The role that industry analysts play in technology purchasing continues to evolve and, arguably, grow.
The industry itself is in flux, with the global brands consolidating their position through acquisition and a series of smaller analyst houses positioning themselves in particular industries or topics. While the larger brands are still committed to a subscription model, an increasing number of analyst houses are giving content away free. Most are also stepping up their own PR activity. The influence of individual ‘rock star’ analysts is also growing, aided and abetted by social media and in particular Twitter. All of which creates new opportunities, and challenges, for B2B technology vendors.
Although the analyst world is more complex, the rules of engagement have not suddenly changed. Analysts still need to understand a company deeply; its vision, roadmap, strengths and weaknesses. Crucially they need evidence, from customers and partners, as well as consistency in communication. What has changed is the breadth of analysts and houses that a company needs to work with, and the speed with which an analyst can polish or tarnish a reputation.
Chameleon leads a number of analyst relations campaigns on behalf of clients, globally and regionally, ranging from targeting and auditing through to briefings, speaker slot management and sentiment tracking.
Chameleon also advises on how to best invest an analyst relations budget, to create a powerful mix of sponsored analyst activities that support awareness, understanding and sales.
Analyst relations