With the notable exception of Microsoft and IBM, IT firms truly suck at marketing and advertising. Despite spending huge sums promoting their products and services much of the spend is wasted. This is nothing new; IT has never done a good job of marketing itself. But in today's tough economy the imperative to get it right is stronger than ever.
Many IT vendors still seem to believe that they are better than their competition, that their product is faster, more scalable and better architected than any other. Further they are convinced that this is the message they should go to market with. Despite all the available evidence, few firms seem to accept that this approach seldom works.
All outbound marketing should focus on meeting the needs of your customers in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. Marketing that focuses on how much better you are than the competition is no more than an ego trip. These are tough but simple lessons that the industry needs to get to grip with. But if these are difficult pills to swallow, then harder still to swallow is the value in turning perceived weaknesses into messages of strength.
Few software vendors are prepared to admit that their product lacks the bells and whistles of its competitors, but that they are cheaper, easier to deploy and have everything you may need.
It's a pride thing really, for even though software vendors hate to admit that they are offering a cheap and cheerful alternative to the competition, in many cases that is precisely what they are doing.
As technologies converge and alliances are formed, IT could do worse that to study the world of telecoms, where for many years their marketing efforts have focused on providing and provisioning services to meet their customer detailed needs.
Currently so much IT advertising resembles selling a Mack truck to do the school run with. There is a market for Mack trucks, but there is also one for the Ford Escort. If IT finally gets to grips with this aspect of the business, they will not only see increased sales. They will also start to understand better and deliver more appropriate services to their customers, a true win-win all round.
Alan Pelz-Sharpe is VP Software and Services, North America, and a Research Director within Ovum's IT group. He can be contacted directly on aps@ovum.com.
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