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Marketbroad was asked to evaluate the potential of a new technology in an existing market sector for a leading embedded software company. This was in support of a process of strategic re-positioning and market entry for a system development and integration environment for IP-based infrastructure and edge devices aimed at the Telco sector.
A vital element in the success of the project was planning and carrying out interviews with senior management at major players in the sector. Our ability to engage with people at the most senior level, and effectively manage extended open-ended interviews, was a key factor in the quality of market information and depth of analysis we were able to deliver to our client.
The final report provided a completely objective briefing on the strategic possibilities and tactical opportunities available in the target sector, as well as a detailed competitive market analysis.
Market entry validation projects can be a difficult exercise for a company to undertake, as the experience of a wide range of market sectors, each with dramatically different competitive issues, barriers to entry, product life cycles and maturity, may not be available internally.
Another major issue in such an exercise is the very rapid rate of change in technology-based markets. A conventional market and competitive analysis exercise, based mainly on desk research from secondary sources, would almost certainly be doomed to failure, as by the time such source information had been generated, compiled and published, the market will have moved on.
Marketbroad therefore employs a much more rapid hybrid approach, using our extensive network of industry contacts to conduct a series of direct interviews with key players in the target sector, which is then cross-referenced with available market data.
Our strong technology background, coupled with our extensive commercial and marketing experience as well as our global contacts combine to deliver a research team with an unparalleled level of competence. This allows us to get up to speed rapidly with the client, its technology and its markets, saving a considerable amount of management time at the briefing stage.
It has the further advantage that subsequent discussions and interviews in support of market and technology research activities with senior management in external companies can be conducted on a "peer-to-peer" basis, thus enhancing the value of the data collected.
We also bring the benefit of a fresh external perspective to bear on the issues raised in the course of the project, both at the outset when formulating the project brief, and later, for the analysis of the resulting data.
A market entry strategy was needed by an embedded software company to bring their innovative virtualization technology to the mobile handset market. As well as this strategic marketing engagement, Marketbroad was also tasked with addressing a short-term tactical problem. How to obtain a high level of market visibility at a major industry event taking place within a matter of weeks?
Marketbroad originated a positioning concept and a trademarkable brand name which allowed our client to build a powerful campaign connecting their technology with a major market issue, and which became the cornerstone of the subsequent positioning and branding strategy.
This success was recognized in a number of industry awards which followed the launch of this campaign, winning the eg3 Editor´s Tech Choice and the eg3 Reader´s Tech Choice for 2008, and nomination as a Gartner "Cool Vendors in Mobile and Wireless Technology" for 2008, in the weeks following the launch.
Unlike consumer products, product branding in technology-based markets cannot just depend on a simple process of visibility and repetition of the key brand values plus a clever slogan. Issues of technical capability and credibility as a supplier must also be seen as major factors, and be fully integrated into the positioning and branding process.
Marketbroad has extensive experience in developing effective positioning and branding strategies, designed for the particular needs of the technical and professional audiences comprising these markets. We aim to position and promote the client as a market leader and focus for the emerging ecosystem when entering new markets, or as a major technology innovator when penetrating existing markets.
Marketbroad also has a long track record in successfully translating the practical aspects of these strategies into messaging collateral to drive timely and cost-effective promotional campaigns. Campaigns will often be built around topical market issues which can be leveraged to highlight the unique benefits of the client´s product capabilities to the target audiences. Analysis is also provided as to how these audiences can best be targeted, particularly via the use of the full range of online media and channels.
Such engagements typically lead to the production of a comprehensive Messaging Strategy report and sourcebook, designed to support the client´s communication programs and market positioning objectives.
This ensures that all promotional and media activities are guided by a consistent and coordinated messaging strategy on a global basis.
Our client had gained a small number of significant design wins in the UAV sector. However, progress was slow, since the decision makers for the major projects had little understanding of the strategic importance of our client´s innovative technology and even less awareness of them as a new player in the sector.
We developed an integrated marketing and promotional strategy built around a program of UAV conference presentations, technical article placements and most successfully of all, an online technical webinar program, in partnership with a major industry player with existing credibility and visibility in the defense/aerospace sector.
The outstanding results of this 18 month campaign to position our client as a leading supplier of innovative technology in the UAV sector was recognized in spectacular manner when our client won the Frost & Sullivan Technology Leadership of the Year Award 2009 for their technical excellence in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components Market.
The whole game is changing.
Not long ago, promotional campaigns to generate high levels of market visibility and a steady stream of prospective customer enquiries were relatively simple to put together. Run an effective PR campaign in the technical media, attend a couple of industry trade shows, organise a roadshow or two and you could be pretty confident of reaching a relevant and responsive audience. Web presence was often just a way to get product information to your customers, and typically left to an outside agency to develop.
Now, however, we have a constantly evolving variety of online environments to cope with such as blogs, RSS feeds, Google/AdWords, Twitter, plus social media from LinkedIn to Facebook. The problem is not just the issue of how best to manage and leverage the various online media, but also how to adapt and integrate existing sales, marketing and communications activities with these new online resources.
Marketbroad has over a decade of experience in helping clients transition to the optimal use of this new and complex promotional mix showing how online media can be integrated with a cost-effective market awareness campaign. One of our earliest online projects was the development of an online marcom extranet for the board-level division of Motorola in 1996 to support and coordinate promotional activities on a worldwide basis. This long experience has given Marketbroad an unequalled combination of strategic marketing skills, technical expertise in online promotion and detailed market knowledge.
And in this fast evolving online environment, access to such an integrated skill set offers our clients a major competitive advantage in building the visibility and credibility needed for future revenue growth.
Our client had a successful and growing business in the US providing software development tools for embedded applications. However, their larger competitor was also growing quickly, with a rapidly expanding sales network in overseas markets. This did not just mean more sales — many of the larger customers operated worldwide, and preferred to deal with a global supplier.
Marketbroad was tasked with developing the channels and partner relations to support sales in Europe and helped set up our client´s first overseas office. Effective relationships were forged with a number of key Industry partners, including Motorola, Hewlett Packard and Future Electronics. VARs and distributors were also selected and appointed. These and other channels were exploited in various ways, from organizing joint product launches and technical road shows to leveraging the extensive distribution network available to these major industry partners across Europe.
Within 4 years, sales in Europe were increased from $50K to $10 million before the client was acquired by one of the industry´s largest players.
Marketbroad has had two decades of experience in planning, managing and integrating cost-effective channels programs with our clients´ sales efforts. The key to success is a structured plan which ensures that all available channels are fully exploited to best advantage.
We can also advise our clients how to select and get the best results from each type of commercial relationship, whether OEM, VAR, rep/distributor or ecosystem/industry partner, both domestically and overseas.
With offices in the USA, UK and Japan, Marketbroad´s experience is truly global. So we are fully aware that effective channel selection and management work quite differently from one region to the next. An effective overseas channels development strategy should take into account these differences, as well as the fact that implementation methodologies and sales support structures will vary between regions. We also factor-in the growing impact of online media and its ability to transcend regional boundaries.
Effective channel development needs a combination of sales ‘push’ channel management with marketing ‘pull’ opportunity creation and brand promotion. Marketbroad has had extensive experience in successfully harmonising these two complementary strategies into a single channels development plan for our clients.
This integrated "push-pull" approach provides the most cost-effective environment to maximise channel sales revenue and margins, while simultaneously ensuring our client´s market position is continuously strengthened.
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