By Jay Innes
Marketing and communications pros – hell, even PR folks and business developers – can force a smile after reading a study examining Canada’s productivity and following that with a scan of a Branham report on the Canadian ICT industry.
Deloitte Canada recently released The Future of Productivity: A Wake Up Call for Canadian Companies, assessing the worrisome trend that sees startups flourish and then flounder because growth and productivity aren’t sustained. The slowdown and full-blown failure of many startups is, the report states, a partial result of business leaders “not investing in the activities required to sustain growth.” The authors advise firms to increase their focus on gathering competitive intelligence as part of an effort to avoid slipping behind their peers.
“Canada’s entrepreneurs may have mastered the art of creating fast-growing businesses with great potential, but they fall short when it comes to sustaining them,” states the Deloitte study.
With fingers crossed, this advice could be a boom for researchers and storytellers as the shockwaves from the report ripple through startup teams as well as mature companies seeking to cross the chasm. During the pre-revenue phase of a startup, many leaders are solely focused on driving sales to accelerate growth and advance product development. The responsibility for generating and gathering industry intelligence sometimes falls on the CEO or, in some cases, a dedicated marketing person. That marketing person maybe expected to fill several roles, ranging from business development to public relations and even sales. Management teams that have the luxury of a long-term view will realize the benefits of gathering this valuable information as early as possible to create an information resource that will grow with the company.
The second report, The 2013 Edition of the Branham300, provides an update on the Canadian ICT Industry, and offers marketing and communications professionals another chance to grin.
Acknowledging the current turmoil in the industry and the changes caused by recent mergers and acquisitions, a reader would be justified in wondering about the future hiring trends in the Ottawa region. (I will share my remedy in a future blog.) But a blunt criticism buried in the “2012 Trends and Developments” section of the report offers an opportunity for in-depth market research in the dig data area. The authors make the jaw-dropping claim, “While a number of traditional vendors have manipulated their marketing, claiming to play in this space, few have solutions that are dedicated to truly addressing unstructured data in its original format.” Reflecting on this knuckle rap in reference to manipulated marketing and failure to deliver, it would seem that an opportunity exists to conduct research, compare product features and make assessments against stated claims to generate a well-researched and accurate value proposition.
Too many corporate communication vehicles are limited to vague research claims or relegated to simple lead-generation tools when there is a real need for boots-on-the-ground, experiential insights to guide decision making and provide value to engaged readers.
“Business is a zero-sum game,” a beleaguered telecom executive recently reminded me. I am at a loss to find a more succinct justification for committing the time and effort to conduct competitive research that will clearly define a value proposition and tell a company’s story.
Jay Innes is the owner of Jay Innes Marketing and Communications and the Director of Business Development for Privatis Technology Corporation. A former multi-media journalist and veteran fundraiser, Jay’s leadership skills have helped launch and promote original TV shows, non-profit fundraisers, professional services companies, original industry newsletters and start-ups in the privacy and healthcare IT sectors.
Image: StartupMove
