Aberdeen Group :
A Letter from the CEO to Aberdeen's Loyal Members. Founded in 1988,
Aberdeen Group is the trusted advisor to the Global 5000 for value chain strategies and technology advice.
BOSTON, MA - August 20, 2004
Dear members,
One year ago today the management team and I set out to build the new
Aberdeen with you, our most valued members, at the heart of our strategy.
Now, the management team and I would like to take a few moments to
highlight some of the steps that we have undertaken in pursuit of our
shared goals. I personally would like to thank you for your continued
support of Aberdeen . Our membership has grown in record numbers over the
past several months, and your feedback to our surveys about how Aberdeen
can better serve your needs has been invaluable. We have listened well and
will continue to listen as we build Aberdeen to fully serve your
needs.
A good place to start would be to indicate what our business goals were
one year ago:
- Understand our members' needs and where current market research
offerings fail to add value
- Implement a new business model built on leveraged business value
research at a price point that is within everyone's means
- Shift the company from marketing services for technology vendors to
research exclusively for business executives
- Build a team of market-leading analysts to drive research of a
quality that is a cut above that of our competitors
- Build an online research community where members can apply research
directly to their business es
In the last year we have achieved many of our stated objectives. Our
research is widely regarded as fresh and insightful. Our community is
growing at an increasing rate, and we are ready to raise the bar once
again.
In the coming weeks, Aberdeen will announce
AberdeenAccessT
and
AberdeenActionT , both of which will provide an online
community-based research environment that allows members to review,
understand, model, and export research findings. Members will be able to
access and use all of Aberdeen 's research, KPIs, benchmarks, frameworks,
industry views, demographic analysis, and modeling tools to apply the
research content directly to their unique business needs. Members will
also have unparalleled access to analysts and peers as well as the ability
to nominate new studies and participate directly in them.
Although it is true that we have been assembling the deepest business
value content in the market, Aberdeen will not stop there. We fully
understand that traditional market research firms have charged tens of
thousands of dollars for content that is no longer of interest to clients.
AberdeenAccessT and
AberdeenActionT attack the very core
of other offerings by providing on-demand research capabilities for $299
to $399 per year built on top of the deepest business value research base
in the market.
Our last year was made very noteworthy owing to your continued guidance
and support. A few highlights are worth noting, as well as some of our
plans for 2005.
People
People are the building block for any
successful organization. When we started building the new Aberdeen 365
days ago, we were committed to assembling the market's deepest and most
experienced analyst talent. We strongly believe that experience is the
true measure of great analysis. Experience does not come from being a mere
industry observer; the best analysts must have themselves sat in the chair
of the decision maker to truly appreciate the business challenges that
executives face each day. Only those who align their experience with
in-depth research can truly provide actionable analysis.
During the course of this past year, we have aggressively sought new
talent to add to the talent that we already had at Aberdeen . I am proud
to say that we have successfully attracted a team that stands second to
none in our market.
...
Research
Today's market is flooded with traditional
analyst firms, information providers, content aggregators, publications,
and consulting organizations all striving to provide the raw material to
help end-users make the right decisions about their business. This
competition has created a very crowded and confused market. However,
Aberdeen has aggressively addressed a large void in the market. The one
aspect that is consistently missing from each of these competing offerings
is deep fact-based research driven by a business-first agenda.
One year ago, Aberdeen was known in some circles as a
"white-paper-for-hire" firm. I have spoken to many clients, industry
insiders, and prospects over the past year who expressed concern that the
brand was damaged. I was told that we should "change the name, change our
focus, give up, or do something different and start over."
Our detractors were clearly wrong. They failed to appreciate the value
one must place in brand recognition that is driven by the perceived value
that our loyal members have in Aberdeen . With topflight research, proven
analysts, and a commitment to helping our members achieve their business
goals, much is possible.
In 2004, we have to date completed
23
primary research reports with another 46 scheduled to be completed
over the remainder of the year. During the second quarter alone, more than
7,000 global business and technology executives participated in our
studies, and currently more than 30,000 members have downloaded the
results of these Q2 studies. During 2005, we will complete more than 100
primary research studies that span the entire spectrum of
technology-driven business value.
Technology Clients
This shift to exclusively
business value research has allowed us to fully divest any marketing
services offerings while still growing the business aggressively. I am
proud to say that today all of our technology clients are reference
clients, and they are actively promoting the results that they have
achieved in the market.
Over the course of the past several months, we have earned the right to
work with some of the best technology clients in the industry: SAP,
Progress, Maxtor, D&B, IBM, Microsoft, Ariba, Agile, Deloitte
Consulting, MatrixOne, QAD, EDS, PeopleSoft, Oracle, Manhattan Associates,
Intel, MasterCard, EMC, Covigna, Senforce, Lilly Software, BT Syntegra,
McAfee, Azerity, Primavera, Avotis, and many, many others. Our technology
clients have aggressively worked with us to sharpen our research focus and
ensure that we continually are providing fact-based analysis that is
making a difference to technology decision makers.
...
Community
Aberdeen is building a community-based,
self-researching business model. We fully understand that our members need
to be able to access the content that they need and apply it to their
business on demand. Free content aggregators and search engines that
capture general content and high-priced market research firms are both
failing to meet this need.
Aberdeen's research membership has reached 106,000 members and has
expanded into 36 countries. During Q2 alone we grew our registration
membership by more than 15,000 new members. In the
AberdeenAccessT
community, we have enrolled more than 30,000 line-of-business and
technology executives who are the basis for our future researching and
community growth.
...
Our business goal is clear: to commoditize a market that has
steadfastly held to high prices for low-value subscriptions. We are
actively applying Southwest Airlines' model to a market that is fat,
inattentive to its customers' needs, and without innovation. With your
help, we can provide the market with top-quality research and tools at a
fair price.
This is a goal for which it is well worth working hard. A goal that
gets us excited every day in a market that has not been known for
excitement. It is a goal in which everyone at Aberdeen takes pride. The
opportunity is ours together. We want to create a research community
solely focused and driven by the needs of its members.
I look forward to working with you over the next year to continue
building our new Aberdeen together. Please do not hesitate to reach out to
me personally with any questions or thoughts that you might have.
Best regards and thank you for your continued support of Aberdeen.
Jamie Bedard
President and
CEO
Aberdeen Group Inc.
260
Franklin Street
Boston ,
MA
02110
Direct dial:
617-854-5220
Cell:
617-835-8550
E-mail: jamie.bedard@aberdeen.com
About Aberdeen Group
Founded in 1988, Aberdeen Group is the trusted advisor to the
Global 5000 for value chain strategies and technology advice.
Boston - Palo Alto
