Time for a new direction in AR measurement?

Worldwide, Analyst Relations teams are committed to fostering the best information exchange, experiences and trusted relationships with tightly-targetted global industry analysts and influencers. Sometimes the targeting is too narrow and analysts are treated inhumanly. However, the technology buying process is transforming and so must the benchmarking of analyst relationships. There’s already a long-term transformation of analyst relations. Over one-third of technology purchasing power has already moved outside of the traditional IT department, to decision-makers (from manager to regulators) who use a more diverse range of analysts. Unlike the technology-focussed research that serves the core IT function, analysts increasingly engage in future-oriented discussions with line of business managers, regulators and investors. Analysts’ perceptions of vendors are changing as they focus more on competing visions and promises of the future.

This change means that more analyst companies have an influence on professionals, and often these professionals are frustrated with analysts. Managers often do not have a budget for the larger firm contracts commonly restricted to IT or intelligence teams.  Because of this, more accessible analyst content is becoming widely read and used for making technology decisions. Social media are also used to distribute analyst insights. However, many firms are unaware of whether they are winning or losing ground with the broader analyst community’s audience. Many analyst relations teams have been getting worse. This change influences billions in potential sales and regulatory choices. It will bring new opportunities to offer the best exchange of knowledge to build leadership and vision in the market continually. These opportunities can be realised if AR teams, especially in major vendors like Cisco, Dell, HPE, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, consistently benchmarks their thought leadership in the analyst community, both with top targets and wider layers in the long tail.

This produces a challenge: it’s easy to track a small number of analysts, but few AR teams are really tracking the long tail of analysts. This produces a challenge: it’s easy to strack a small number of analysts, and few AR teams are really tracking the long tail or analysts. As a result, many firms are unaware of whether they are winning or losing ground with the broader analyst community’s audience. This change influences billions in potential sales and regulatory choices. It will bring new opportunities to offer the best exchange of knowledge to build leadership and vision in the market continually. These opportunities can be realised if Analyst Relations consistently benchmarks its thought leadership in the analyst community, both with its top targets and wider layers.

Our Analyst Attitude Survey shows how leading firms like IBM are winning the battle to reach out the wider layers of analysts efficiently and to answer analysts’ burning questions.