The latest from our blog
Out with the new and in with the old: Gartner Peer Insights returns to focus on reviews
Out with the new and in with the old: Gartner Peer Insights returns to focus on reviews It’s back to the future for Gartner with a return by Peer insights to focusing on reviews – and the end of a short but dramatic flirtation with a communities-led approach. Gartner has completed the split of Peer Insights, its customer review site, from Peer Communities, the rebranded version of its [...]
Omdia to relaunch its Universe methodology
Omdia to relaunch its Universe methodology DESTRIER EXCLUSIVE - Omdia is remodelling the use of TrustRadius voice of the customer data in its flagship series of Universe reports. Launched to fanfare in September 2020, the tie-in between analyst firm Omdia and TrustRadius boasted it would “gauge customer experience in a unique way”. However, Omdia encountered a lack of consistent review data across the spectrum of vendors covered in [...]
Five things tech CMOs need to know about peer reviews in 2023
Five things tech CMOs need to know about peer reviews in 2023 Could 2023 be the year vendors recognize the full potential of peer reviews? To get the year rolling, here are five things every enterprise tech CMO needs to know about peer reviews. 1. Even in the enterprise tech buyer space, peer reviews are here to stay. They are not going away. You don’t have to be [...]
TrustRadius zeroes on in ESG
TrustRadius zeroes on in ESG Until now, Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) has been largely overlooked by the peer review sites crowdsourcing reviews from enterprise buyers. It’s not one of the core evaluation questions for reviews. But ESG is not going away. As it gains momentum, the Tech Cares initiative from TrustRadius is a start in pushing ESG up the agenda for enterprise review sites. It’s also [...]
Self-serve buyers increasingly demand transparency
Self-serve buyers increasingly demand transparency Today’s enterprise technology buyers demand more transparency than ever. This is confirmed by buyers’ three favorite resources as listed in the 2022 B2B Buying Disconnect report from enterprise review site TrustRadius. The latest research – published today – highlights a shift in buyers' top five most-consulted resources during a vendor evaluation process. This is the first major change since the annually updated report [...]
Gartner adds communities to GPI
Gartner adds communities to GPI Gartner has given its Peer Insights homepage a new address and a fresh new look as it starts to integrate a peer reviews community, based on its mid-2021 acquisition of member knowledge community site Pulse Q&A. The official narrative: “Gartner acquired Pulse to create an enhanced community experience and empower business and technology leaders to make peer-led decisions, beyond technology purchasing. “Pulse brings [...]
Introducing the Enterprise Peer Reviews Insider podcast
New for 2022 - Destrier’s Enterprise Peer Reviews Insider podcast Destrier today introduces the Enterprise Peer Reviews Insider podcast series - another first as we continue to innovate in enabling technology vendors to perform at their best in this fast-growing area. Consumer reviews sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor and Google have been established for a while, but on the B2B side, there’s been a slower start. That’s changing [...]
Vendors are weaponizing enterprise peer review data – against analysts
Vendors are weaponizing enterprise peer review data – against analysts Two years ago, Destrier’s Playbook highlighted how vendors were ‘weaponizing’ enterprise peer reviews – for example, to counter a low position in a Magic Quadrant or to highlight their strengths and exploit competitor weaknesses. Now a new use case is emerging – vendors using Gartner Peer Insights data to put pressure on Gartner’s analysts, especially in the always [...]
Be careful what you wish for when asking customers for reviews
Be careful what you wish for when asking customers for reviews Gartner Peer Insights is driving technology vendors to solicit reviews from enterprise customers - whether or not they want them. The Managed Workplace Services category is an excellent case study, underlining why vendors need to focus on seeding positive reviews. Following a torrid couple of years, customers are currently scoring DXC Technologies below the category average in [...]
Here’s why your first 100 enterprise peer reviews are so critical
Here's why your first 100 enterprise peer reviews are so critical There’s been a surge in the success of enterprise peer review sites like Gartner Peer Insights, G2 and TrustRadius. Gartner is close to 400,000 enterprise reviews, TrustRadius has 286,000 and G2 is well on its way to the two-millionth review overall, although not all are around enterprise products, services and solutions. But the success of these platforms [...]
Lagging in peer reviews? You might have an advantage after all
Lagging in peer reviews? You might have an advantage after all. Gartner Magic Quadrant season is in full swing. And many vendors are staring up at the mountains of competitors' review scores on Gartner Peer Insights (GPI), wondering, "how can we climb that high in such a short time?" With enterprise peer reviews now firmly established, vendors are fully aware of the challenge of generating reviews. But many [...]
Gartner tunes up Peer Insights methodology, claims growing vendor interest
Gartner tunes up Peer Insights methodology, claims growing vendor interest In a regular methodology update, Gartner Peer Insights chief Anatoli Olkhovets outlined growing vendor engagement and outlined the latest tweaks to its methodology. Changes are relatively minor but place more of an obligation on vendors to keep on sourcing new reviews – or persuade existing reviewers to update older input. In line with emerging industry standards, as noted [...]
Are you in the top right quadrant? We’re seeking a talented Mid-/Senior-level AR professional
Are you in the top right quadrant? We’re seeking a talented Mid-/Senior-level AR professional Do you have what it takes to "move the dot"? We’re looking for a mid-/senior-level Analyst Relations professional to join our award-winning team, to work with global players in the technology services arena. For the right person, the role can be either part- or full-time. For the last three years, industry analysts have voted [...]
This is what enterprise peer review success looks like
This is what enterprise peer review success looks like By Simon Jones at Destrier When we start implementing enterprise peer review programs for clients, we're often challenged by skeptical executives, who ask: Show me what success looks like. This is driven by a degree of doubt that the vendor "can ever catch up" with the leaders on an enterprise peer review site like G2 or Gartner Peer Insights, [...]
We’ve done it again! Destrier ranked as top global boutique AR agency by analysts
Destrier does it again! Reconfirmed as leading boutique analyst relations agency, worldwide - as voted by industry analysts Destrier also confirmed as highest-ranked Analyst Relations agency in Europe Third successive year of top ranking for Destrier By Simon Jones, Managing Partner at Destrier Industry analysts have ranked Destrier among the best AR agencies in the world in the annual IIAR awards. It’s a thrill that Destrier AR [...]
Analyst firm Omdia taps into user review data from TrustRadius
Analyst firm Omdia taps into user review data from TrustRadius Analyst firm Omdia is integrating user review data from TrustRadius in its newly launched flagship Universe series of reports. It’s a crucial part of what Omdia calls “connecting the dots across the entire technology value chain”. Universe is Omdia’s new Vendor Selection methodology. The firm says it is “designed to robustly and holistically assess key vendors in growing [...]
Truths, Lies & Influence: How Reviews are Disrupting Analyst Relations
It’s been a debate that has rumbled on for several years now: Should Analyst Relations professionals be managing their firm’s peer reviews?
Introducing the Maturity Model for Enterprise Peer Reviews
Introducing the Destrier Maturity Model for Enterprise Peer Reviews. For vendors looking to take their enterprise peer reviews program to the next level, this model is the new north star.
Gartner gamifies Peer Insights
In its six-monthly update to the Peer Insights methodology, Gartner has gone all in on gamification - both for vendors and for reviewers.
Gartner opens up peer review awards to vendor funding
After spending millions on gift cards as rewards for people leaving reviews on Peer Insights, Gartner is opening up the program to allow vendor-funded incentives. The “Technology Provider Funded Gift Cards Program” is coming soon - probably launching along with the new Peer Insights methodology in early August.
Indefinite work from home? Be careful what you wish for…
As everyone tries to put the Coronavirus behind them and pick up the threads of their lives (how can it be mid-June already, it feels like the 97th of March…), I talked to executive coach Betina Mazzarino about the impact of the lockdown on people, and the implications of extending WFH policies for a longer term for knowledge workers.
Why the man behind the curtain should stay there
The UK Prime Minister’s special advisor, Dominic Cummings, allowed himself to be manoeuvred into a position that no special advisor wants to be in: that of needing to explain themselves to the media, on the record. Consequently the world got to see Cummings, the PM's man behind the curtain, squirm in his chair in the garden of Number 10 Downing Street, as he doggedly stuck to his story about why he broke the COVID-19 lockdown.
Omdia’s Roy Illsley steps up
Omdia continues to fill out its senior positions with the appointment of Roy Illsley as Chief Analyst for the 50-strong Enterprise team.
Reputations on the line as the Coronavirus bites
If your company still hasn’t got a crisis management in place for the Coronavirus, this week will be the crunch: Not having a contingency in place is a ticking time bomb. There are many “what if’s” right now, but as SARS-CoV-2 aka COVID-19 aka Coronavirus continues to spread, it is putting corporate reputations on the line.
Duncan Brown returns to IDC (again)
Duncan Brown has returned to IDC in a significant new role within the EMEA organization, after 16 months with a vendor. As newly appointed Vice President, European Enterprise Research, Brown takes on a 40-plus strong analyst team including Software, Services, Accelerated App Delivery (AccAD), Artificial Intelligence, Channels and Ecosystems.
Enterprise peer reviews: Inventory war over, transparency battle begins
There have been two clear signs this week that the enterprise peer review market is evolving. The war for inventory is over, but there’s a new battlefront – focused on transparency.
Are enterprise peer reviews sites a threat to industry analysts?
Are enterprise peer reviews sites a threat to industry analysts? It might sound counter-intuitive, but the answer is actually the opposite.
Olkhovets steps up to lead Gartner Peer Insights
Anatoli Olkhovets has taken over at Gartner Peer Insights – earning a promotion to Group Vice President, and replacing Richard Cho, who departed suddenly before Christmas.
The role of the press release is changing
Is the press release still relevant? The answer is: It depends. This isn’t a cop-out answer, but a reflection of how the communications business is changing. As that happens, so the humble press release is also evolving.
451 Research acquired by S&P
451 Research, one of the leading independent analyst firms has been acquired by credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics giant S&P Global. The deal marks expansion plans for 451 Research, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and has around 90 analysts and 15 consultants on its roster.
Gartner loses Peer Insights business executive Richard Cho
Gartner has parted company with Richard Cho, the executive who oversaw rapid expansion of its peer reviews division. Cho was responsible for the enormous expansion of Gartner Peer Insights.
Vendors are missing the mark when targeting enterprise buyers
New research published today by leading peer review site TrustRadius underlines how vendors are missing the mark when it comes to targeting enterprise buyers. There's more insight in our Playbook.
Predictions 2020: Enterprise peer reviews are the hottest new marketing tool
New research published today by leading peer review site TrustRadius underlines how vendors are missing the mark when it comes to targeting enterprise buyers. There's more insight in our Playbook.
Vendors are weaponizing enterprise peer review sites
Vendors are sharpening their sales tactics by weaponizing reviews: One of the most fascinating areas to emerge from our research into Enterprise Peer Reviews: A Playbook for Vendors.
Enterprise peer review site G2 now also an analyst firm
Peer review site G2 is enhancing its business offerings by extending its core research team to look much more like an industry analyst firm. Spearheaded by Chief Research Officer Michael Fauscette (ex-IDC), VP Applications Research Robert Mahowald (ex-451 and IDC) and VP Cloud and Technology Research Tom Pringle (ex-Ovum), the firm is adding new thought leaders and tools to its flagship customer review-based products. G2's Robert Mahowald [...]
Destrier launches Enterprise Peer Reviews: A Playbook for Vendors
New publication, Enterprise Peer Reviews: A Playbook for Vendors is the tech industry’s comprehensive guide to understanding and mastering enterprise peer reviews.
Destrier climbs to second spot in global AR industry rankings
Analysts have confirmed for a second year in a row that they prefer to work with top agencies like Destrier AR. As voted by industry analysts, Destrier moved up from third to joint second place in the IIAR’s 2019 AR Agency of the Year poll.
Analyst firm Crisp merges to focus on digitalization and cloud-based transformation
One of the few remaining independent analyst firms in Germany, Crisp Research, is to become part of Cloudflight, a new IT services provider focusing on digitalization and cloud-based transformation. Crisp and Austrian-headquartered custom software development firm Catalysts are merging in a deal announced earlier today – see investor announcement. The deal is subject to regulatory authority approval. The tie-up will give customers access to end-to-end advisory and systems integration from [...]
Gartner Peer Insights grows up, widens net
Changes announced today to Gartner Peer Insights methodology - effective January 31 - underline how the peer reviews site has grown up, and signal a new strategy from Gartner. But the changes also signal the start of a new crackdown on vendors, in particular to discourage - and possibly penalize - the cherrypicking of top references.
The beginning of the end for the Gartner Magic Quadrant?
Often copied, frequently challenged and sometimes derided, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant has long been king of the hill when it comes to major evaluations by industry analysts. Yet the landscape is changing, and analyst evaluations are slowly moving away from ranking vendors to focus more on markets themselves. Find out more.
CeBIT is dead – long live the Hanover Messe!
Its death was inevitable, and had been predicted by many, for years. But in the end, the tech trade show monster CeBIT just had to die. CeBIT peaked in the years 2000 and 2001. It pulled in some 830,000 visitors in 2001 – but then the dotcom bubble burst. 2002 was a depressing affair, with an air of desperation, despite a still-huge number of visitors: around 700,000. By comparison, [...]
Why you can’t afford to ignore peer review sites
Smart start-ups have discovered a fast track into coveted Gartner Magic Quadrant reports – leaving established, old enterprise players trailing. Across multiple markets, emerging vendors are leveraging a wave of peer reviews from customers to surf into leadership positions
Post-GDPR, the badge scanning game at trade shows must change
Time to rethink the badge scanning approach to collecting leads at trade shows. The Gartner Security & Risk Summit in London this week highlighted that the whole process of collecting leads by scanning badges at trade shows is badly broken.
Analysts name Destrier as top three global AR agency
Destrier AR has gone straight in to the global top three of Analyst Relations agencies, as ranked by the industry analysts themselves. The Analyst Relations Agency of the Year award, run by the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR), reflects analysts’ recognition of agencies that are the best to work with.
How to assess analyst influence on enterprise deals
Measuring direct analyst influence is a critical objective for Analyst Relations teams, with the sub-text being: “Can you justify all the time, effort and money we’re spending on talking to industry analysts, by proving that they really are linked to deals?”
Trio of analyst departures at Gartner underlines why backup strategy is so important
Gartner has been forced to delay a Magic Quadrant report for at least six months due to the mass departure of pivotal analysts covering the enterprise data center space.
Gartner steps on the gas as Peer Insights closes in on 100k reviews
Gartner is cranking up the focus on its Peer Insights program, adding new categories so that more vendors are eligible to “let the world know you are the Customers' Choice”. Webinars this week provided more information for AR professionals on Customers' Choice, which Gartner says is a great initiative to expand marketing collateral and “helps your prospects understand your own customers' experience”. Six new markets have been added to [...]
When will German tech companies wake up to AR?
Too many companies are still missing a trick or two when it comes to engaging in industry analyst relations in Germany - a major factor influencing technology customers’ buying decisions.
Destrier AR delivers a new focus on analyst relations
To kick off 2018, we’re introducing Destrier AR, a new dedicated practice focused on analyst relations, in response to growing vendor recognition of the influence wielded on deals by industry analysts.
The startling rise of “glamalyst” relations
It’s sometimes hugely tempting, but technology vendors should be cautious of 'glamalyst' relations, the growing trend of glamming up presentations submitted to analyst firms in the hope of simply dazzling their audience.
Why joint analyst briefings are a really bad idea (just ask Barney)
Q: What’s worse than making an announcement on a new “global strategic alliance”? A: Running a joint analyst briefing - where two companies get together to share their enthusiasm with hard-bitten industry analysts.
Stop complaining: Your angry tweets have become meaningless
Your angry tweets have become meaningless. There's an increasing tendency to immediately roast brands on social media, no matter how trivial your issue. Just stop it now.
Don’t blame the technology – a crisis management reminder
From a reputation management perspective, it’s time to take IT security seriously – before it puts you out of business: The implications of a WannaCry ransomware infection.
The price of losing your reputation? Ask United Airlines
In the end, the price for United Airlines of losing its reputation came down to the cost of four seats on a flight from Chicago to Louisville, KY – a round trip that usually costs less than $400 in coach. As you’ve probably already seen, as it’s all over the news and social media, the airline “solved” an overbooking problem by forcibly dragging a passenger out of their seat. [...]
What the *heck* did you just Tweet?
A guiding principle of credible communication – especially in crisis management – is to stay on message. This also applies on Twitter, as a German regional police force realized over the weekend.
The growing privacy problem and why it is a threat to your digital identity
“On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog”. This famous saying was coined in 1993 by cartoonist Peter Steiner, and published by The New Yorker. Over the years, this has come to refer to the fact that, thanks to the anonymity of the internet, both people and things are not necessarily who or what they claim to be. Fast forward 24 years and the issue of digital identity is [...]
Why the race to be first with the news can damage your reputation
The embarrassing volte face that Germany’s Spiegel Online needed to make this week underlines why for news outlets, the race to be first with the news can seriously damage your reputation.
Why social is a threat to DIY marketers
It has already turned journalism on its head, now social media is set to do the same to traditional marketing, writes Andrea Jones.
Five PR themes you’ll be sick of hearing about in 2017
Love them or loathe them, these five themes will dominate the news in 2017. Since they're guaranteed to get media pick-up, every PR person will be trying to find their own unique angle.
Was this just too Uber arrogant?
Ride-sharing firm Uber is edgy and disruptive, I get that. It’s part of the way that Uber positions itself to the market – it’s a hip service, not something stuffy and tired like a regular taxi. In fact, Uber goes to great lengths to underline that it’s not a taxi service.
Live from WebSummit: Destrier’s Simon Jones
Famously described as "Davos for geeks", tech conference WebSummit moved to Lisbon in 2016 - and attracted a huge crowd: More than 50,000 people from 150 countries. Destrier was part of the success, with Managing Partner Simon Jones taking to the stage on the AutoTech track to moderate a discussion on next-generation wearable technology with two industry pioneers: Corinne Vigreux, co-founder of TomTom and Mike Lee, co-founder of MyFitnessPal, now [...]
When storytelling doesn’t work
When storytelling goes wrong: German retailer Edeka faces claims that its TV ad for Christmas contains hidden neo-Nazi messages.
Professional AR services now available in mainland Europe as KCG and Destrier team up
Vendors are sharpening their sales tactics by weaponizing reviews: One of the most fascinating areas to emerge from our research into Enterprise Peer Reviews: A Playbook for Vendors.
The press conference has changed forever
The traditional press conference is dead. Long live the live blog-optimized press conference! Apple's iPhone 7 event was a masterclass in staging a live-blog optimized event.
Treat Brexit as crisis communications to protect your reputation
It’s important for organizations to treat Brexit as they would any other crisis management situation, where reputations are at stake. We’ve put together a 10-point guide to the communications minefield that lies ahead.
Storytelling: Findings from the Smart IoT show
"It's the way I tell 'em," legendary Irish comedian Frank Carson once said. It's good advice that some of the presenters on the Innovate Launchpad at the Smart IoT show in London this week should heed.
Issues management: Lessons from the UK Prime Minister
From an issues management perspective, embattled UK Prime Minister David Cameron did exactly the right thing by publishing his personal tax returns.
Crisis communication: How to clean up the mess
Eight steps to deal with your communications crisis: Follow this guide to start cleaning up the mess.
Crisis communication: The fire combustion triangle
Crisis communication: The fire combustion triangle. The day your internal issue breaks into the wild as a full blown crisis is certainly not the right time to try and formulate your “issues management strategy”.
