In a surprise shake-up for the sales and marketing consultancy and analytics space, Forrester announced yesterday that it would acquire Connecticut-based SiriusDecisions for an estimated $245 million.
Forrester is one of the leading global providers of research, analysis, and advice on technology impact on business. A publicly quoted company with almost 2,000 employees, it dwarves the much smaller Sirius, with around 150 employees. It also has a wider range of clients, from finance and retail to tech and government, and a broader focus on their business needs. Sirius, familiar to DMN readers, has focused on developing best practices for sales, marketing and customer success team, and is known for its trademarked Demand Waterfall template, a methodology for understanding and improving the path from lead to revenue.
Related: Fixing What’s Broken in Tech for B2B
In a press release, George F. Colony, Forrester’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Empowered customers and the disruptive power of technology are forcing business and technology leaders to take decisive action and make deep-rooted changes while delivering quarterly results. The combined value of Forrester’s strategic and SiriusDecisions’ operational capabilities will help our clients change and grow in tumultuous times.” The deal seems likely also to increase Sirius’ global reach.
Scott Albro, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based analyst firm Topo told us: “Forrester’s acquisition of SiriusDecisions represents the continuing consolidation of the research and advisory market. Deals like this one are evidence that established companies like Gartner and Forrester will invest in firms that offer new products that can be sold into their large, existing customer base.”
I put some questions about the news to Forrester. CMO Victor Milligan, responded.
Q: Will Sirius maintain an independent brand identity within Forrester, or should we expect to see it blended in; so that, for example, the SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall would become the Forrester Demand Waterfall?
A: SiriusDecisions is a great brand. Not only do we plan to maintain SiriusDecisions’ products and brand equity – but also “The Sirius Way” as an operational force for CMOs, CIOs, product and business leaders.
Q: Because there’s some commonality in what SiriusDecisions and Forrester have been offering, what does SiriusDecisions enable Forrester to offer clients that’s new or just better than before?
A: SiriusDecisions enables us to have a deeper operational understanding, which ultimately allows strategic advice to be more operationally tuned. We also intend to bring operational frameworks to CIOs and their teams with the acquisition, as we expect CIOs will play larger and more strategic roles at their organizations moving forward.
Q: Is it anticipated that SiriusDecisions’ offerings and services will be extended to verticals beyond sales and marketing?
A: Yes. Both Forrester and SiriusDecisions already thrive in similar verticals like financial services and additive manufacturing. Other industries such as retail, healthcare, energy and utilities will be natural areas of expansion.
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That’s Forrester, how about Gartner? That other global research and advisory firm yesterday revealed highlights from its 2018 Marketing Technology survey, exploring how leading marketers are spending their money on essential solutions. and/or shiny new toys. In fact, the survey response is positive, with 70 percent of marketers saying their tech stack is effective in helping them achieve their business goals. Here are some other pickings:
- The use of personalization platforms increased 28 percent in the last two years
- Marketers’ adoption of Demand Side Platforms roughly doubled in the same period
- There has also been increased adoption of verification services to ensure ads are visible and running in brand-safe environments.
Do you agree that marketers are investing more aggressively in technology today that two or three years ago? Let us know in the comments below.
