and “Analyst Firm of the Year” will be announced.
Methodology
1) Entrants:
This survey was open to anyone who works in analyst relations in any country, either in-house or at an agency/consultancy. In order for someone’s entry to be validated, they had to submit their email address and company name to verify they not an impostor trying to distort the results. This personal information will not be distributed or used beyond sending copies of the results to all participant. The survey was open for specific period of time and IP addresses were taken to ensure that someone could not vote twice.
2) Questions:
The survey specifically focused on an individual’s perception of the analyst world. A full list of every analyst house was made available for respondents to select their preference.
3) Segmentation:
Respondents were asked to specify their submissions based upon geography and segment. Based upon these criteria further analysis could be made of the results to identify specific regional or segment champions.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey please contact me (@jonnybentwood)
To take part in the ‘analyst of the year’ survey – click here
Last year, the IIAR ran a survey to identify who AR practitioners believe should win the award of ‘analyst of the year’ and ‘analyst firm of the year’. I am pleased to say that today, we are now launching the survey once again and hope that you can all take part.
This is your chance to vote for the analyst or firm who you believe deserves more recognition. All too often we only speak about analysts when we want something, but this survey gives you the opportunity to explain what criteria makes an analyst important and who you consider to be world-leaders for their segment.
The previous analyst of the year was Ray Wang, Principal Analyst with Forrester Research, Inc. Respondents praised his insight, depth of industry knowledge, and independent voice. Runners up for the title were David Mitchell of Ovum and James Governor of RedMonk. Ray was also named Analyst of the Year for the Americas, while David Mitchell of Ovum was voted the EMEA Analyst of the Year.
With respect to individual firms, Forrester was highly regarded by respondents in all regions, and was voted the Analyst Firm of the Year. It was commended for the strength of its analyst team, the quality of its client services and its ability to spot new trends. Gartner and IDC came second and third, respectively. Not only did the traditional global analyst firms perform well in the survey, but the smaller, boutique consultancies also scored highly. Freeform Dynamics and MWD came in the top five in EMEA with RedMonk in the top three in the Americas, and a number of other firms also received honourable mentions. Respondents liked their honesty, ability to innovate, the quality of their research and use of new media channels.
To see a copy of last year’s survey results click here for summary post or here for download.
For your benefit I have listed below a brief summary of the methodology used.
Methodology
1) Entrants:
This survey is open to anyone who works in analyst relations in any country, either in-house or at an agency/consultancy. In order for someone’s entry to be valid, you will need to submit your email address and company name to verify you are not an impostor trying to distort the results. (This happened last year from a global firm!!). The personal information will not be distributed or used beyond sending copies of the results to all participant. The survey will be open until the end of May. IP addresses will be taken to ensure that someone does not vote twice.
2) Questions:
The survey specifically focuses on an individual’s perception of the analyst world in 2008. Respondents are able to select from a pre-populated list of 501 firms which company they believe are the most important and relevant for a list of multiple segment areas.
3) Segmentation:
Respondents are able to specify their submissions based upon geography (US, EMEA, AsiaPac, Global), segment (Hardware, Software, Services, Communications and Networking, Green IT/Sustainability, Developer/IT Department) and customer-base (Enterprise, SMB and Consumer). Based upon these criteria further analysis could be made of the results to identify specific regional or segment champions.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey please contact either myself or Hannah Kirkman.
To take part in the ‘analyst of the year’ survey – click here
For an analyst or their company to have made the top 10 is a truly remarkable achievement and my congratulations go to them. Specifically though a few individuals and companies should be highlighted:
Ray Wang, Principal Analyst with Forrester Research, Inc., is the analyst of the year. Respondents praised his insight, depth of industry knowledge, and independent voice. Runners up for the title were David Mitchell of Ovum and James Governor of RedMonk.
Ray was also named Analyst of the Year for the Americas, while David Mitchell of Ovum was voted the EMEA Analyst of the Year.
Forrester was highly regarded by respondents in all regions, and was voted the Analyst Firm of the Year. It was commended for the strength of its analyst team, the quality of its client services and its ability to spot new trends. Gartner and IDC came second and third, respectively.
Not only have the traditional global analyst firms done well in this year’s survey, but the smaller, boutique consultancies also scored highly. Freeform Dynamics and MWD came in the top five in EMEA with RedMonk in the top three in the Americas, and a number of other firms also received honourable mentions. Respondents liked their honesty, ability to innovate, the quality of their research and use of new media channels.
What came out clearly from the survey was that integrity, independence and market knowledge are the analyst qualities that are most highly valued by AR professionals. It demonstrates very positively how much the IT research industry has matured.
The results below have been split into several segments to reward those whose specialty in niche areas should be recognised.
A full copy of all the results can be downloaded here
| Analyst of the Year | 1 | Analyst Firm of the Year | ||
| 1 | Ray Wang, Forrester | 1 | 1 | Forrester |
| 2 | David Mitchell, Ovum | 1 | 2 | Gartner |
| 3 | James Governor, RedMonk | 1 | 3 | IDC |
| 4 | Ed Thompson, Gartner | 1 | 4 | RedMonk |
| 5 | Michael Cote, RedMonk | 1 | 5 | AMR |
| 6 | Jeffrey Hammond, Forrester | 1 | 6 | Freeform Dynamics |
| 7 | Dale Vile, Freeform Dynamics | 1 | 7 | Ovum |
| 8 | Bola Rotibi, Ovum (now MWD) | 1 | 8 | MWD |
| 9 | Massimo Pezzini, Gartner | 1 | 9 | Enterprise Strategy Group |
| 10 | Brian Babineau, ESG | 1 | 10 | CCS Insight |
EMEA Focus:
| EMEA Analyst of the Year |
1 | 1 | EMEA Analyst Firm of the Year |
|
| 1 | David Mitchell, Ovum | 1 | Gartner | |
| 2 | Dale Vile, Freeform Dynamics | 2 | Forrester | |
| 3 | Ed Thompson, Gartner | 3 | Ovum | |
| 4 | Philip Dawson, Gartner | 4 | Freeform Dynamics | |
| 5 | Neil Rickard, Gartner | 5 | MWD |
US Focus:
| US Analyst of the Year |
US Analyst Firm of the Year |
|||
| 1 | Ray Wang, Forrester | 1 | Forrester | |
| 2 | David Mitchell, Ovum | 2 | Gartner | |
| 3 | Michael Cote, RedMonk | 3 | RedMonk | |
| 4 | Jeffrey Hammond, Forrester | 4 | Enterprise Strategy Group | |
| 5 | James Governor, RedMonk | 5 | AMR |
Communications & networking Focus:
| Comms & Networking Analyst of the Year |
Comms & Networking Analyst Firm of the Year |
|||
| 1 | Neil Rickard, Gartner | 1 | Forrester | |
| 2 | Ben Wood, CCS Insight | 2 | Gartner | |
| 3 | Nick Jones, Gartner | 3 | Ovum | |
| 4 | Zeus Kerravala, Yankee Group | 4 | IDC | |
| 5 | Danille Levitas, IDC | 5 | Yankee Group |
Software Focus:
| Software Analyst of the Year |
Software Analyst Firm of the Year |
|||
| 1 | Ray Wang, Forrester | 1 | Forrester | |
| 2 | David Mitchell, Ovum | 2 | Gartner | |
| 3 | Ed Thompson, Gartner | 3 | AMR | |
| 4 | Jeffrey Hammond, Forrester | 4 | RedMonk | |
| 5 | Michael Cote, RedMonk | 5 | MWD |
Services Focus:
| Services Analyst of the Year |
Services Analyst Firm of the Year |
|||
| 1 | Pascal Matzke, Forrester | 1 | Forrester | |
| 2 | Stephanie Moore, Forrester | 2 | Gartner | |
| 3 | Paul Roehrig, Forrester | 3 | IDC | |
| 4 | Michael von Uechtritz, Gartner | 4 | Ovum | |
| 5 | Dane Anderson, Gartner | 5 | NelsonHall |
Importance vs. Relevance: Analyst Firm of the Year:
| Most Relevant Analyst Firm of the Year |
1 | Most Important Analyst Firm of the Year |
||
| 1 | Forrester | 1 | Gartner | |
| 2 | IDC | 2 | Forrester | |
| 3 | Freeform Dynamics | 3 | IDC | |
| 4 | Burton | 4 | Ovum | |
| 5 | RedMonk | 5 | AMR | |
| 6 | AMR | 6 | Redmonk | |
| 7 | Ovum | 7 | Enterprise Strategy Group | |
| 8 | MWD | 8 | Freeform Dynamics | |
| 9 | 451 Group | 9 | Current Analysis | |
| 10 | Gartner | 10 | TowerGroup |
EMEA:
| Most Relevant Analyst Firm of the Year |
1 | Most Important Analyst Firm of the Year |
||
| 1 | Gartner | 1 | Gartner | |
| 2 | Freeform Dynamics | 2 | Forrester | |
| 3 | Forrester | 3 | Ovum | |
| 4 | Ovum | 4 | IDC | |
| 5 | MWD | 5 | Freeform Dynamics |
US:
| Most Relevant Analyst Firm of the Year |
1 | Most Important Analyst Firm of the Year |
||
| 1 | Forrester | 1 | Forrester | |
| 2 | Burton | 2 | Gartner | |
| 3 | IDC | 3 | IDC | |
| 4 | Ovum | 4 | RedMonk | |
| 5 | RedMonk | 5 | AMR |
Commenting on his award, Ray Wang said:
I’m very pleased to receive this distinction. AR professionals represent the critical link between an analyst’s perception and the company’s reality. Because the AR profession is not only a science but also an art, good AR professionals build the relationships from a position of trust which drive the foundation for all interactions. I’m thankful to have worked with so many true professionals.
David Mitchell, ranked first in EMEA commented:
Analyst relations professionals are playing an increasingly important and influential role in the ICT (Information Communication Technology) industry, both when working directly for companies and when working as third party advisors to those customers. As such, it’s a great honour to be recognised by the IIAR.
One of the interesting results from the survey is the distinction made between relevant and important analyst firms. From my perspective it appears that people made the recognised tier 1’s (Gartner, Forrester, IDC) as the most important as they realise that these companies have a strong impact on sales due to their customer base and research viability. However, relevant firms did not necessarily map on to these same firms and the ones ranked most highly tended to have a greater focus on bespoke advice (largely gained through inquiry time).
When we run this survey next year we would be delighted to hear suggestions regarding how this can be improved. For your benefit I have listed below a brief summary of the methodology used.
Methodology
1) Entrants:
This survey was open to anyone who works in analyst relations in any country, either in-house or at an agency/consultancy. In order for someone’s entry to be validated, they had to submit their email address and company name to verify they not an impostor trying to distort the results. This personal information will not be distributed or used beyond sending copies of the results to all participant. The survey was open for specific period of time and IP addresses were taken to ensure that someone could not vote twice.
2) Questions:
The survey specifically focused on an individual’s perception of the analyst world in 2007. All questions were free text to ensure that results could not be biased by presenting a pre-made list of companies or analysts. The result of this was extraordinary with 191 different analyst names being submitted as ‘analyst of the year’ and 103 different firms listed for the ‘analyst house of the year’.
3) Segmentation:
Respondents were asked to specify their submissions based upon geography (US, EMEA, AsiaPac, Global) and segment (Software, Hardware, Services, Communications and Networking). Based upon these criteria further analysis could be made of the results to identify specific regional or segment champions.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey please contact either myself or Hannah Kirkman
Do you want your favourite analyst to be recognised?
Do you feel that enough recognition is given to your preferred analyst house?
If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions – please fill in the analyst of the year survey now. This survey is open to everyone who works in AR. Send the link to your colleagues in the industry and make sure your voice counts.
… don’t delay though as the deadline for the survey is rapidly approaching (end of April 2008).
To take part in the survey please click here.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Or more to the point, who analyses the analysts? In this case it is the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR).
In a marketing world that is dominated by PR, the creation of a dedicated body to promote AR best practice and stand as a forum on issues has been warmly welcomed by the community.
One of my responsibilities in the IIAR is running a task force which in this instance has focused on compiling the ‘analyst of the year’ survey. This survey aims to answer questions such as:
The survey is open to in-house and agency AR professionals, and a summary of the results will be sent to all respondents. Please note that anonymous responses and those from analyst firms will be discarded. Individual responses will be kept strictly confidential and only aggregated results will be shared.
To take part in the survey please click here.
Preliminary results will be shared at the IIAR forum meeting at Lighthouse on 3rd April where Chris Lewis and David Mitchell from Ovum will be the guest speakers.
