Renowned public relations agency Ogilvy PR has launched a new and interesting service: Analyst Community Engagement (ACE), powered by a global team based in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore and Sydney. Its purpose is to give technology companies an informed, strategic and measurable approach to industry analyst relations, according to the official announcement.
For this new service, Ogilvy partnered with KCG, an analyst relations strategy firm serving the technology sector. As a result, ACE becomes a comprehensive solution for in-house AR departments that need to engage analysts locally, regionally and globally. The two companies have been working together for years, but their partnership is only now getting formalized.
“We have been partnering with Ogilvy PR on analyst relations projects for over six years,” said Stephen England, president and partner at KCG. “We share the same vision for AR, have trained and certified many of their practitioners, and seamlessly offer our mutual clients KCG’s highly complementary targeting, training and research metrics services.”
This partnership will offer clients an approach aimed at shedding light on the businesses of analyst relations firms. ACE will provide clients with a comprehensive solution for in-house AR departments, along with recommendations and useful insights.
“Analyst Relations is the most global of all the marketing disciplines,” stated Luca Penati, managing director of the Global Technology Practice at Ogilvy PR. “We believe that the analyst world consists of ‘Deal Makers’ and ‘Perception Makers’, and that the true value of AR is in knowing how to distinguish between the two, and tapping the right ones to influence sales cycles and purchase decisions as well as shift market attitudes through increased exposure.”
“ACE moves AR from a necessary evil for many companies to a strategic asset that builds business,” added Penati. “Clients are eager to have clearer AR strategies and measurement systems that clearly deliver business value.”
“Working with industry analyst and influencer communities is strategically important, particularly in emerging technology categories,” explained Dee Anna McPherson, vice president of marketing, Yammer. “Ogilvy PR’s ACE service is compelling because it bases AR decision making on data and provides a baseline to measure effectiveness.”
Creating ACE is a smart move as it meets some clients’ needs and consolidates Ogilvy’s position worldwide. Most technology companies need to catch the eye of major analyst firms in their field, as these organizations make purchasing recommendations to potential customers. Being included in their lists of referred players in one segment or another is a powerful sales tool and adds to branding and promotion efforts.