The Sounding Board

Selling the Sizzle, Not the Steak

(Photo credit: SEVC)

I just got back from two days at the Southeast Venture Conference (SEVC), held in Northern Virginia this year. Forty companies presented, and were rounded out by a slew of technology visionaries that provided an extra perspective to the industry.

Keynote speakers included John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and PepsiCo and now a self described “under the radar” investor, Jim Steele, chief customer officer of Salesforce.com, and Frank Bonsal, founding partner of venture capital giant NEA, based in Baltimore.

The key themes prevalent in the keynotes, the panels, and from the entrepreneur presentations were SaaS (software-as-a-service), social media platforms, and the next generation of mobile solutions. For any companies offering proprietary software solutions, you were in the wrong place!

John Sculley was the most inspiring for me of the keynotes, in his ability to relate entrepreneurial spirit with leadership and vision. He tells the story of Steve Jobs’ question to Sculley when he was first recruited to Apple from PepsiCo in 1983: "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

We all know where that one decision has taken the industry (full disclosure: I worked at Apple when Sculley sat at the helm and SpeakerBox is a Mac shop, so we’re a little biased).

Sculley talked about the need for genius in our industry, which he described as being able to see what will become obvious 20 years ahead of its time. When Sculley left Apple, Apple was the largest producer of PCs in the world. He remarked about the impact the Steve Jobs of the world have, and the responsibility to push forward with what might seem incredulous at the time, and make it omnipresent.

Fast forward to 2008 and the SEVC: the companies presenting focused on on-demand solutions, mobility solutions for kids (who of course, do not read newspapers nor consider loading “software” onto a PC), ad-supported portals and aggregators, and video solutions of many varieties.

The companies I saw that were most intriguing that I imagine we’ll continue to hear much more about are (note, the presentations were concurrent with others, so unless you could be two places at one time, you missed half of the companies):

Catalyst Web Services: focusing on small and medium business, provides on-demand office applications at a subscription rate. Delivers the applications that SMBs need most: email, collaboration, etc. A brand new company based here in the DC area, CatalystWeb was a friend at the recent DEMO 08 conference in Palm Desert, CA. Nice presentation Bob!

Camero: building a first-responder “Through Wall Vision” technology that is capital-requirement heavy, but obviously an innovative solution for military, law enforcement and first-responder teams.

clearTXT: Doug Kaufman, CEO of clearTXT, gave what I considered the most clever presentation of a social messaging and mobile marketing solution, as a first-time entrepreneur. He was a great example of what these venture capital functions should be all about: selling the sizzle with the steak! Wonder if he has a PR firm? By the way, he hails from local technology success Blackboard.com.

kajeet: Another company targeting tweens, kajeet takes advantage of a pay-as-you-go model for kids who want to use their cell phones for mobile entertainment, communications, and internet access. Touting facts such as 45 percent of kids aged 10-13 carry their own cells, kajeet is already well on its way to capturing this market. Very cool. Note: they’ve thought of everything and of course, parental controls abound.

Parature: Great delivery on the business proposition, great business model, well defined niche, and as evidenced by their already award-winning status, bound to be one to (continue) to watch. Consistent with other SaaS presentations, the revenue model is enviable, and retention rates admirable.

Ruckus Network: focusing on the niche of college students, is driven to become the de facto standard in delivering free digital music, legally, to the university masses. Ruckus was one of the several companies targeting the fastest growing digital segment to leverage: those under 20 years old.

Yap: cooler than cool, this company lets you speak into your phone and have it converted to text and sent on its way. Based in Charlotte, N.C., Yap picks up where text messaging leaves off, with a mission to be the next generation of “click to talk” solutions. I loved that the CEO demo’d the product live for us, which not many other companies did. And just to show a little extra panache, commanded the phone to translate into Spanish. I may keep my Rosetta Stone / Spanish in its box for now…

Final note:

Notably absent from the presenting companies: women! Now that could spark a whole discussion alone. I’m not one to place gender into the mix with technology, since I think this industry is often friendlier to women than other industries. But where have all the women gone?

- Elizabeth Shea

Press Releases Don'ts, Part Deux

As a follow up to my recent entry on buzzword-heavy press releases, I bring you a list (compiled by The PR Lawyer) on words and phrases that should NOT be included in any corporate content. According to The PR Lawyer, "these words lessen the credibility of what you have to say." What words / phrases made it on The PR Lawyer's list?

* Always
* Best
* Best-of-breed
* Biggest
* Boasts
* Breakthrough
* Cutting-edge
* First
* Flexible
* Never
* Next generation
* Only
* Out-of-the-box
* Perfect storm
* Revolutionary
* Robust
* State-of-the-art
* Unique
* User friendly
* World class

- Stephanie Stadler

One, two, three, four: Meaningful Business Press that is a Score

(Photo credit: HOW)

My client Arlington Economic Development never seems at a loss for securing business feature stories within its local target media outlets: The Post, the Business Journal, the DC Examiner and WTOP. Yet for other companies with a seemingly strong story to tell, business press often eludes them. What’s the secret? In my experience with securing feature business press, three common denominators always seem to have a presence:

1 – Customized Storytelling. No self-respecting business journalist will bother spending precious energy and time telling a story her competitor also has her hands on. If your story is worthy of home-page placement, it’s worth your time in crafting. Collaborate with journalists in story creation. By suggesting a customized story (rather than dumping resources in rounds of press release revisions and approvals) business reporters are much more likely to consider your story suggestion a diamond in the rough, and jump on telling it with more gusto than you could imagine.

2 – Relationships. It can takes years of cultivating relationships with business editors and reporters before you land your ideal business story. The algebra of business media relationships might be “story idea = coffee2 x by birthday greetings / reliable source”, but the only reliable equation is based on your relationship with the journalist. The credible business reporters you target should hear from you year-round… not only when you want something from them. You know you’ve hit the jackpot when they proactively contact you...not only for story assistance but to check in on your life as well.

3 – Relationships. This is not a mistake. I mention relationships twice because they are worth their weight in gold. Business journalists tend to play favorites with sources who are willing to help out with stories in which they may or may not be attributed. Asked for a source, and know a partner company who would be perfect (although your product manager is not?) Make an introduction and offer them up. The business reporter will remember your obviously, non-endorsing efforts, and will listen to your story idea at a later time. (You’ll win points with your partner, too.)

4 – Smart Timing. Speaking of timing, some of it is luck, but most of it is a science based on understanding (and meeting) deadlines and tying your story to a larger news trend. One trick that often works wonders with the business press: holding your launch date or announcement specifically for that cover story, so that your media friend’s article can be the first – as well as the best – piece of press your story receives. Don’t be shy about demonstrating flexibility and collaborating with the editor to identify a date that works for the medium. To land that perfect business story, it’s worth it.

- Julie Buckley

JBoss World Orlando 2008

(Photo Credit: Red Hat)

Last week, John Terrill and I got a short reprieve from February weather in DC when we headed to Orlando for JBoss World 2008 on behalf of long-time SpeakerBox client Red Hat. This year's JBoss World was a huge success, and we are proud to have been part of the effort. We were busy with the on-site action, so didn't spend any time exploring Orlando's famous theme parks (although we both had fun at the JBoss World party at Pleasure Island on Thursday night. To our fellow Adventurer's Club members: Kungaloosh!).

If you are interested, check out the keynote videos from the conference now live at www.jbossworld.com, or check out the photos people have been posting from the event.

Congratulations to Red Hat on a great user conference!

- Stephanie Stadler

Glass Half Empty, or Half Full?

Today’s Washington Post business article, The AOL Exodus Effect (registration required), discusses the region’s (dis)ability to host technology and telecom giants, and to effectively recruit talent and innovators from other branded tech regions like Silicon Valley and Boston.

It is a sad realization that the companies that helped put the DC-metro area on the technology map are packing up and leaving– such names as AOL, Sprint and MCI, to name a few.

The article paints a grim picture: a parking lot vacant at AOL headquarters by the close of business, startups that spun off from AOL that haven’t made it to prime time, and industry leaders migrating to more lucrative regions for their technology startups.

But yet, when I look at our clients, and see how they are selling their enterprise products on a global scale, startups and otherwise, it continues to keep that glass on the full side! I met with several industry leaders a couple of weeks ago, to talk about how to continue the vibrancy this region is capable of producing. It is all of our responsibility to continue to see the potential, and beat the drum for the tech corridor in this region.

We’re seeing progressive consumer, DC-based startups that leverage Web 2.0 (including social networking and mashups), gaming, mobile apps, and more - and we're also witnessing the reemergence of investors that fund the big ideas.

And we can’t forget the many best and brightest enterprise solutions that are based here, that help the “cool” companies meet their "always on" quest. We still have strong telecom infrastructure and content providers, and host satellite behemoths, including Reston-based ICO Global Communications , XM Satellite Radio, and many others that are bringing mobile solutions to the masses.

Yes, many are not at the level of AOL in being a household name—yet. But they are no less important to the vibrancy of this region.

Please join me in celebrating a glass half full!

- Elizabeth Shea

Meet the Influencers - Edward Correia, Software Test & Performance

Below is the second installment of our new Meet the Influencers feature here on The Sounding Board Blog. We'll continue to post interviews with industry influencers every few weeks, so keep checking back, and if you have a question you'd like answered or influencer you'd like insight on, please let us know. Today’s influencer Q&A is with Edward Correia, Editor of Software Test & Performance.
–Ali Smith

Software Test & Performance caters to a very specific audience. What’s your background? Are you a technical guy who fell into journalism or vice versa? Or both?
Here’s the short version of my background, which is from technical roots. I began as a clerk in a computer store, gradually gaining computer training until I was able to get hired as a technical support person. My first job in publishing was at CMP in 1990, where I ascended the ranks to become a business analyst, counseling editors on their needs for hardware and software technology. Toward the end of my IT days, I was overseeing company-wide custom software development projects such as its editorial repository and wire service and data collection automation projects.

I soon realized that there were similarities between my analyst job and that of a product reviewer. So I tapped into my relationships with editors and got freelance writing engagements. After doing those for two years, I landed a full time job as associate editor of the CRN Test Center. Five years there led to a news editor job at BZ Media, and eventually editor of ST&P.

Looking at ST&P’s Web site, it seems that the focus is still on the print version of the publication. Do you see this changing, or are your readers loyal to the print edition?
We have been working on a new Web site and expect it to go live in April. We will still focus on print, but hope the new Web site will attract more eyeballs by offering useful content.

As more microsites emerge targeting niche audiences with real-time news, how do you differentiate ST&P’s editorial content to maintain reader loyalty? Is the role of highly targeted publications like ST&P changing because of these sites?
I don’t know which “microsites” you’re referring to (I know of none that offers news for testers), but as a monthly, we compete in a totally different way. We offer knowledge that software testers need to do their jobs. We believe that our articles are better and more useful than those of our competitors. In my opinion, that’s the best way to compete and differentiate.

You also chair the Software Test & Performance Conference. What’s the balance of editorial vs. conference content in your average day?
Conference work is “bursty.” By that, I mean that when we’re planning a conference, its tasks are the dominant focus in a given day or week. But once the majority of work is done (speakers and talks selected, printed materials completed), then updates and maintenance to time slots, speaker questions, etc., occupy perhaps one or two hours a week until the conference is over.

Mobile Outlook 2008: Open Mobile, Digital Video and Other Potential Trends

Yesterday, AOL announced its AOL Open Mobile Platform, which it plans to make available to developers this summer. AOL says that the new open platform “will help stimulate innovation by providing developers with ready access to the tools and source code they need to build and distribute applications across all major mobile device platforms and operating systems including BREW, Java, Linux, RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.” Very interesting news.

It also reminded me that only a few days before, industry executives at the Potomac Tech Wire Breakfast Round Table “Mobile Outlook 2008: What's Next in Wireless?” were claiming that “open mobile” was one of the hottest trends for the industry this year. A couple of SpeakerBoxers attended this event, and some of the other highlights shared included:

• Hot trends for 2008? Multiple panelists cited mobile advertising and content development, as well as hardware manufacturers evolving into new roles within the industry (see Nokia’s 2007 acquisition of NAVTEQ as prime example )
• The other hotly debated topic? Mobile video. Panelists disagreed on the viability of the market, as well as the type of content and age ranges of targeted consumers. Tom Wheeler from Core Capital Partners might have had the last word by stating “Those denying mobile video are denying history.”

The first strategic, innovative and integrated blog entry

Oh business buzzwords, how I love (loathe?) thee. By now I'm sure you've all seen IBM's Buzzword Bingo commercials:


When I read this entry on the Wall Street Journal's Business Technology Blog calling out this Oracle press release, memories of the Buzzword Bingo commercial (and pictures of this very press release as that ad's technical relative) instantly came to mind. The Business Technology Blog accurately describes the release as a "string of bewildering tech terms and vague verbiage. It refers to whatever it is the company is selling as an “offering” in each of the first three sentences. Is that software, hardware or something you sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl?

"The release explains that this offering is an “integrated solution” that “enables communications service providers to manage growing IP service complexity, scale operations efficiently and facilitate ongoing network change.”

The Business Technology Blog left little room for misinterpretation of its opinion of the release:

"The Business Technology Blog hates this kind of gibberish. Technology that businesses use is marginalized enough without buzz terms that humans can’t understand. We believe that one reason few business people care about information technology is that talking to a techie requires mastering a whole new language."

I've seen some comments defending Oracle's tech buzzword-heavy release, arguing the announcement targets a tech audience, not the Wall Street Journal. I disagree. As a public company serving both business and technology audiences, Oracle has a responsibility to communicate in a way that reaches all of these audiences.

There are takeaways for all tech companies and communicators in Oracle's gaffe:
* In an age of always-on media consumption, participatory journalism and search-dominated Internet browsing, companies can no longer presume that technical press releases will not be read by business audiences and vice versa. Write press releases in a manner that makes them easy to read for all of these audiences.
* Well-written press releases are clear, concise and quickly get to the heart of the "news" in plain language.
* Don't rely on buzzwords (either business or technical) to describe the value of your announcement. If the value of the announcement can't stand on its own without the buzzwords and self-described adjectives, do you really have news worthy of an announcement in the first place?
* Press releases aren't always the best answer! If the news isn't digestible by the masses, think about other forums for its distribution. Here, Oracle could have released an announcement that got to the heart of the news without the buzzwords and pointed its technical audiences to a supplemental blog or white paper for additional information specific to those communities.

- Stephanie Stadler

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

(Photo Credit: Amazon.com)

If Jen can insert a not-so-subtle Bob Dylan plug, I can certainly get away with a David Bowie reference to let you know about changes to the SpeakerBox blogs.

Moving forward, Plugged-In will be the home to SpeakerBox news. Want to keep up to date on SpeakerBox client projects, staff news, our latest Iron Chef battles and other goings-ons from inside SBX? This is the place for you. We'll be using The Sounding Board as our, well, sounding board on industry issues that strike our fancy. Everything's fair game, from public relations, social media and marketing to the media industry, technology, general business and everything in between.

Stay posted to both, because we've got some big plans for 2008. And, as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to let us know.

-Stephanie Stadler

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

If Jen can insert a not-so-subtle Bob Dylan plug, I can certainly get away with a David Bowie reference to let you know about changes to the SpeakerBox blogs.

Moving forward, Plugged-In will be the home to SpeakerBox news. Want to keep up to date on SpeakerBox client projects, staff news, our latest Iron Chef battles and other goings-ons from inside SBX? This is the place for you. We'll be using The Sounding Board as our, well, sounding board on industry issues that strike our fancy. Everything's fair game, from public relations, social media and marketing to the media industry, technology, general business and everything in between.

Stay posted to both, because we've got some big plans for 2008. And, as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to let us know.

-Stephanie Stadler

Back from DEMO...

Last week we had the pleasure of attending the DEMO 08 show with our client StackSafe in support of their landmark launch, StackSafe Test Center.

It is always exhilarating to see new ideas, technologies and business models launched to the world for the very first time. The veteran technology reporters worked side-by-side with technologists, analysts, bloggers, and VCs to get under the hood with the solutions presented at the show.

The combination of traditional media relations tactics (embargoed pre-briefs) and real-time outreach to bloggers and on-site media garnered StackSafe incredible coverage and validated how the company is filling a key business need: downtime in IT departments.

After delivering their 6 minute demo onstage, begrudging the best practice of “patch and pray” in typical IT environments, the chatter and buzz that erupted was instantaneous. StackSafe's president and CEO Loren Burnett and Jonah Paransky , VP of Marketing and Product Development, became the “patch and pray” guys moving in the same circles as the atlaspost’s dinosaurs on Google Earth and a smart computer-enabled “pen” that can record annotations and sound when writing with the Pulse Smartpen.

This variety of technology speaks to the uniqueness of DEMO. The show is tightly run under the watchful eye of Chris Shipley. The buzz and secrecy around the nearly 80 demonstrators prior to the show leads into an intense 48 hours of on-stage demonstrations and exhibit hall mingling. By the end of the show you no longer feel like you’re at a trade show, but rather part of some big corporate retreat for entrepreneurs.

StackSafe had a smart showing among a distinguished crowd of innovators and we are proud to represent a new product that will change the way IT operations teams will work in the future.

Congratulations StackSafe: here’s to a great launch!

- Elizabeth Shea and Piper Conrad