# Starsight | Analyst Relations Agency for B2B technology companies > Starsight is a specialist analyst relations agency helping B2B technology companies engage industry analysts including Gartner, Forrester and IDC. Starsight works with start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise technology vendors on analyst strategy, positioning, briefings, research evaluations, insights and go-to-market influence. > Use the pages and articles below for information about analyst relations best practices, analyst firms, vendor evaluations, analyst engagement and the role of industry analysts in B2B technology buying. Starsight Transmissions contains practical guidance and commentary based on Starsight's analyst relations experience. ## home - [Clarifiez le positionnement de vos startups pour multiplier leur valorisation](https://www.starsight.biz/clarifiez-le-positionnement-de-vos-startups-pour-multiplier-leur-valorisation/): 🎯 Le vrai frein Ă  la valorisation des startups tech ? Un positionnement flou – Participez Ă  notre webinaire exclusif.... - [WĂ©binaire faites des analystes vos meilleurs alliĂ©s](https://www.starsight.biz/webinaire-faite-des-analystes-vos-meilleures-allies/): 🚀 Comment faire parler les analystes de vous (en bien) – Participez Ă  notre wÉbinaire exclusif. Avec le tĂ©moignage de... - [Analyst Relations Glossary.](https://www.starsight.biz/analyst-relations-glossary/): Search the AR glossary. Adviser (Advisor) / Sourcing Adviser – Individual or firm providing technology advice. Often including advice on... - [Why Analyst Relations?](https://www.starsight.biz/whyanalystrelations/): Who are industry analysts? Technology industry analysts are a group of IT experts and market influencers that have the potential... - [Analyst & Influencers Relations Agency](https://www.starsight.biz/): Starsight Communications is a B2B influencer and analyst relations agency. Offering services to tackle EMEA AR with firms like Gartner,... - [Starsight Transmissions | Analyst relations Blog.](https://www.starsight.biz/blog/): Starsight Transmissions, the analyst & influencer relations (AR) blog from Starsight Communications. Covers all AR things including Gartner, Forrester, IDC,... - [Contact Us | Get in Touch!](https://www.starsight.biz/contact/): Contact Starsight Communications to weaponise analyst relations and gain an unfair competitive advantage - [Analyst relations for startups and scaleups tech firms](https://www.starsight.biz/services/): Starsight Communications supports startups to get on the radar of industry analysts, helps analyst relations teams to benchmark themselves and... - [Analyst Relations Experts | Crew](https://www.starsight.biz/starsighters-analyst-relations-experts/): Starsight has an unmatched track record in the industry, with over 25 years of in-house experience and the only agency... ## Posts - [What is the future of analyst research in the age of AI & GEO authority?](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/09/30/what-is-the-future-of-analyst-research-in-the-age-of-ai-geo-authority/): AI will create more analysts and more firms, but not more influence. As research becomes cheaper to produce and easier... - [Why is your content failing? And how B2B tech industry analysts can help.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/08/27/why-is-your-content-failing-and-how-b2b-tech-industry-analysts-can-help/): Buyers are surrounded by vendor blogs, webinars and AI-generated thought leadership, but more, more, more is not a content strategy.... - [Analyst relations: the discipline investors now mandate for their B2B tech startups portfolio.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/07/28/analyst-relations-the-discipline-investors-now-mandate-for-their-b2b-tech-startups-portfolio/): Investors are increasingly pushing B2B technology start-ups towards analyst relations but pressure to act can lead to poor decisions. rue... - [The new analyst relations frontier: AI authority.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/06/30/the-new-analyst-relations-frontier-ai-authority/): Old fashioned AR looked at how analysts exerted a direct sales influence by advising buyers. In the brave new world... - [5 Problems start-ups face when they start briefing industry analysts.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/05/29/5-problems-start-ups-face-when-they-start-briefing-industry-analysts/): We see start-ups making the same mistakes over and over again. They brief an analyst, it doesn't go how they... - [Why the Gartner Hype Cycle Matters for start-up CEOs.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/04/30/why-the-gartner-hype-cycle-matters-for-start-up-ceos/): The Gartner Hype Cycle helps B2B tech vendors understand whether a market is emerging, overhyped or becoming commercially real. Most... - [The 7 channels of open source analyst influence.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/03/31/the-7-channels-of-open-source-analyst-influence/): Much analyst influence cannot be measured. Traditional metrics, such as subscriber counts, underestimate the impact of open, publicly accessible analyst... - [The fatal analyst relations mistake startups make.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/02/26/the-fatal-analyst-relations-mistake-startups-make/): In analyst relations, sudden silence reads as death. If you brief once and then disappear for years, analysts assume you... - [The real reason US tech start-ups win shortlists before European ones.](https://www.starsight.biz/2026/01/30/the-real-reason-us-tech-start-ups-win-shortlists-before-european-ones/): Our European B2B tech start-up clients are always facing the same challenge: how do I stand out in a crowded... - [What are the 8 ways to use analyst mentions to influence buyers?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/12/19/what-are-the-8-ways-to-use-analyst-mentions-to-influence-buyers/): When an analyst names your company in a piece of research, don't let that opportunity go to waste. Start activating... - [Starsight awarded IIAR> AR Agency of the Year, EMEA 2025.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/12/12/starsight-awarded-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-emea-2025/): Analysts have once again voted Starsight as the IIAR> AR Agency of the Year, EMEA 2025 –and we couldn’t be... - [Industry analysts and the channel, a match made in tech heaven?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/11/27/industry-analysts-and-the-channel-a-match-made-in-tech-heaven/): Analysts are trusted voices in the tech industry, and their influence extends across the channel ecosystem. Read the 4 ways... - [What is The Role of industry Analysts in an AI-Driven Market?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/10/30/what-is-the-role-of-industry-analysts-in-an-ai-driven-market/): Analysts built their careers on knowing what others didn’t. Now, AI knows everything –maybe? But while AI can process information,... - [What does it take to get into the Gartner Magic Quadrant?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/09/25/what-does-it-take-to-get-into-the-gartner-magic-quadrant/): The Gartner Magic Quadrant is the global stage for technology vendors. Being named in an MQ signals product maturity, customer... - [The top industry analyst events vendors should invest in.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/08/28/the-top-industry-analyst-events-vendors-should-invest-in/): Industry analysts firms host events throughout the year to attract technology vendors and buyers alike. Read all about those industry... - [7 ways AR can boost your analyst firm event ROI.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/07/31/7-ways-ar-can-boost-your-analyst-firm-event-roi/): Analyst events provide valuable insights and influence; effective engagement requires strategic planning, early scheduling, and relationship building. - [The IDC MarketScape: Everything you need to know.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/06/30/the-idc-marketscape-everything-you-need-to-know/): The IDC MarketScape is often underestimated and ignored -that is a mistake. This blog post outlines 5 mistakes vendors make... - [The ultimate guide to an effective analyst advisory session.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/05/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-an-effective-analyst-advisory-session/): Ever been on an analyst advisory session or workshop that lead nowhere? Here’s how to prep, run and follow up... - [De-risking in a downturn: Why AR is a 100x ROI tactic?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/04/30/de-risking-in-a-downturn-why-ar-is-a-100x-roi-tactic/): Tech buyers want stability, analysts help them find it. During a downturn it's more important than ever to over-index on... - [How will a mature AR programme supercharge your business?](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/03/31/how-will-a-mature-ar-programme-supercharge-your-business/): The gap between the most and least mature AR programmes is vast. Starsight is piloting an analyst relations maturity assessment... - [How to surf the Forrester Wave.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/02/27/how-to-surf-the-forrester-wave/): Gartner’s Magic Quadrant isn’t the only landmark vendor evaluation among the FIGs. IDC has a MarketScape and Forrester has a... - [Should analyst relations always be in-house? A guide to hiring an AR agency.](https://www.starsight.biz/2025/01/30/should-analyst-relations-always-be-in-house/): When companies realise they need an analyst relations strategy to compete, they start to look for the right talent. Do... - [How to use analyst predictions to drive business in 2025?](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/12/20/how-to-use-analyst-predictions-to-drive-business-in-2025/): Industry analysts are the market pulse with a 360 view of the market. That's why analyst predictions can provide the... - [Starsight voted #1 IIAR> AR Agency of the Year, EMEA 2024.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/11/28/starsight-voted-1-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-emea-2024/): We are proud to have maintained our #1 AR Agency spot in EMEA for the fourth time, from the EMEA... - [Analyst relations 101: don't tier industry analysts with prejudice.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/10/31/dont-tier-industry-analysts-with-prejudice/): When you tier industry analysts, look beyond the FIGs and understand the true world of analyst influence to help balance... - [Is there magic beyond the quadrant? The top 15 alternative methodologies to the Gartner Magic Quadrant.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/09/30/is-there-magic-beyond-the-quadrant-the-top-alternative-methodologies-to-the-gartner-magic-quadrant/): What are the alternatives to the Gartner Magic Quadrant? Read Starsight's list of evaluative methodologies for B2B tech vendors and... - [Analyst Relations 101: Analysts are VIPs - Very Influential Persons.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/08/29/analysts-are-vips-very-influential-persons/): Industry analysts provide critical insights from interactions with tech buyers & vendors. So treat those analysts like the very influential... - [5 benefits and challenges for vendors participating in Gartner's Emerging Market Quadrant.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/07/30/5-benefits-and-challenges-for-vendors-participating-in-gartners-emerging-market-quadrant/): Gartner's got a new methodology - the Emerging Market Quadrant. But is it worth participating for your org? Read our... - [Are your marketing metrics losing you sales?](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/05/30/are-your-marketing-metrics-losing-you-sales/): Misattribution in marketing metrics can be a disaster. Analyst relations is about more than measurement and offers big bang for... - [Analyst Relations 101: How DO analysts impact sales processES?](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/05/01/the-death-of-the-sales-funnel/): The AIDA sales funnel is dead and it's been replaced by a B2B sales spaghetti monster. It's undeniable that analysts... - [Are you in shape for 2024? Check our 4 steps for your analyst relations plan.](https://www.starsight.biz/2024/01/25/are-you-in-shape-for-2024-check-our-4-steps-for-your-analyst-relations-plan/): Your analyst relations plan should be an iterative process, not a one & done activity. Follow these 4 steps, update... - [Starsight voted #1 analyst relations agency in EMEA for 2023.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/12/19/starsight-voted-1-analyst-relations-agency-in-emea-for-2023/): In the annual IIAR> awards, team Starsight was voted the top analyst relations agency in EMEA for 2023 by industry... - [The 7 wonders of outsourced analyst relations.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/11/30/the-7-wonders-of-outsourced-analyst-relations/): Outsourced analyst relations without planning can lead to disaster. Read this blog to understand common pitfalls and the 7 wonders... - [Analyst relations 101: 5 things you should do before speaking with industry analysts.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/10/26/do-these-5-things-before-speaking-with-industry-analysts/): Industry analysts are a demanding audience like no other. Check out analyst briefing advice here from Starsight, the Analyst Relations... - [5 ways analysts can improve your tech company pov.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/09/29/5-ways-tech-vendors-can-leverage-industry-analysts-to-shape-and-refine-their-thought-leadership-content/): 5 ways analysts can help technology vendors improve their thought leadership and content marketing with an original company POV, thanks... - [Advice for your first analyst briefing, from the analysts themselves.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/08/10/top-briefing-tips-from-analysts/): You only get one shot at your first analyst briefing, so make it count. We asked analysts for their advice... - [Are industry analysts still the top tech influencers?](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/07/06/are-analysts-still-the-top-tech-influencers/): There has never been more general interest in technology than today. Analysts can help as the top tech influencers to... - [100 industry analyst firms to know in 2026 for alternatives to Gartner, Forrester and IDC.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/06/01/who-are-the-top-100-industry-analyst-firms-for-b2b-tech-influence/): There are over 100 industry analyst firms of market importance. Read this blog to understand who the key market players... - [The FIGs: Who are the 3 biggest analyst firms?](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/04/20/the-figs-who-are-the-biggest-analyst-firms/): FIG, Starsight's acronym for Forrester, IDC and Gartner, are the biggest analyst firms in reverse order. Check who they are,... - [How can you tell your analyst relations has reached cruising altitude?](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/03/09/how-can-you-tell-your-analyst-relations-has-reached-cruising-altitude/): When you have been engaging analysts for a while, you might notice a change. Analyst relations pros will see a... - [The rise of B2B peer review sites.](https://www.starsight.biz/2023/02/06/the-rise-of-b2b-peer-review-sites/): Download our eBook on B2B peer review sites to learn how to manage your reputation and leverage social proof to... - [Starsight voted #2 IIAR> top AR agency of The Year 2022 by industry analysts, the only European agency on the podium.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/12/15/starsight-voted-2-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-2022-by-industry-analysts-the-only-european-agency-on-the-podium/): As the only European analyst relations agency on the podium, we are once again leading the field on our side... - [4 ways to make your analyst relations strategy drive value in 2023.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/11/15/four-ways-to-make-your-analyst-relations-strategy-deliver-value-in-2023/): Learn how a stellar analyst relations strategy can boost your business and improve your company strategy in 2023 by engaging... - [Gear up for 2023 with analyst predictions.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/09/29/gear-up-for-2023-with-analyst-predictions/): Each year, analyst predictions events are held in the tech industry. How can these help you plan for business success?... - [Analyst relations 101: how much do I need to pay to be in a Gartner Magic Quadrant? And 4 other analyst relations myths.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/05/09/how-much-do-i-need-to-pay-to-be-in-a-gartner-magic-quadrant-and-4-other-analyst-relations-myths/): Debunking AR industry myths, like paying for MQ inclusion works and everyone should want to be in a Gartner Magic... - [3 ways to use inquiries as your secret competitive weapon.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/02/24/3-ways-to-use-inquiries-as-your-secret-competitive-weapon/): Three examples of ways you can leverage analyst inquiries for ROI on your analyst firm research contracts and to get... - [magic numbers: the hidden impact of market shares and forecasts.](https://www.starsight.biz/2022/01/20/magic-numbers-the-hidden-impact-of-market-shares-and-forecasts/): We explain how technology vendors can make magic with market shares and forecast reports. With input from analysts at IDC,... - [Starsight voted a top AR agency by analysts in 2021 IIAR> Awards.](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/12/03/starsight-communications-is-recognised-as-an-industry-leader-in-iiar-awards-2021/): Starsight Communications was voted as the #2 analyst relations agency by industry analysts in the IIAR> awards 2021. Read all... - [The powers and limitations of market share methodology.](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/11/18/the-powers-and-limitations-of-market-share-methodology/): Technology vendors, start-ups and scaleups all can weaponise market shares. Here’s what you must understand about this key analyst methodology. - [how to move the dot in the Gartner Magic Quadrant?](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/10/28/gartners-magic-quadrant-tips-for-success/): Prepare to compete at Olympic-level in your next Gartner Magic Quadrant with tips for success from our partner, Nigel Montgomery. - [How are your analyst research subscriptions like a gym membership?](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/10/14/how-are-your-analyst-research-subscriptions-like-a-gym-membership/): Starsight's 5 drills for industry analyst research subscriptions shows they are like a gym membership. Both are use it or... - [To swag or not to swag? How giveaways can support your analyst relations strategy.](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/09/23/to-swag-or-not-to-swag/): A Starsight survey of analysts and AR pros gave us valuable insights on industry best practices when it comes to... - [What are the 4 business impacts of analyst relations?](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/09/02/what-are-the-4-business-impacts-of-analyst-relations/): Understand the benefits of an analyst relations program beyond inclusion in a report. Read our blog to understand the 4... - [10 truths on Analyst Relations for tech startups.](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/07/21/10-truths-on-analyst-relations-for-tech-startups/): AR does not have to be a “blue-chip vendor only” advantage. Tech startups, can, and should, implement AR programme as... - [The 5 differences between Analyst Relations and PR –and why you should run them separately.](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/06/28/the-5-differences-between-ar-and-pr-and-why-you-should-run-them-separately/): PR comes out best managing a crisis whilst AR is best at enabling you to lead a category. Differences: targets,... - [Hello world, We are Starsight!](https://www.starsight.biz/2021/05/26/hello-world/): Starsight Communications is a new analyst & influencer relations agency, supporting vendors to build relationships with firms and deliver AR... # # Detailed Content ## home - Published: 2025-10-21 - Modified: 2025-10-21 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/clarifiez-le-positionnement-de-vos-startups-pour-multiplier-leur-valorisation/ Le vrai frein Ă  la valorisation des startups tech ? Un positionnement flou – Participez Ă  notre webinaire exclusif. Les startups B2B post-SĂ©rie A sont souvent techniquement brillantes... Mais beaucoup peinent Ă  articuler la valeur qu’elles dĂ©livrent, Ă  clarifier leur diffĂ©renciateur, ou Ă  se positionner clairement sur leur marchĂ©. ConsĂ©quence : elles restent invisibles pour les prospects, les partenaires, les analystes et avec une visibilitĂ© limitĂ©e, un time-to-market ralenti, et des valorisations infĂ©rieures Ă  leur potentiel rĂ©el. Les relations avec les analystes IT comme Gartner, Forrester, IDC sont aujourd’hui un accĂ©lĂ©rateur financier stratĂ©gique pour corriger cela. Valider le positionnement marchĂ© d’une startup dĂšs la SĂ©rie A. CrĂ©dibiliser sa diffĂ©renciation auprĂšs des dĂ©cideurs. RĂ©duire les risques perçus en due diligence. Booster la valorisation lors des levĂ©es ou des exits. En 30 minutes, HervĂ© DhĂ©lin et Olivier GuĂ©rin, de Starsight, agence EuropĂ©enne de relation analyste, partageront des cas concrets montrant comment un positionnement clarifiĂ© et validĂ© par les analystes accĂ©lĂšre directement la valeur d’un portefeuille d’investissement. s'enregistrer au wÉbinaire. - Published: 2025-04-14 - Modified: 2025-05-29 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/webinaire-faite-des-analystes-vos-meilleures-allies/ Comment faire parler les analystes de vous (en bien) – Participez Ă  notre wÉbinaire exclusif. Avec le tĂ©moignage de JĂ©rĂŽme Andrieux, VP Ecosystem de platform. sh qui partagera avec vous son expĂ©rience et les succĂšs du programme de Relations Analyste que nous avons mis en place avec eux. Ce webinaire vous montrera comment : # Lancer un programme de relations analystes efficace, sans y passer des mois # Être visible auprĂšs des bons analystes, au bon moment# Utiliser les contenus des analystes pour renforcer vos campagnes marketing# Gagner en crĂ©dibilitĂ© auprĂšs d’investisseurs, de prospects et de partenaires stratĂ©giques # Appuyer votre dĂ©veloppement Ă  l’international grĂące Ă  une reconnaissance globale# PrĂ©parer vos prochaines levĂ©es de fonds avec des arguments crĂ©dibles et diffĂ©renciants Les analystes influencent les dĂ©cisions d’achat, les levĂ©es de fonds, et l’expansion internationale. Ne laissez pas cette influence vous passer sous le nez. Prenez le contrĂŽle de votre visibilitĂ©. On vous montre comment. AccĂ©der au Contenus du wÉbinaire. VOIR LE REPLAY TÉLÉCHARGER LA PRÉSENTATION - Published: 2024-06-28 - Modified: 2026-07-22 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/analyst-relations-glossary/ Search the AR glossary. Adviser (Advisor) / Sourcing Adviser – Individual or firm providing technology advice. Often including advice on sourcing or procurement of services and products. Differentiated from analysts because they directly recommend vendors and products and are not required to be independent of those vendors. Are sometimes called Consultants. Advisory – Service provided by industry analyst firms, whereby vendors and end users get insights from analyst firm experts. Typically packaged as part of a RAS / CIS or workshops (e. g. SAS days) and / or consulting (see definitions). Analyst (Industry Analyst) – An information and communications technology (ICT) industry analyst is a person, working individually or within a firm analysing and publishing research and/or opinions, forecasts, market sizing, on ICT products and services trends, adoption, market-fit, procurement, deployment and/or independently advising technology buyers and vendors and/or providing go-to-market services (source: IIAR> definition). Analyst relations (AR) – Analyst relations is a business function that can be positioned within product engineering, marketing, communications, strategy or investor relations. The IIAR> has crafted the following definition of AR: “Analyst & influencer relations (AR) professionals engage with industry analysts and other B2B influencers on behalf of technology vendors. They build relationships with the analyst community and drive conversations about vendors and their solutions to gain strategic insights, educate analysts to help them knowledgeably position vendors with their user clients and leverage analyst research and content for marketing purposes and advocacy with technology buyers. ” Awareness – One of the four impacts of... - Published: 2024-03-08 - Modified: 2026-03-09 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/whyanalystrelations/ Who are industry analysts? Technology industry analysts are a group of IT experts and market influencers that have the potential to make or break IT buying decisions. The Institute of Influencer and Analyst Relations (The IIAR>) defines analysts as: “An information and communications technology (ICT) industry analyst is a person, working individually or within a firm analysing and publishing research and/or opinions, forecasts, market sizing, on ICT products and services trends, adoption, market-fit, procurement, deployment and/or advising independently technology buyers and vendors and/or providing go-to-market services. ” IIAR> Primer: Who are industry analysts and what do they do?  May 2021.   In short, industry analysts have a unique vantage point with access to both technology buyers and technology products, solutions and services vendors. This makes analysts the original thought leaders for the technology and communication industries. What do industry analysts do? Analysts produce research and analysis for technology buyers and also directly advise those enterprise users and buyers on their technology choices. They’re usually also thought leaders in the industry.   Technology analyst research roughly falls into three categories: Analyst research can be evaluative to offer buyers a guide to different vendor product, solutions or services. The best known are the Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, IDC Marketscape, GigaOM Radar and Omdia Universe, but there are many others. Industry analysts also can produce quantitative research, such as market sizing, forecasts and market shares, which can be valuable reports for investor relations. They also look at technology trends, publish annual predictions... - Published: 2021-07-08 - Modified: 2026-09-06 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/ Starsight Communications is a B2B influencer and analyst relations agency. Offering services to tackle EMEA AR with firms like Gartner, Forrester, IDC and more. Analyst & Influencer Relations agency Engage + Aim High. ANALYST & INFLUENCER RELATIONS – THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Industry analysts drive business impact with insights, awareness, sales and go-to-market activity. Ensure your analyst relations fires on all 4 cylinders to deliver benefits beyond coverage. WHAT ARE THE 4 BUSINESS IMPACTS OF ANALYST RELATIONS? Delivering leading analyst relations programmes for our clients. Starsight has delivered analyst relations services for many clients over the years, ranging from enterprise players to start-ups and scale-ups, including Microsoft, Dataiku, Webhelp, Upsun, S3NS, bics, DataGalaxy and Cycloid to name a few. STARSIGHT TRANSMISSIONS. Our newsletter keeps you updated on analyst and influencer relations (AR) trends, best practices and industry news. Sign-up here to get Starsight Transmissions straight to your inbox and never miss a post. Previous Transmissions. Get Starsight Transmissions in your inbox. Starsight Services. Gain an unfair competitive advantage with influencer relations. All B2B buyers surveys point in the same direction: industry analysts are the alpha and omega of all technology influencers. We help growing technology vendors to get on the radar of industry analysts and influencers, benchmark and coach existing AR teams to improve their operations and support both growth and scale companies to extend their reach in EMEA and globally, for new business areas, to develop their peer review websites programmes or extend to new influencers personas. Growth. Launch your analyst & influencer relations programme to put your B2B tech company on influencers & analysts map. Teams. Take your analyst & influencer... - Published: 2019-02-13 - Modified: 2025-12-17 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/blog/ Starsight Transmissions, the analyst & influencer relations (AR) blog from Starsight Communications. Covers all AR things including Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Gartner Peer Insights, Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave, IDC Marketscape and other B2B technology influencers. The essential resource for analyst and influencer relations (AR) trends, best practices and industry news.  Sign-up to get Starsight Transmissions straight to your inbox and never miss a post. Sign-up. Mastodon - Published: 2019-02-13 - Modified: 2025-05-05 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/contact/ Contact Starsight Communications to weaponise analyst relations and gain an unfair competitive advantage Get in touch! Contact Starsight Today. Engage early. Engage now. Fill in the below form to contact Starsight Communications and learn about how our services can elevate your business. We'd also love to hear from anyone that would like to join the team, has feedback or suggestions for us and anyone who wants to chat about anything analyst & influencer relations. - Published: 2019-02-13 - Modified: 2025-05-05 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/services/ Starsight Communications supports startups to get on the radar of industry analysts, helps analyst relations teams to benchmark themselves and deliver rapid returns with projects such as Gartner Magic Quadrant Impact Service. services. Engage early. Engage now. Gain an unfair competitive advantage with Analyst & influencer relations. We deliver flawless execution. We are the top AR agency in Europe. Leading technology vendors to being covered by 0 industry analysts into 35+ reports annually. Managing complex analyst events across the globe, from Dubai to Paris, from San Francisco to Berlin. Our services keep those engines running so that you don’t need to worry about dropping analyst requests. We ace relationships. Topics we have previously covered include hardware, enterprise applications, middleware and tech, financial services and regulation, advertising technology and verticals. Starsight know who to call and how to find an angle to position solutions with industry analysts and influencers for a win-win briefing. We understand you. Starsighters have unrivalled in-house experience. We know that solving internal roadblocks is often half the solution. With tech backgrounds, we love to dive deep in products to bring you insights from the many conversations we have. We are a strategic partner to help you feel the pulse of the market and gather intelligence to position your solutions for maximum market impact Contact Starsight. Starsight for growth. It’s never too early for analyst & influencer relations. We will get you started with your influencer programme. We'll help you size and understand the market opportunity, refine and validate your messaging, get on influencers’ radar and boost your credibility with investors. Either use us as a tool to get started or we can do it all for you, hands-free. Starsight... - Published: 2019-02-13 - Modified: 2026-06-18 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/starsighters-analyst-relations-experts/ Starsight has an unmatched track record in the industry, with over 25 years of in-house experience and the only agency 100% IIAR> Certified Professionals Analyst Relations experts STARSIGHTERS. THE ONLY FULLY IIAR> CERTIFIED AGENCY. We are influencer and analyst relations experts. We have an unmatched track record in the industry. We are the only agency of 100% IIAR> Certified Professionals and in our first year of operating, we were recognised as the top analyst relations agency in Europe. We combine 25+ years of hands-on experience and know-how from the best tech industry AR teams, a proven track record of starting two influencer relations departments and a thought leadership practice as well as founding and running the IIAR> for 15 years. Get in touch! Ludovic Leforestier. FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR. Ludovic Leforestier is a recognised thought leader in influencer and analyst relations. He has over 20 years of hands-on analyst relations experience with the very best AR teams such as Oracle and IBM. He has built two world-class analyst & influencer relations departments at management firm BearingPoint and AdTech leader Criteo. At BearingPoint, he also led the launch and development of the BearingPoint Institute. Ludovic founded Starsight in 2021. He co-founded the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR>) and is currently serving as one of its Board Members.  He is the founder of Starsight Communications, a new kind of specialist analyst & B2B influencer relations agency. SKILLS. Coaching and supporting C-level executives and spokespersons around engagement, positioning and messaging. Weaponising insights for sales, marketing and communications. Team management, sales and product management, multicultural experience. Chloe Roberts. Senior Analyst relations Manager. Chloe Roberts Chloe Roberts has... ## Posts - Published: 2026-09-30 - Modified: 2026-10-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/09/30/what-is-the-future-of-analyst-research-in-the-age-of-ai-geo-authority/ AI will create more analysts and more firms, but not more influence. As research becomes cheaper to produce and easier to distribute, authority will concentrate around analysts with trusted expertise, strong networks and access to proprietary evidence. Analyst firms will need new commercial models to fund independent research, while AR teams must understand analyst influence on LLMs and look beyond firm size to map the people, communities, events and channels that actually shape buyer decisions. TL;DR: AI will create more analysts, more firms and more authority. As research becomes cheaper to produce and easier to distribute, authority will concentrate around analysts with trusted expertise, strong networks and access to proprietary evidence. Analyst firms will need new commercial models to fund independent research, while AR teams must understand analyst influence on LLMs and look beyond firm size to map the people, communities, events and channels that actually shape buyer decisions. AI is breaking the analyst research business model. AI makes it easier than ever to become an analyst and harder than ever to make money as one. The barriers to analyst work are collapsing, the previous model of information asymmetry where analysts were the gatekeeper no longer exists. Research is easier to produce, information is easier to interrogate and distribution no longer depends on a large firm's website or subscription base. While this could create more analyst voices, buyer attention remains finite and it’s harder than ever to cut through the noise of AI slop. The result? A flatter, more fragmented analyst market where far more people can participate, while only some build enough authority to sustain a business. More analysts means a new distribution of influence. AI lowers the barrier to entry, but not the barrier to relevance. Anybody with expertise, access to public information and the right AI tools can now produce credible-looking research quickly. Independent analysts also have LinkedIn, newsletters, podcasts and communities to distribute content without needing a large firm’s distribution model... - Published: 2026-08-27 - Modified: 2026-08-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/08/27/why-is-your-content-failing-and-how-b2b-tech-industry-analysts-can-help/ Buyers are surrounded by vendor blogs, webinars and AI-generated thought leadership, but more, more, more is not a content strategy. Analysts can help pressure-test your message, add independent authority and surface the questions buyers actually care about. Our latest blog looks at 3 practical ways to use analysts to make your content more credible, relevant and useful to buyers. TL;DR: More content will not make buyers trust you, but curated content could. Analyst relations can help CMOs pressure-test messages before launch, add credible third-party validation and uncover the questions buyers actually ask. Use the right analysts to create fewer, stronger assets grounded in market reality and buyer priorities rather than contributing to the market noise. 3 ways analyst relations can make your B2B tech marketing content more credible. Buyers do not need another marketing asset, they need something they can actually trust. 73% of B2B decision-makers say thought leadership is a more trustworthy way to judge a supplier’s capabilities than traditional marketing materials or product sheets. Yet only 15% describe the thought leadership they consume as very good. Your prospects are already surrounded by blogs, reports, webinars and AI-generated thought leadership. For CMOs, the challenge is earning enough attention and trust to cut through. The instinctive response to broken content is usually more, more, more. More articles. More gated assets. More posts to feed the algorithm. More personalisation. More audience segmentation. Simply, more. And in the AI era creating more content is easier than ever. But increasing volume decreases marginal efficiency, each piece of content has less clicks than the previous one as attention spans become saturated. More, more, more is not a content strategy. Analyst relations gives you another option: use independent market expertise to curate content that resonates with your target audience. Analysts sit outside your marketing machine and spend their time examining markets, vendors and buyer... - Published: 2026-07-28 - Modified: 2026-07-28 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/07/28/analyst-relations-the-discipline-investors-now-mandate-for-their-b2b-tech-startups-portfolio/ Investors are increasingly pushing B2B technology start-ups towards analyst relations but pressure to act can lead to poor decisions. rue analyst relations success is more nuanced than coverage or Magic Quadrant inclusion. It’s from stronger positioning, better product decisions, buyer influence and go-to-market insight. The right time to start depends less on funding stage and more so on your ability to dedicate time and seriously respond to analyst feedback. TL;DR: Investors are increasingly pushing B2B technology start-ups towards analyst relations but pressure to act can lead to poor decisions. Start-ups get more from AR when they match investment to capacity, build relationships over time and listen before pitching. True analyst relations success is more nuanced than coverage or Magic Quadrant inclusion. It’s from stronger positioning, better product decisions, buyer influence and go-to-market insight. The right time to start depends less on funding stage and more so on your ability to dedicate time and seriously respond to analyst feedback. 5 things start-ups GET WRONG about analyst relations. Ex-Gartner analyst Michael Warrilow recently started a conversation on LinkedIn about analyst demand amongst investors –and it’s real. The comments confirm that investors are keeping tabs on industry analysts and view them as experts and influencers in B2B technology. Last month, we also saw the resurfacing of a post from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz where they argued that analysts shape enterprise buying, provide candid product feedback and strengthen credibility in important deals. It also presented AR as a programme that should develop alongside enterprise sales maturity, rather than as a late-stage response to being excluded from a Gartner Magic Quadrant. The article is well worth a read for any start-up considering an analyst relations programme. We see start-ups make the same analyst relations mistakes repeatedly. They spend too much, expect results too quickly and approach analysts before their story is ready. When those choices fail, the CEO often comes to the wrong... - Published: 2026-06-30 - Modified: 2026-06-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/06/30/the-new-analyst-relations-frontier-ai-authority/ Old fashioned AR looked at how analysts exerted a direct sales influence by advising buyers. In the brave new world of AR, analysts also exert influence by being a source of authority for LLMs. Check out this blog post to understand what that means for analyst relations programmes today. TL;DR: AI is not replacing analyst influence, but you do need to update your tiering lists ASAP. Old fashioned AR looked at how analysts exerted a direct sales influence by advising buyers. In the brave new world of AR, analysts also exert influence by being a source of authority for LLMs. The FIGs still matter, especially for enterprise validation, but public analyst content, specialist expertise, sourcing advisory, events and social reach now carry more weight. If AI can’t see the research, buyers may not see the argument. Take some time to review your analyst tiering lists through this new lens and update your AR strategy accordingly. LLM discoverability shapes market narratives. AI discoverability is quickly becoming another topic AR pros are expected to comment on. Call it AEO, GEO or SEO with a new hat; Google says its generative AI search features still depend on its search index, retrieval systems and crawlable content. And we know that analyst content has high domain authority, clear expertise and language buyers use when framing markets. The practical AR question is no longer just “which analysts influence our deals? ” It’s also “which analysts shape what machines, media and buyers can actually find? ” The old AR map was built around exclusive access to tech buying decision makers. Analyst firm research subscriptions, targeted inquiries, evaluative research and procurement validation made up the main planning units. They still have impact, but they no longer describe the whole influence system. In the sales spaghetti monster, analyst... - Published: 2026-05-29 - Modified: 2026-05-29 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/05/29/5-problems-start-ups-face-when-they-start-briefing-industry-analysts/ We see start-ups making the same mistakes over and over again. They brief an analyst, it doesn't go how they thought it would and they start to think the analyst just doesn't get their product. This is rarely the case. This blog post explains the 5 key reasons we see this happening. TL;DR: In our experience, if analysts don’t understand your start-up, the problem is probably not the product. It is more likely a category, positioning or execution problem. Your market may be too early, your story may not match buyer demand, your subscription may be treated like a shortcut to influence, your analyst strategy may be too Gartner-centric or AR may be buried too far down the CEO’s priority list. The fix is a dedicated analyst relations programme that turns analyst confusion into useful diagnosis, sharper positioning, better market visibility and stronger influence with the people shaping your buyers’ decisions. Why industry analysts don’t understand your start-up. Have you tried analyst relations, but still feel like analysts just don’t get you? You briefed an analyst for 45 minutes, then they asked whether you compete with a vendor in a completely different category. You hosted a 1:many briefing, and only 2 analysts showed up. You sponsored the analyst firm event, but your company was invisible from the stage. You bought the research subscription, booked a few inquiries and still cannot point to any meaningful ROI. That is when founder frustration can turn personal. Your team did the work, the product is real and customers are already using it. Yet the analyst reaction feels flat, polite or strangely misaligned. They ask basic category questions. They challenge your market assumptions. They seem more interested in your competitors than your roadmap. You start wondering whether the analysts are missing the point, or whether you are.... - Published: 2026-04-30 - Modified: 2026-04-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/04/30/why-the-gartner-hype-cycle-matters-for-start-up-ceos/ The Gartner Hype Cycle helps B2B tech vendors understand whether a market is emerging, overhyped or becoming commercially real. Most start-ups focus on product when they should focus on category fit and buyer readiness. Analysts matter because they see market patterns vendors cannot. The smartest founders use Hype Cycles to pressure-test positioning, roadmap decisions and timing. TL;DR: The Gartner Hype Cycle helps B2B tech vendors understand whether a market is emerging, overhyped or becoming commercially real. Most start-ups focus on product when they should focus on category fit and buyer readiness. Analysts matter because they see market patterns vendors cannot. The smartest founders use Hype Cycles to pressure-test positioning, roadmap decisions and timing. How Gartner analysts decide category maturity. Most start-ups think they have a product problem when they really have a category problem. Buyers do not purchase technology in a vacuum, they purchase into narratives they understand (usually via a sales spaghetti monster). The Gartner Hype Cycle helps you understand whether your category is forming, peaking or collapsing. Key context that shapes positioning, roadmap decisions and investor conversations. The value of the Gartner Hype Cycle is that it gives you a structured way to think about uncertainty. Emerging markets rarely move in straight lines. CEOs who understand where their product sits on the curve make better business decisions. What is the Gartner Hype Cycle? It explains how market categories will behave. The Hype Cycle is one of Gartner’s most recognisable frameworks. In these reports, the big FIG maps how technologies gain attention, attract investment and eventually find commercial reality. It is not a forecast of winners and losers or a vendor evaluation like the Gartner Magic Quadrant, it’s a behavioural model for understanding how expectations evolve. The curve tracks expectation to help CEOs avoid falling down a hype hole. A category receiving intense media coverage... - Published: 2026-03-31 - Modified: 2026-04-01 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/03/31/the-7-channels-of-open-source-analyst-influence/ Much analyst influence cannot be measured. Traditional metrics, such as subscriber counts, underestimate the impact of open, publicly accessible analyst influence via reprints, blogs, news citations, social media and more. A diverse analyst portfolio is the only way to overcome this influence gap that plagues so many vendors. TL;DR: there are 7 key channels for open-source analyst influence. Just as Linux distributions, now the de-facto standard in data centres, weren’t counted in analyst market shares during their early days as they were ‘free’ open source licences, analyst content and advice reaches buyer audiences via many channels that are hard to measure because they’re not monetised, packaged into other vehicles or free to buyers –yet what we call ‘open source influence’ is extraordinarily influential. Technology vendors should not ignore those influence channels and balance their analyst relations outreach programmes accordingly. THE 7 CHANNELS FOR OPEN SOURCE ANALYST INFLUENCE. #Channel. Impact. 1LLMs and GenAI. Analysts enjoy high domain authority and credibility which allow their research to shape AI results via open access research. 2Research reprints. Enable independent research firms to scale beyond subscriber base through vendors buying distribution rights for reports and marketing them to buyer audiences. 3Open access research. Organic views can be significant in some niches and alternative vendor evaluative research methodologies challenge the Gartner Magic Quadrant and contribute to create categories. 4Sourcing advisory. Not open source but challenger firms directly impacts billions of outsourcing and technology deals. 5Owned, industry and vendor events. Analyst benefit from significant exposure at trade shows and other events, analogue and thus hard to measure but very impactful with live audiences. 6Earned media traction. Analyst commentary is sought and widely referenced in mainstream business media as well as specialist publications with a high correlation between analyst sentiment and articles overall bias. 7Social media... - Published: 2026-02-26 - Modified: 2026-02-26 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/02/26/the-fatal-analyst-relations-mistake-startups-make/ In analyst relations, sudden silence reads as death. If you brief once and then disappear for years, analysts assume you have stalled or become irrelevant. The only way to stay on their radar, and get mentioned by those market influencers in research, at events and in end-user inquiries, is a consistent cadence. TL;DR: In analyst relations, sudden silence reads as death. If you brief once and then disappear for years, analysts assume you have stalled or become irrelevant. The only way to stay on their radar, and get mentioned by those market influencers in research, at events and in end-user inquiries, is a consistent cadence. Analyst relations is a long game. Act like it. Imagine joining a Forrester briefing, armed with a polished deck, only to be scolded for ghosting the analyst 4 years ago. It happened this month to one of our clients. But analysts are like elephants and this one did not simply forget. In those 4 years she had concluded that they were either irrelevant or dead. Because in analyst relations, silence speaks. Fire and forget backfires. Analyst relations does not reward bursts of activity; it rewards cadence. We often see the same pattern in early-stage companies. A B2B technology startup lands a new funding round –seed or Series A, sometimes even series B. Armed with incremental marketing budget and meaning well, it briefs a PR agency to extend reach to industry analysts. This can appear logical but, sadly, PR and AR are not the same thing. Cue frenzy without a purpose, 10 briefings crammed into 8 weeks. Maybe it’s mentioned in a report or 3. Then nothing for the next 2 years. Analysts interpret that inconsistency as instability. If you only appear when you have time, they assume you are managing optics, not building a category. The FIGs... - Published: 2026-01-30 - Modified: 2026-01-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2026/01/30/the-real-reason-us-tech-start-ups-win-shortlists-before-european-ones/ Our European B2B tech start-up clients are always facing the same challenge: how do I stand out in a crowded technology market? Let us tell you about it. TL;DR: our European B2B tech start-up clients are always facing the same challenge: how do I stand out in a crowded technology market? Particularly when US vendors benefit from structural exposure advantages driven by capital scale and analyst proximity. Analyst Relations is the most efficient way for European CEOs to close that gap early, shape category perception and earn a place on enterprise shortlists before sales conversations even begin. ANALYST RELATIONS: IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE REPORTS, YOU’RE NOT ON THE SHORTLIST. Thomas Edison is remembered as the inventor of the lightbulb, even though workable designs existed before him. Edison did not win because he invented first. He won because he packaged the technology, framed the category and made it legible to buyers, investors and institutions at scale. B2B technology works the same way. European SaaS companies don’t have a product problem; they have a visibility problem. That imbalance is structural, not anecdotal. The USA tech sector consistently captures around 70% of global venture capital funding, while Europe accounts for roughly 14%. This means Stateside start-ups have higher marketing budgets and can build market awareness much faster. With technology cycles shortening, the first-mover advantage becomes a winner takes all situation –often at the expense of EMEA start-ups. And this visibility problem is exacerbated the moment a buyer opens a vendor evaluation report. Because analyst research isn’t “nice to have” coverage, it’s an essential and authoritative source in the age of AI. It’s how enterprise shortlists get built, how categories get... - Published: 2025-12-19 - Modified: 2025-12-19 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/12/19/what-are-the-8-ways-to-use-analyst-mentions-to-influence-buyers/ When an analyst names your company in a piece of research, don't let that opportunity go to waste. Start activating that social proof in your marketing and sales campaigns ASAP. You’ve been mentioned in analyst research –and you’re probably doing nothing with it. Most teams treat the mention like a moment to celebrate, maybe share it internally or slap a badge on the website homepage. Then forget about it. Positive analyst sentiment isn’t a trophy. It’s a tool. Left unused, it’s a missed opportunity to drive a wedge between you and your competition. Analyst content can be refreshing, third-party validation in a world drowning in vendor noise. Social proof influences buyers, reinforces credibility and subtly positions you ahead of rivals. The catch? Analysts protect their research; it’s their IP and their value prop. Their independence is what makes them trusted VIPs –very influential people. You can amplify their voice, but you can’t twist it, misquote it or claim endorsements they haven’t made. Here are 8 ways to put analyst mentions to work across marketing, sales and investor communications. Remember, some things are free, others might require marketing budget for reprints or licences and it’s always a best practice (and sometimes a requirement) to seek approval before usage. If you’re not sure, give us a call! 1. Social media: amplify without twisting. Social media is often the first place analyst mentions surface –and the fastest place to get caught misrepresenting. Repost from the analysts, share links to the original research, quote accurately and add light context about why the point matters to your audience. Don’t paraphrase to the point of distortion, don’t screenshot and share paid content and don’t imply endorsement... - Published: 2025-12-12 - Modified: 2025-12-12 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/12/12/starsight-awarded-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-emea-2025/ Analysts have once again voted Starsight as the IIAR> AR Agency of the Year, EMEA 2025 –and we couldn't be more pleased! Announced at last night’s IIAR> Awards, the results reflect votes from industry analysts across 31 countries and AR professionals from 11 markets. These awards remain the only independent honours dedicated to excellence in analyst relations, using the IIAR>’s SOSM methodology to evaluate the impact, collaboration and expertise of AR practitioners and agencies. For Starsight, taking the top spot in EMEA again is a meaningful milestone. It recognises the work our team has delivered this year –from guiding start-ups through their first ever analyst briefings to helping established vendors have more meaningful connections with sales, all while deepening relationships with the analyst firms we work with, the FIGs and the many many beyond. We see the value of specialist AR focus for our clients every day, and this award reinforces why that expertise matters. A huge thank you to every analyst who voted for us, to our clients for trusting us with their most strategic moments and to the AR community for the collaboration and conversations that push our discipline forward. Who else won this year? The 2025 results saw Omdia named Analyst Firm of the Year, ending IDC’s five-year streak. Chirag Dekate / Gartner, Jen Thomson / IDC and Akimasa Nakao / Gartner took Analyst of the Year awards across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Google was voted AR Team of the Year, while Spotlight AR took Agency... - Published: 2025-11-27 - Modified: 2025-11-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/11/27/industry-analysts-and-the-channel-a-match-made-in-tech-heaven/ Analysts are trusted voices in the tech industry, and their influence extends across the channel ecosystem. Read the 4 ways that influence manifests and how to leverage them from Channel Scaler, Omdia, GigaOm, CONTEXT and IDC. Analysts have huge influence on the PARTNERS ecosystem. hear from five (ex-)analysts how Can B2b tech vendors can leverage them to drive channel sales? B2B buying is a sales spaghetti monster of intersecting influences, tangled relationships and feedback loops. And nowhere is that complexity more visible than in the channel. Software, hardware and generally technology vendors work with a complex ecosystem of distributors, resellers, service providers and marketplaces –each with their own incentives and blind spots. Those tech vendors agonise over which partners to prioritise, how to allocate limited marketing dollars, how to manage conflicts and compensation. It’s messy. Yet, amid all that complexity, there’s an unseen force shaping how the channel works: industry analysts. Analysts don’t just influence vendor strategy or buyer perception, they quietly guide how the channel operates. From data visibility and partner enablement to program design and education. Most vendors underestimate just how deep that influence runs. Starsight has interviewed several (ex-)analysts and here are 4 ways this analyst influence on the channel shows up. Read below from Channel Scaler, Omdia, GigaOm, CONTEXT and IDC on how B2B vendors can leverage industry analysts to get insights on the channel, better position themselves and use them to improve their market traction. 1. Analysts bring data clarity to a messy channel ecosystem. The channel runs on data. Pricing, volume, margins, partner performance; but most vendors only see fragments of it. Number crunching analyst firms like Canalys (now part of Omdia), CONTEXT and IDC collect the missing pieces, aggregating... - Published: 2025-10-30 - Modified: 2025-12-17 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/10/30/what-is-the-role-of-industry-analysts-in-an-ai-driven-market/ Analysts built their careers on knowing what others didn’t. Now, AI knows everything –maybe? But while AI can process information, it can’t build trust, influence, credibility or context. Analysts can. Analysts built their careers on knowing what others didn’t. Now, AI knows everything –maybe? Faster, cheaper, able to churn through mountains of data, LLM’s (Large Language Models) and GenAI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) can whip up a market share report or vendor evaluation in seconds. AI promises insights on demand, no humans required. Start-ups are asking why they should bother with building relationships with analysts when a bot can summarise reports and spit out trends in seconds. It sounds tempting. Too tempting. But while AI can process information, it can’t build trust, influence, credibility or context. It can’t persuade a CFO, spot a hidden market shift or read the subtext in a vendor strategy presentation (i. e. what are they NOT saying). Analysts aren’t just data crunchers; they’re the masters of the attention economy; the people whose judgement actually moves markets. Treating them like replaceable algorithms is a dangerous mistake. Analysts view AI as a force multiplier. We asked some industry analysts what they think of AI and it seems that they aren’t hiding from it, they’re weaponising it. IT Harvest, a cybersecurity specialist firm, was one of the first to leverage AI, fully integrating LLMs into its research processes only seven weeks after ChatGPT was announced, while HfS Research claims to be the first “Generative Analyst Firm” in July 2023 with its GenAI search capability. Then, Forrester launched Izola in October 2023 and now we’re seeing AskGartner hit the market. New AI-powered methodologies like the Gartner emerging Market Quadrant, the... - Published: 2025-09-25 - Modified: 2025-11-05 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/09/25/what-does-it-take-to-get-into-the-gartner-magic-quadrant/ The Gartner Magic Quadrant is the global stage for technology vendors. Being named in an MQ signals product maturity, customer traction and the ability to operate at enterprise scale. So here's a step-by-step outline on how to get there. The Gartner Magic Quadrant is the global stage for technology vendors. For start-ups and scale-ups, it’s more than just an analyst report. Being named in an MQ signals product maturity, customer traction and the ability to operate at enterprise scale. Those signals open doors in procurement processes and can spark partnerships in markets that don't yet know you. It’s a passport to credibility in foreign markets, a proof point that buyers, partners and investors all recognise. But here’s the reality check: getting into the Magic Quadrant is not a quick win. Anyone telling you otherwise or promising guaranteed placement is a charlatan. For smaller vendors, it’s usually a one to three-year journey, and the work starts long before Gartner’s RFI drops into your inbox. At Starsight, we’ve already tackled the myths around the Gartner MQ (no, you can’t buy your way in) and shared tips on how to move your dot once you’re in. Now, it’s time for a step-by-step outline of how you actually get there. Step 1: Ensure you’re in the right category. Before you think about Magic Quadrant success, you need to be sure you’re aiming for the right report. Too broad a category and your offering will disappear into the noise. Too narrow and you may not meet the inclusion criteria at all. It’s a classic Goldilocks situation. But don’t make the mistake of hedging your bets across two categories. In Gartner’s model that usually results in underperforming in both, because your strengths don’t align neatly... - Published: 2025-08-28 - Modified: 2025-08-28 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/08/28/the-top-industry-analyst-events-vendors-should-invest-in/ Industry analysts firms host events throughout the year to attract technology vendors and buyers alike. Read all about those industry analyst events here. Industry analyst events rarely appear in marketing dashboards, yet they drive influence you can’t measure. They don’t come with neat marketing metrics and attribution models, but they shape market conversations in ways vendors often underestimate. Symposiums, summits, conferences can put many more ears in front of analysts than eyeballs will ever read a research note –by quite a margin. Analysts shift perception in real time, customers see who shows up and your brand gets tied to the categories that matter. CMOs who overlook them are leaving impact on the table. Those industry analyst events deliver impact in 5 ways: Occupy analyst mindshare. Events create rare in-person moments with analysts. A hallway conversation can put you front of mind at exactly the right moment. A planned-for sit down meeting can do even better. Strengthen brand association. Speaking, sponsoring or simply being visible ties your brand to a respected analyst firm and the category you want to own. Generate new leads. Analyst firm events attract prospects as well as partners. Smart CMOs use them to feed your sales pipeline. Deepen customer loyalty. Existing clients notice who shows up. Meeting them in this context reinforces trust and strengthens relationships. Multiply your reach. An analyst mention on stage puts your name in front of 100s of buying decisionmakers at once. Few CMOs measure it, but it’s influence you can’t afford to miss. That’s why industry analyst events deserve a place in your annual marketing budget. Analyst firms run a wide variety of events, from... - Published: 2025-07-31 - Modified: 2025-10-15 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/07/31/7-ways-ar-can-boost-your-analyst-firm-event-roi/ Analyst events provide valuable insights and influence; effective engagement requires strategic planning, early scheduling, and relationship building. Analyst firm events aren’t cheap. But done right, they’re well worth it –not just for leads but for insight, influence and proximity you can’t buy anywhere else. If your company is already attending Gartner Symposium, Forrester’s Tech & Innovation Summit or similar, you probably know the marketing goals behind the budget. But there’s a deeper opportunity here, one that goes beyond logos and badge scans. This guide focuses on how to make analyst events a genuine part of your analyst relations (AR) strategy: building stronger analyst relationships, uncovering meaningful insights and getting the full value from your investment. Read our 7 pieces of advice to help you move from just leads to analyst insights and influence below. #1: Marketing’s paying. Get involved or get ignored. Most of the time, it’s marketing teams who get to decide which events a company splurges on. They’re the ones who own the budget. But just because they’ve chosen an analyst event, doesn’t mean they understand the importance of engaging analysts at the event. They're already juggling booth builds, speaker slots, lead targets and post-event reports. Good, let them! But that doesn’t mean AR should sit back and watch it all unfold. Insert yourself into the planning process (in a helpful way, of course). Check they’ve got the basics right: The right size sponsorship package (not just the cheapest). Meaningful metrics (not just badge scans). The right people on the booth (not just warm bodies). A clear sense of whether they're chasing new logos or... - Published: 2025-06-30 - Modified: 2025-10-15 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/06/30/the-idc-marketscape-everything-you-need-to-know/ The IDC MarketScape is often underestimated and ignored -that is a mistake. This blog post outlines 5 mistakes vendors make with this key evaluative report. IDC is often treated like the poor cousin at the analyst relations family gathering – quieter, less flashy and easy to overlook. But in many markets, it's the firm with the strongest local influence and the deepest data. And its rated research report, the IDC MarketScape, isn’t just a knock-off Gartner Magic Quadrant. With more than 1,300 analysts and unrivalled local coverage, IDC is actually one of the major global technology firms. Once you’re named in the IDC ProductScape, you need to prepare for potential inclusion in the MarketScape. This is an evaluation built on hard data, local insight and its own scoring model. Done well, it can boost credibility in priority markets. Done badly, it can quietly damage your reputation. You can read the basics on the IDC MarketScape here. All too often, we see vendors fumble their opportunity to position well in IDC’s landmark evaluation. Here, we’ll talk about 5 of the most common mistakes vendors make with the IDC MarketScape. Mistake #1: Underestimating IDC’s global weight. You wouldn’t submit the same pitch deck to your investors, customers and press, so why do so many vendors treat analyst firms like they’re interchangeable? At Starsight, we see it all the time: teams obsessed with a single Magic Quadrant, while their IDC MarketScape submission is an afterthought. IDC (and all the other analyst firms out there) doesn’t just shadow Gartner, it serves a different function, speaks to a different audience and, in many regions, has a different kind of influence... - Published: 2025-05-29 - Modified: 2025-05-29 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/05/29/the-ultimate-guide-to-an-effective-analyst-advisory-session/ Ever been on an analyst advisory session or workshop that lead nowhere? Here’s how to prep, run and follow up so it sparks real decisions, change and momentum. Most analyst advisories end in a nod and a thank you. Then... nothing. No decisions, no changes, no momentum. That’s a waste of money and a wasted opportunity. A good analyst advisory session is packed with insight. But unless you plan for action, that insight will vanish. Today, we’ll give you five practical steps to turn your next analyst advisory session into something that actually takes your business forward. Because a smart conversation is nice. Impact is better. What is an analyst advisory session? An analyst advisory session is a high-value, two-way conversation between a technology vendor and one (or several) industry analysts. There are different names for this, Gartner calls them SAS days (Strategic Advisory Sessions) and at Forrester they’re strategy days. Other names include analyst workshops or consult sessions. They can be delivered in-person or virtually and analyst firms will have different policies on which you can avail of and under what terms. Ultimately, it’s a session that’s longer than an analyst inquiry and designed to explore a specific topic or challenge in depth. To book an advisory, you typically need to be a client. You also pay for this engagement on top of your analyst firm subscription, that makes ROI non-negotiable. You’re paying for thinking time with a market expert so make it count. This is and opportunity to sharpen ideas, flag risks and make better decisions. What happens during an analyst advisory session? Don’t let your spokespeople fall into the trap of treating this like an... - Published: 2025-04-30 - Modified: 2025-04-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/04/30/de-risking-in-a-downturn-why-ar-is-a-100x-roi-tactic/ Tech buyers want stability, analysts help them find it. During a downturn it's more important than ever to over-index on AR. In a crisis, decision making doesn’t stop, it shifts to the safest source of truth. During turbulent times, some buyers might consider deferring investments and holding back on transformation projects. However in many industries, stagnation equates to losing market share and increased risks. IDC and other analysts forecast investment in AI and cybersecurity to continue increasing: businesses need to both innovate and protect to survive. Yet every dollar spent is under far more scrutiny than before. Executives want reassurance. Procurement wants proof. And everyone wants to avoid costly mistakes. Over 70% of technology buyers turn to industry analysts for guidance, to make sense of a crowded market, validate internal thinking and reduce risk –even more so during uncertain times. That’s why Gartner’s research and advisory revenue grew by 9% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other firms we’ve spoken with, such as Forrester, also report a sharp rise in advisory and inquiries during tech shifts (eg. AI) but also during economic downturns (eg. 2001, 2008). That's why now is the time to over-index on AR. Technology buyers look to industry analysts as the market pulse. They use vendor evaluation reports like the Gartner Magic Quadrant, the Forrester Wave or whichever shape they find more convincing from the plethora of alternative MQ reports out there, to validate their internal decision making. Many technology buying groups use analyst inquiry calls as part of formal procurement processes, budget reviews budgets and digital transformation plans before a vendor name is even uttered. In IT outsourcing, contract... - Published: 2025-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/03/31/how-will-a-mature-ar-programme-supercharge-your-business/ The gap between the most and least mature AR programmes is vast. Starsight is piloting an analyst relations maturity assessment - sign up today. The gap between the most and least mature AR programmes is vast. Many companies mistake activity for progress, yielding coverage and flashy initial outcomes that look impressive in a slide deck. But over time, these efforts plateau. They fail to deliver the deeper, strategic impact that defines a truly advanced AR programme. We estimate less than 20% of AR programmes are mature enough to deliver on a full range of outcomes. That is all four impacts of AR –insights, awareness, sales and go-to-market. The rest remain stuck in a cycle of reactive engagement, missing the full potential of analyst relations to drive competitive advantage and long-term growth. what are the 7 key differences between early analyst relations and fully mature AR programmes? Low AR maturity. High AR maturity. Analysts are detractors. Analysts are advocates for sales. Coverage count. Awareness & reputation assessments. Focus on activity. Focus on insights. Transactional relationship. Trusted advisor. Broadcasting via briefings. Inquiries as a secret weapon. Outbound activity only. Inbound requests from analysts. Driven by PR calendar. Driven by business objectives. Be the first to assess your analyst relations maturity. So, is your analyst relations strategy on track to maturity? We’re offering the opportunity to find out. If you are a technology company, you can participate in the pilot of our Analyst Relations (AR) Maturity Assessment. Only 10 companies will be selected so make sure you express your interest early. Why Join the Pilot? Get early access to our structured AR maturity framework. Receive a personalised... - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2026-03-09 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/02/27/how-to-surf-the-forrester-wave/ Gartner’s Magic Quadrant isn’t the only landmark vendor evaluation among the FIGs. IDC has a MarketScape and Forrester has a Wave. Learn all about the Forrester Wave in this blog post. Forrester analysts are evaluating your market–are you ready to make waves? Gartner’s Magic Quadrant isn’t the only landmark vendor evaluation among the FIGs (Forrester, IDC, Gartner). IDC has a MarketScape and Forrester has a Wave. As a firm, Forrester are known for their obsession with customer satisfaction and customer experience. It’s also the FIG most known for spotting market trends and emerging technologies. Both of these aspects are reflected in their Forrester Wave methodology. What is the Forrester Wave? As the trend spotting firm, the Forrester Wave typically covers software and digital transformation categories. The Wave graphic maps vendors based on their current offering (x-axis) and strategy (y axis), with a third dimension, the size of the dot, being customer feedback as of 2024. Previously, this was market presence i. e. market share. Vendors are categorised into leaders, strong performers and contenders. Interestingly, Forrester removed the challengers category in 2024. This reflects its commitment to include only the top players in a given market and streamline its rankings. One of the Forrester Wave’s standout features is its granular, weighted scorecard, which offers transparency uncommon in other evaluations. Buyers and vendors alike gain a clear view of strengths and weaknesses, broken down into specific criteria. This makes the Wave more than just a visual ranking—it’s a detailed guide to help decision-makers align vendors with their needs. To enhance this, Forrester provides an interactive vendor selection tool for buyers to adjust weightings based on their priorities. However, vendors should note that these... - Published: 2025-01-30 - Modified: 2026-02-23 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2025/01/30/should-analyst-relations-always-be-in-house/ When companies realise they need an analyst relations strategy to compete, they start to look for the right talent. Do you choose in-house or agency? In-house analyst relations can be a costly experiment in trial and error. Building an internal team might seem logical, but it can be a slow, expensive and inefficient path, especially for companies new to AR. For a company wanting to dazzle those industry analyst VIPs – very influential persons – it can take time to see results with a new team. Alternatively, partnering with an analyst relations agency can fast-track your success. They bring the expertise and relationships you need, without the growing pains. Need more convincing? What are the 5 risks of in-house analyst relations (AR)? Risk #5: Waste 3-12 months on talent search. Finding an existing, experienced AR pro to work for you in-house might not be so simple. We’ve seen companies struggle for months to find the right, seasoned AR professionals. And while junior hires or generalists might keep the lights on, but they rarely deliver the credibility needed to shape analyst perceptions or drive internal decisions. If you can’t find the right calibre or if budgets are tight, an agency is a smarter investment. Agencies are flexible and cost-effective, offering the expertise you need without the overhead of full-time staff. They can also get started right away. This ensures high-quality representation that can manage the analyst influence on sales at a fraction of the cost. Risk #4: Miss the analyst research window. While an in-house hire might take six months to build relationships, an agency comes with them pre-loaded. Agency experts know the analysts, their quirks... - Published: 2024-12-20 - Modified: 2025-04-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/12/20/how-to-use-analyst-predictions-to-drive-business-in-2025/ Industry analysts are the market pulse with a 360 view of the market. That's why analyst predictions can provide the insight needed to drive business this year. Industry analysts are the market pulse, connecting insights from end-users, tech buyers, investors and suppliers to create a clear view of the industry. But accessing these insights often requires a budget for analyst inquiries —a luxury many start-ups and SMBs can’t afford. That’s where predictions season comes in. Each year, leading analyst firms host analyst predictions events or publish research where they share forecasts for the year ahead. These predictions distil analysts’ collective expertise into actionable insights for their specialised areas. Many are of the events are free to attend and reports free to access, offering an invaluable chance for smaller companies to tap into industry-leading knowledge. So what are the analysts predicting for 2025? For 2025, analysts are clear: having an AI strategy is imperative for success. In 2024, generative AI (GenAI) and agentic systems were in the experimental phase, with enterprises boldly testing their potential. Predictions from major firms, including the FIGs, have emphasised that agentic AI remains a critical area. But in 2025, the narrative shifts: AI is no longer an experiment but a mission-critical tool. Companies will operationalise AI to automate complex decisions, enhance customer experiences and transform business models. However, patience is key as ROI won’t be instantaneous. The winners will align AI projects with business transformation, balancing short-term wins with long-term potential. But AI isn’t the only name in the game, analyst predictions also picked up on other key areas of the tech landscape for 2025: The sustainability question lingers as Verdantix predicts that... - Published: 2024-11-28 - Modified: 2025-04-30 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/11/28/starsight-voted-1-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-emea-2024/ We are proud to have maintained our #1 AR Agency spot in EMEA for the fourth time, from the EMEA award in 2023 to placing on the global podium in 2021 and 2022. The votes are in, and the results are clear—Starsight Communications has once again been voted by analysts as the IIAR> Analyst Relations Agency of the Year 2024, EMEA at the 2024 IIAR> Awards! We are proud to have maintained our #1 AR Agency spot in EMEA for the fourth time, from the official award in 2023 to placing on the global podium in 2021 and 2022. Revealed on November 26 following the IIAR> AR Forum—a day filled with insights and collaboration among analyst relations (AR) professionals—these independent awards celebrate excellence in the AR industry. AR pros vote for the top industry analysts and influencers, while those analysts vote for the leading AR pros and AR agencies. Starsight voted #1 ar agency in emea. For the fourth consecutive year, industry analysts have chosen Starsight AR as a leader in our field. This recognises our commitment to delivering exceptional results for our clients. We are immensely proud of this achievement and grateful for every analyst that voted for us as the #1 AR agency in EMEA. We would also like to thank our clients, supporters and the AR community who inspire us to excel every day. For Starsight, this award encapsulates a year of growth, impactful relationships and industry leadership in analyst relations. In 2024, we deepened our bonds with industry analysts by actively participating in key events hosted by Gartner, Forrester, IDC and PAC. We took pride in hosting in-person events for our clients, including a major analyst summit and bespoke... - Published: 2024-10-31 - Modified: 2026-03-09 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/10/31/dont-tier-industry-analysts-with-prejudice/ When you tier industry analysts, look beyond the FIGs and understand the true world of analyst influence to help balance benefits with budget and bandwidth. In the world of analyst relations, putting all your eggs in the Gartner basket can be risky and potentially damaging for your brand. Keep this in mind when you tier industry analysts. Of course the big FIG is influential and its Magic Quadrant is ubiquitous, but there are many other analyst firms out there with vendor evaluations of their own that may carry a lot of clout with your target audiences –including members of purchasing teams who aren’t flagged in the sales funnel. But remember –for analysts, AR is a free service that enriches their market insights. Analysts rely on vendors to bolster their unique vantage point in the market, but no vendor can afford to engage every analyst out there. That’s where analyst tiering comes in as not all analysts are made equal. When tiering analysts there are a number of things a technology vendor should consider. Why should you tier industry analysts? When it comes to analyst demand for attention from vendors, we find Starsight clients typically fall into two extremes. You are overwhelmed by industry analyst requests. This is typical for large vendors who operate in many categories and for any known vendors operating in trendy spaces, like generative AI at the moment. In this situation you are likely receiving a high volume of requests to participate in RFIs and to deliver analyst briefings. This flood of attention can push your AR efforts into a reactive mode, meeting analyst needs at the expense of your business objectives.... - Published: 2024-09-30 - Modified: 2026-09-06 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/09/30/is-there-magic-beyond-the-quadrant-the-top-alternative-methodologies-to-the-gartner-magic-quadrant/ What are the alternatives to the Gartner Magic Quadrant? Read Starsight's list of evaluative methodologies for B2B tech vendors and service providers. If it looks like a quadrant and sounds like a quadrant then is it magic? Not always. A cornerstone of many analyst firms research repertoire’s are vendor evaluation methodologies similar to the world famous Gartner Magic Quadrant. What are evaluative research reports for B2B technology? Starsight defines evaluative reports as research methodologies that screen and include B2B technology solutions and/or service providers in a given category and compare their offerings against set criteria to help technology buyers understand the market landscape and select a vendor in an RFI. They almost always provide a visual representation of the players in a market as and often detailed feature or use case comparisons, which can be used as a starting point by tech buyer teams in the B2B buying process to build long lists, refine short list and even make a final purchase decision. They are not just listings and unidimensional rankings. The evaluative methodologies of the FIGs are the most well known as the Gartner Magic Quadrant, the Forrester Wave and the IDC Marketscape, but there is a vibrant ecosystem of other reports out there. Vendors in dynamic (or noisy) market categories can expect to have RFIs every month from a number of different firms attempting to make sense of your market. However, each of those requests comes with a bandwidth requirement as vendors are expected to provide questionnaire responses, vendor briefings, product demos and sometimes customer references as part of the research process. Therefore, as analyst relations professionals (AR pros), it’s... - Published: 2024-08-29 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/08/29/analysts-are-vips-very-influential-persons/ Industry analysts provide critical insights from interactions with tech buyers & vendors. So treat those analysts like the very influential persons they are. Former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said “Never was so much owed by so many to so few”; in this technological age, those few are industry analysts. These B2B technology influencers are one of the “most helpful information sources” for tech decision-makers according to market researcher Foundry. But what is it about them that makes industry analysts so important? This blog post will discuss their unique market vantage point, their impact on product and sales and why you they should be treated as VIPs – very influential persons. Why are industry analysts so influential with B2B tech buyers? Every year, Gartner has over 465,000 client interactions, those interactions are with both technology buyers and technology products, solutions and services vendors. Those interactions are typically in the form of analyst inquiries, but they can be longer advisory sessions or consulting. When you add research subscriptions and research processes with vendors to that number, the amount of touchpoints analysts have within the tech industry grows even further. This isn’t just limited to the FIGs (Forrester, IDC and Gartner), as almost every analyst firm will have touchpoints like this, albeit on a smaller scale than the big FIG. Those interactions give industry analysts a unique vantage point with access to both buyers and vendors. This makes analysts VIPs – very influential persons. For vendors, that means the relationship should be carefully managed. You can’t treat analysts like journalists and expect results, analyst relations is different from public relations. That’s where the AR... - Published: 2024-07-30 - Modified: 2025-10-15 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/07/30/5-benefits-and-challenges-for-vendors-participating-in-gartners-emerging-market-quadrant/ Gartner's got a new methodology - the Emerging Market Quadrant. But is it worth participating for your org? Read our blog to assess its importance for you. There’s a new Gartner quadrant in town –and it’s not magic. Landmark evaluative methodologies are a cornerstone of analyst firm research. The most famous of those vendor rankings is undoubtedly the Gartner Magic Quadrant. So much that other firms try to replicate it. Because technology provider selection tools for B2B tech buyers generate considerable interest, leads to inquiries with analysts and help shape categories. It also drives research and advisory subscriptions (RAS) from both vendors and buyers. Vendors pay keen interest into those evaluations as create noise, buzz and can be tremendous for positioning in a given market. And our empirical client experience shows an undeniable impact on sales. So, why has Gartner announced the Emerging Market Quadrant? The problem with these vendor evaluations is the huge amount of time it takes for analysts to review all of the vendor RFI submissions. Despite automation, analysts continue to do their own analysis to some extent, as AI still provides unsatisfactory results. As such, Magic Quadrants are only published every 18 months to 2 years for a given category. Gartner has been wrangling that particular conundrum for a while. They’ve been supplementing those reports with the Critical Capabilities reports and Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer but now it is launching the Emerging Market Quadrant. Enter the Gartner Emerging Market Quadrant (eMQ). The new Gartner Emerging Magic Quadrant aims to be a more dynamic report. It will be refreshed every 2-4 weeks. This means vendors have to participate more often, but... - Published: 2024-05-30 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/05/30/are-your-marketing-metrics-losing-you-sales/ Misattribution in marketing metrics can be a disaster. Analyst relations is about more than measurement and offers big bang for your buck. 64% of B2B marketing leaders don’t trust their organization’s marketing measurement for decision-making, according to Forrester. And most B2B marketing metrics aren't scientific at all. Traditionally, marketers look at the buying process and often turn it into a buying funnel where they can score leads in three stages: Awareness, top of the funnel (TOFU) Consideration, middle of the funnel (MOFU) Conversion, bottom of the funnel (BOFU) Causality and known unknowns make linking this funnel to marketing METRICS fall short. Many marketers fall into the trap of inferring causation on a single marketing touchpoint. The thinking there is to detect purchase intent signals, map them to touchpoints in the buying funnel and then organise moments in the buying journey. For example, attributing pipeline to an event. But this is not proved, maybe they already intended to purpose prior to the event, maybe that’s precisely why they attended. Much of the buying journey is unknown. Moreover, the AIDA funnel is dead and the new spaghetti monster sales process has multiple “known unknown” touchpoints with prospects outside of vendor conversations. From peers to social media to mainstream media to industry analysts, there are a whole host of external influences that can make or break your deal before the prospect’s name has even reached your company. Forrester found B2B buyers have 18 valuable interactions before purchasing. These become the known unknowns –we know prospects are interacting with them, but not exactly who they are interacting with. Here, most marketing measurement falls short because of... - Published: 2024-05-01 - Modified: 2025-09-04 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/05/01/the-death-of-the-sales-funnel/ The AIDA sales funnel is dead and it's been replaced by a B2B sales spaghetti monster. It's undeniable that analysts impact sales, but proving it can be tricky. RIP the AIDA SALES funnel. The 110+ year old purchase funnel is OK for B2C... and it’s proven rather enduring. But it doesn't quite cover how analysts impact sales. Elias St. Elmo Lewis who worked back then at Burroughs (of early mainframe fame, now known as Unisys) came up with AIDA around 1898-1910, the idea a consumer moves through four stages when buying a product: Attention Interest Desire Action Source: Techs Place But what works well for B2C doesn’t translate well in the business-to-business world. In our B2B information technology industry, buying hardware, software or services often include teams of buyers, with an average of 25 people, increasing to 35 when you consider those sitting outside of the buying organisation. And it doesn’t stop there: B2B buying involves routinely other parties: consultants and SI’s, ISV’s, VAR’s. The common point between all those third parties? They value and seek third party opinions -that is truly how analysts impact sales. Additionally, B2B technologies or services aren’t an impulse purchase. Sure, you can get a ChatGPT licence and start using GenAI immediately but mostly it’s about experiencing a broken business process and realising that there’s a new way to resolve it. It can come from a hyped issue. Take Y2K or GenAI: maybe the CFO will fear there’s a risk that needs addressing, the CCO will wonder whether customer experience can be improved, etc. And the CEO will ask if her competitors are already using it. As B2B buying turns to groupwork, it... - Published: 2024-01-25 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2024/01/25/are-you-in-shape-for-2024-check-our-4-steps-for-your-analyst-relations-plan/ Your analyst relations plan should be an iterative process, not a one & done activity. Follow these 4 steps, update your plan & set yourself up for AR success. It’s January, and if you haven’t re-vamped your analyst relations plan in over 3 months then it’s time for a makeover –or at least a touch up. Planning an analyst relations programme should be an iterative process, one that takes into account changing business priorities and the evolving technology landscape. Analysts are the top tech influencers, which means they are always ahead of the curve. That’s why your AR plan needs to be able to keep up with them. Whether your goal is a plan on a page or a free flowing slide deck, now is the time to review and update your plans for analyst outreach. The following checklist will help you create an analyst relations plan that meets the needs of your business and of the analyst community. Step 1: review analyst predictions. Every year, the top analyst firms will use their market foresight to publish predictions for the year ahead. From webinars to blog posts to subscriber only research, there is a wealth of material out there. Last year, we listed some of our go-to analyst predictions, but you should not only look at just the FIGs but also check the other relevant top 100 analyst firms for your technology category –many of those challenger and independents are first to spot new trends. These predictions should guide not only your analyst relations plan but your overall company priorities too. When reviewing the predictions, evaluate their relevance to your market and make note of any that have the... - Published: 2023-12-19 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/12/19/starsight-voted-1-analyst-relations-agency-in-emea-for-2023/ In the annual IIAR> awards, team Starsight was voted the top analyst relations agency in EMEA for 2023 by industry analysts. On the 5th of December, on a boat in the River Thames in London, the 2023 IIAR> Awards winners were announced. The analyst relations professionals had voted for their top industry analysts, while the industry analysts voted on leading analyst relations agency and pros. Culminating in an independent, industry awards result where... ... Team Starsight was voted by industry analysts the #1 analyst relations agency in EMEA of the year 2023! After placing on the global podium in 2021 and 2022, we’re now officially number one in EMEA. Throughout this year, we’ve been nurturing our analyst relationships and driving insights-led analyst relations on behalf of our clients. We are thrilled that our hard work has paid off and that industry analysts themselves recognise our expertise in the field. For us, it’s a true testimony of our deep relationships with those top tech influencers. Once again, the FIGIDC was awarded analyst firm of the year. IDC’s Judith Justin was also recognised as IIAR> analyst client partner of the year. For the analyst of the year awards it was spread across analyst firms and split by region, where in the Americas the title went to Ed Anderson / Gartner, for EMEA to Maxine Holt / Omdia and for APAC to Swapnil Bhatnagar / Avasant. Congratulations to you all! Further congratulations to the in-house awardees, where Microsoft took the top spot for AR team of the year. Microsoft team member Patrick O’Rourke was also recognised as a runner up in the AR pro... - Published: 2023-11-30 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/11/30/the-7-wonders-of-outsourced-analyst-relations/ Outsourced analyst relations without planning can lead to disaster. Read this blog to understand common pitfalls and the 7 wonders of working with an AR agency. Diving into analyst relations (AR) without prior experience can lead to disaster. With Starsight’s 40+ years of experience in AR, both in-house and on the agency side, we have witnessed many small and medium companies struggle and often fail with first-time internal establishment of an analyst relations function. The reasons? A clear lack of AR-specific skills, inadequate internal support with misaligned reporting structures and a fundamental deficiency of institutional AR knowledge. This can happen whether you hire inhouse or have outsourced analyst relations. Avoid the three agency pitfalls. Before you embark in your journey with industry analysts, make sure you address the following common traps. Lack of vision and understanding: While a consultancy can be a valuable asset to your AR program, maintaining a clear vision and strategic consistency is imperative. Frequent shifts in strategic priorities can pose challenges for the agency in achieving your objectives. Lack of communication: Security concerns are certainly paramount in today's tech landscape. However, when engaging an agency, transparency and collaboration are key. Extend access to essential resources, materials, and documents, treating the agency as an integral part of your team. Not listening to advice: Remember that you've engaged the agency for their expertise. Rather than attempting to assert dominance, embrace their experience and insights. Outsourced analyst relations agencies often possess years of valuable knowledge to share, from analyst engagement to briefing decks and evaluation reports. The 7 wonders you shall seek from your AR agency. Analyst relations ROI can be elusive –because analyst relations... - Published: 2023-10-26 - Modified: 2025-05-20 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/10/26/do-these-5-things-before-speaking-with-industry-analysts/ Industry analysts are a demanding audience like no other. Check out analyst briefing advice here from Starsight, the Analyst Relations agency. Did you know that an industry analyst briefing is not pay to play? Unlike inquiries or access to research, a call with industry analysts to brief them on your product is free-of-charge, as it ensures analysts have the latest market information and remain the top experts in their field. It contributes to their unique vantage point and is the chance for your company to wow a trusted industry influencer. But free does not mean guaranteed –so it’s key to leverage this opportunity in its entirety. Often you only have one shot to brief them – fail that first impression and you may not see them for another 12 months! That means clear preparation of your spokespeople to ensure success. Below is Starsight’s advice on training analyst briefing spokespeople and making the most of your analyst briefing. Industry analysts are an audience like no other. Do not fall into the trap of treating an analyst briefing like a press interview or a sales pitch. Analysts are not journalists and your PR agency’s spokesperson training will not suffice here. Analysts are a different audience who wants full product overviews and future vision, not news updates. Nor will your own company’s sales training fit the bill. An analyst advises tech buyers but are not ones themselves. Analysts are market experts with a unique vantage point that means their briefings require extra attention. Make sure that you know what you want from an analyst briefing and prepare accordingly. Consider which of the four impacts... - Published: 2023-09-29 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/09/29/5-ways-tech-vendors-can-leverage-industry-analysts-to-shape-and-refine-their-thought-leadership-content/ 5 ways analysts can help technology vendors improve their thought leadership and content marketing with an original company POV, thanks to analyst relations. In an attention economy caused by the clutter and noise of social media machinery, companies need to cut through the noise. Your company POV (point of view) defines whether you demonstrate thought leadership, driving the conversation in the marketplace, or thought followership, chasing trends and playing catch-up. A strong POV shapes a company’s identity and clarifies its value proposition. This ensures customers know who you are and what you can deliver. Oftentimes, companies miss the mark here. If you lack a POV, your executives can appear fragmented and as if they don’t even work for the same company. Just as industry analysts shape market trends, they can help shape your company POV. Analysts are the irreplaceable and original thought leaders of the tech industry. Their unique vantage point between technology vendors, buyers and investors ensure they are primed to successfully position a company in market. Here, we list 5 ways marketers can use analysts to create, clarify and actualise a unique POV. #1. Deepen market understanding with analyst inquiries. Your POV should resonate with your customers and address their needs. Analysts have hundreds of conversations with all ecosystem players every year, that’s customers, investors and competitors. Through inquiries with those industry analysts, you can tap into those conversations and gather insights much faster to deepen your market understanding. Ask what customers want, ask what your competitors are doing and ask how you can fill any gaps. Use this information to shape your company POV and ensure your message hits the... - Published: 2023-08-10 - Modified: 2025-06-02 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/08/10/top-briefing-tips-from-analysts/ You only get one shot at your first analyst briefing, so make it count. We asked analysts for their advice to help B2B tech vendors brief analysts better. No matter what your PR agency says, industry analysts are not the same as media journalists. Press reporters interviews are an opportunity to tell your company’s story in the hope of inspiring a newsworthy, clickable, headline. An analyst briefing is different. Briefings for industry analysts such as the FIG's (Forrester, IDC and Gartner) and other analyst firms are an opportunity to tell your company’s story in the hope that they will be able to accurately position your company in the many customer conversations they have or in a trusted, independent piece of research. This is one of the key differences between analyst relations and public relations. To help you navigate analyst conversations effectively, we asked some of our analyst friends for their advice on delivering a top-notch analyst briefing. Whether you’re a startup delivering your first ever analyst briefing or a company with an established and successful AR programme, it is vital to strike right balance between analyst wants and your stakeholder’s bandwidth / resources. Therefore, understanding the analyst mindset is key for your planning. Dive in below for top analyst briefing tips, check our guide on how to run analyst briefings... and do those 5 things before speaking to analysts! What makes a vendor briefing useful? “Benefit for my to-be-advised customers and later access to in-depth material for writing (supplementary materials). ” Ralf Korb / Korb & Kollegen “Real-world case studies and customer success stories can provide valuable evidence and demonstrate the vendor's capabilities. ” Raghunandhan Kuppuswamy / IDC... - Published: 2023-07-06 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/07/06/are-analysts-still-the-top-tech-influencers/ There has never been more general interest in technology than today. Analysts can help as the top tech influencers to navigate the tech landscape. There has never been more general interest in technology than today, with everyday people contemplating whether Generative AI will be the saviour or doomsday for humanity. With holograms, self-driving cars and the world’s information at your fingertips from shop opening times to entire encyclopaedias, the information age has profoundly changed our lives. As businesses are having to increasingly adapt to this digital era, they need guidance and assurance to make the right moves. They also need to know who are the top tech influencers that their buyers listen to. Enter: industry analysts, helping navigate the technology industry since 1964– the year of the first mainframe and first analyst firm. Analysts have touchpoints with technology providers and buyers alike, giving them a unique viewpoint of the market. And yet, many say the industry analyst model is ready to be disrupted. Who are industry analysts? Analysts are the market pulse. As defined by the IIAR> “An information and communications technology (ICT) industry analyst is a person, working individually or within a firm analysing and publishing research and/or opinions, forecasts, market sizing, on ICT products and services trends, adoption, market-fit, procurement, deployment and/or advising independently technology buyers and vendors and/or providing go-to-market services. ” For examples of analyst firms, check out our two blog posts on the FIGs, the largest analyst firms Forrester, IDC and Gartner, and on the rest of the analyst firm ecosystem. Analysts are TOP trusted advisors with a unique vantage point. For tech buyers, analyst firms can expediate purchasing... - Published: 2023-06-01 - Modified: 2026-07-02 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/06/01/who-are-the-top-100-industry-analyst-firms-for-b2b-tech-influence/ There are over 100 industry analyst firms of market importance. Read this blog to understand who the key market players are and how they fit in the market as alternatives to the FIGs (Forrester, IDC, Gartner). Updated June 2026. Note that the industry analyst market is fluid and some brands now sit inside larger research groups, for example Canalys and ESG inside the Omdia / Informa TechTarget orbit, 451 is a division of S&P Global Market Intelligence and Ventana was acquired by ISG. TL;DR: the FIG's –Gartner, Forrester and IDC– matter, but they are not the whole analyst market. Start-up CEOs and seasoned AR pros should look beyond those FIGs and build an analyst portfolio that includes all-rounders, specialists, local champions, market mavens and sourcing advisors. The right mix helps you test positioning, shape category visibility, support go-to-market and influence buyers in the ever evolving AI era. Who are the top 100 industry analyst firms for B2B tech influence as best alternatives to the FIGs? There are over 100 industry analyst firms of market importance. As explained by the IIAR>, industry analysts are market experts that offer a unique third-party perspective on technology providers, informed by conversations with technology vendors, users and buyers. They publish research, share insights through inquiries and enable go-to-market activities through whitepapers and webinars. Engaging with a variety of analyst firm is key to building a cohesive AR programme that delivers on all four benefits of analyst relations. The landscape of analyst firms is plentiful and all types of firms play a key role in scaling any analyst relations programme. We often hear about the FIGs (Forrester, IDC and Gartner), the three largest industry analyst firms globally. However, there are a host... - Published: 2023-04-20 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/04/20/the-figs-who-are-the-biggest-analyst-firms/ FIG, Starsight's acronym for Forrester, IDC and Gartner, are the biggest analyst firms in reverse order. Check who they are, past the magic quadrant. When it comes to industry analysts, there’s three firms everyone has heard of: the FIGs. That’s Forrester, IDC and Gartner, the biggest analyst firms both in revenue and in analyst count. But just because you know the name doesn’t mean you know their story, and in analyst relations, the story is always important. So who exactly are these three firms and what makes them so interesting to technology buyers and vendors? The Gartner Gorilla. Gartner is the largest analyst firm by a landslide. In 2022, Gartner technology research revenues were USD 3. 6b. At present, they have over 1,700 analyst experts, each one covering a specific technology area or persona. It is most known for their landmark evaluative research report, the Gartner Magic Quadrant, which is leveraged by sales and marketing teams alike to prove market dominance in a specific market category. Other noteworthy Gartner methodologies include the Gartner Hype Cycle, which predicts the emergence and divergence of technologies and the Gartner Cool Vendor reports, which, you guessed it, lists up and coming tech vendors in a given category. Gartner has deep technological expertise and covers a broad range of categories in their research and advisory services. These analysts know and understand technology and advise buyers on the best adoption strategy for their use case through over 500,000 client inquires (phone consultations) each year. Forrester for edgy. Forrester has deep business expertise and demonstrates the need for technology across various roles and teams. The firm’s revenue was USD 537m in 2022... - Published: 2023-03-09 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/03/09/how-can-you-tell-your-analyst-relations-has-reached-cruising-altitude/ When you have been engaging analysts for a while, you might notice a change. Analyst relations pros will see a shift when they reach cruising altitude. Have you ever started a job and had to make your way around the office? Introducing yourself to all the teams you might work with some day and trying to prove that you’ll be a great asset to them. After a few weeks, you might work with some of those people and try to learn from them. Then you’ll suddenly become the person people want to learn from and face a whole new set of challenges. Analyst relations is kind of like that. AR maturity won’t come quick, but there are clear metrics and turning points you can aim for. Many mature programmes aim for long-term AR plays, like category creation or reaching the leaders quadrant in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. In the short term, a more impactful goal is to understand whether you are truly affecting market conversations – one tell-tale sign of this is inbound analyst inquiries. Below is a quick view of 4 key milestones to get you there:  Step 1: Introduction – briefings put you right in front of those key players and allow you to make your case.    If you’re a bootstrapped start-up trying to start your AR journey, remember that briefings are free to deliver and the opportunity is available to any vendor who is relevant to that analyst. A great briefing will help you build awareness with these analysts, key for programmes who have previously focused on one geography or a single firm. Use briefings to activate the long tail of analysts... - Published: 2023-02-06 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2023/02/06/the-rise-of-b2b-peer-review-sites/ Download our eBook on B2B peer review sites to learn how to manage your reputation and leverage social proof to win trust and deals. B2B buying is increasingly adapting to mirror B2C buying; and the importance of peer review sites is no exception. Consumer review sites have existed for years, with Trip Advisor, Yelp and TrustPilot being a first port of call for many B2C buyers before making a big purchase. This trend is now thriving in the B2B space also, with 95% of businesses reading online reviews to narrow down potential providers and choose software that meets their needs according to Gartner. B2B peer review sites like TrustRadius, G2 and PeerSpot are now go-to’s for B2B tech buyers seeking honest reviews from product users. In addition, industry analysts are paying more and more attention to B2B peer review sites. Omdia has a formal partnership with TrustRadius and analysts use the reviews to inform vendor ratings as part of the Omdia Universe reports. Gartner Peer Insights reviews have officially replaced the customer reference portion of Magic Quadrant evaluations. We’ve also heard analysts from other firms discuss peer review sites as a key resource for their own desk research. Starsight’s advice: ignore B2B peer review sites at your peril. Peer review sites such as G2, TrustRadius, Gartner Peer Insights, PeerSpot, Capterra, GetApp, Software Reviews and more are increasingly present along the whole of the technology purchase cycle. Download Starsight's quick guide to peer review sites and learn: How peer reviews impact your business? The personality of the peer review sites. The pre-requisites required for peer review success. Where to find existing resources to help you... - Published: 2022-12-15 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/12/15/starsight-voted-2-iiar-ar-agency-of-the-year-2022-by-industry-analysts-the-only-european-agency-on-the-podium/ As the only European analyst relations agency on the podium, we are once again leading the field on our side of the Atlantic as a top AR agency. Starsight was recognised for the second year running by industry analyst colleagues as the #2 IIAR> top AR Agency Of The Year 2022 globally at the institute’s annual IIAR> awards. Starsight is the only European agency on the podium, once again leading the field on our side of the Atlantic. We are humbled and honoured to be voted for by the analyst community and are thrilled that our work over the past year has delighted both our clients and the analysts we work with. Thank you to everyone who voted for us! We also want to wish a huge congratulations to our peers, we’re humbled to share the podium with the other top AR agency players, Spotlight AR and Schaffer AR. We’ve enjoyed contributing together to the AR professionals community on IIAR> projects throughout this year and you truly deserve the praise for all your hard work. The awards were a great success for our friends over at IDC, with Crawford del Prete’s team once again being crowned analyst firm of the year. In addition, Archana Venkatraman was hailed analyst of the year, unsurprising for anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Archana and hearing her future-thinking ideas. Nathalie Feeney from IDC also won analyst client partner of the year, a truly deserved recognition for the time and effort she puts into delivering value for her clients. We work closely with IDC across a number of our clients and it’s great to see their hard work and passion... - Published: 2022-11-15 - Modified: 2025-10-22 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/11/15/four-ways-to-make-your-analyst-relations-strategy-deliver-value-in-2023/ Learn how a stellar analyst relations strategy can boost your business and improve your company strategy in 2023 by engaging top tech influencers. 4 ways to make your analyst relations strategy drive value for B2B tech startups and scaleups. Technology buyers will need to navigate the digital paradox in 2023: accelerate digitalisation under greater cost pressures. Despite all the doom and gloom, tech spending will remain strong, with Gartner’s 2Q22 forecasting enterprise technology spend to accelerate from 5. 9% in 2022 to 6. 3% in 2023 as companies will use digital technology to realise operational efficiency and cost gains. However, with software prices set to rise, these purchasing decisions will not be made lightly. An analyst relations strategy can help you navigate this challenge. Buyers will turn to industry analysts as they need help to scrutinise their technology investments. During the 2008 recession and the pandemic, analyst firms reported strong financial results and inquiries with analysts have skyrocketed as decision makers called to rationalise their technology portfolio and arbitrage their investments or adapt to supply chain issues and remote work. We’re hearing much the same now with analysts telling us buyers are calling as they’re in the middle of their 2023 planning. Why? Analysts act as a lighthouse in a storm for organisations facing economic uncertainty. They are not just top advisors, both for buyers and investors, but are thought leaders producing research consistently stated as the most credible –for instance Foundry’s latest report cites industry analyst research as a top content type buyers rely upon at every stage of the purchase process.   Source: Foundry Customer Engagement EMEA Study 2021 For 2023,... - Published: 2022-09-29 - Modified: 2025-05-27 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/09/29/gear-up-for-2023-with-analyst-predictions/ Each year, analyst predictions events are held in the tech industry. How can these help you plan for business success? Read this blog to find out. Calendar year Q4 is almost upon us, which means it’s time to sit back and watch the rest of the year unfold. Just kidding! Now is the time to start thinking about your plans for next year. For any business, it’s important to understand your industry as a whole before you start planning your next steps: the market baselines, the budding opportunities and the potential pitfalls. Analyst predictions can help. As personifications of the market pulse, industry analysts are instrumental in gathering this intel. Their unique vantage point across end-users, tech-buyers, investors and tech suppliers allows them to paint a fully informed picture of the industry. But what if you don’t have the budget to set up analyst inquiries with all your key industry players? Enter: predictions season. Every year, a number of analyst firms host predictions events, either in-person, virtually or with a hybrid approach. This is where analysts take their collective knowledge and compile a set of predictions for the coming year – or years – for their area of expertise. Many of these are free to attend and so it’s a great opportunity to access analyst insights, even if you are a start-up or an SMB. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the top predictions events that have been announced so far.   IDC Futurescapes. From October to December, IDC is hosting over 45 on-demand and live webinars, each one with predictions for a specific industry, business role or region. They are also hosting a hybrid event for... - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2025-10-15 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/05/09/how-much-do-i-need-to-pay-to-be-in-a-gartner-magic-quadrant-and-4-other-analyst-relations-myths/ Debunking AR industry myths, like paying for MQ inclusion works and everyone should want to be in a Gartner Magic Quadrant report. There are long-held industry myths that have prevailed in the analyst relations profession. Despite LinkedIn touting analyst relations as one of the fastest growing jobs for 2022 and investors mandating AR programs, there is still a lack of understanding of the function within many companies. Much of this is surrounding the largest FIG* – Gartner. The firm has outsized impact on the industry, with over 4B USD revenue and over 2,000 industry analysts across their research and advisory services. However, the Gartner Magic Quadrant is the one key component of the firm which raises the most questions. The ubiquitous Magic Quadrant, or MQ in industry terms, is used and abused by tech-buyers everywhere and thus, it has become notorious among technology providers. With 87 Gartner Magic Quadrants covering as many technology markets, MQs drive a disproportionate amount of conversations across the half a million client interactions Gartner analysts conduct each year. At Starsight, we often get asked 5 questions: How much do I need to pay to be in a Magic Quadrant? Are MQs impartial? Are Gartner MQs good for business? Very few clients think to ask the most important questions: should we try to be in a magic quadrant? And what do we pay Gartner for? Here, we’ll cover those burning questions everyone is asking and share the questions everyone should be asking. Once you’ve settled on an informed MQ strategy, be sure to check out our blog on tips for Gartner Magic Quadrant success, written by former Gartner... - Published: 2022-02-24 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/02/24/3-ways-to-use-inquiries-as-your-secret-competitive-weapon/ Three examples of ways you can leverage analyst inquiries for ROI on your analyst firm research contracts and to get smarter faster. Analyst relations teams are the CIA of tech companies thanks to one very specific AR competitive weapon: industry analyst inquiries. This month, we have been supporting the IIAR> with their best practice paper on how to run an inquiry. We thought we would take some time to unpack why you should run inquiries and how they are a unique part of the analyst relations toolkit.   ... Read More » - Published: 2022-01-20 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2022/01/20/magic-numbers-the-hidden-impact-of-market-shares-and-forecasts/ We explain how technology vendors can make magic with market shares and forecast reports. With input from analysts at IDC, Canalys, PAC and ITCandor. Market shares and forecasts aren’t simply a representation of yesteryear –they can create market categories. But what analysts don’t always tell you about market numbers is the subjective methodological choices they involve. Mark Twain once said that “Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable. ” Of course in our previous blog post, we discussed both the power and limitations of market shares. We explained how assumptions and market models are embedded in the method and subjective choices inform the end result. Market shares are actually one of the most impactful research methodologies –beating even landmark evaluations such as the Gartner Magic Quadrant for media impact. Market sizing underpins market shares which act as the basis for market forecasts, thus highly relevant for future business planning. As market shares align to taxonomies, they are a key methodology in category creation. In addition, they are widely referred to by investors, suppliers, the media and tech buyers. Here, we will explain how you can weaponise this method across all 4 impacts of analyst relations and provide advice from the analysts who write market share reports. Impact #1: market shares and forecasts provide unparalleled insights into competitive dynamics. Market shares function as the storyline of the technology market, making them an important tool for investor relations. Bo Lykkegaard / IDC explains how “You can read straight out of a market share who the largest players are, who is fast growing and who is losing influence in a given market. ” By displaying your... - Published: 2021-12-03 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/12/03/starsight-communications-is-recognised-as-an-industry-leader-in-iiar-awards-2021/ Starsight Communications was voted as the #2 analyst relations agency by industry analysts in the IIAR> awards 2021. Read all about it in this blog post. On the 2nd December 2021, the Institute of Influencer & Analyst Relations (IIAR>) announced its annual awards. We are ecstatic that Starsight Communications placed second in the Analyst Relations Agency of the Year category, as voted by analysts. The Starsight team is delighted to be recognised by industry analysts and peers –our client feedback so far is also extremely encouraging. We pride ourselves on our community contribution, in particular through our engagement with the IIAR>. Through this, we have had the chance to work with the majority of this year's award winners and nominees. Starsight founder, Ludovic Leforestier, has contributed to many recent thought leading publications. Including the analyst webinars below and several best practice papers such as the IIAR> Primer: Why should startups and scale-ups have an analyst relations strategy? . Or the IIAR> Primer: Future Shock: The Coming State of Analyst Relations. As well as several IIAR> Best Practices Papers on building an AR plan, running a briefing, etc. Those contributions are of course pro-bono, free to access for IIAR> members and aim to advance analyst & influencer relations as a profession... . Read More » - Published: 2021-11-18 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/11/18/the-powers-and-limitations-of-market-share-methodology/ Technology vendors, start-ups and scaleups all can weaponise market shares. Here’s what you must understand about this key analyst methodology. Market shares have many virtues. They size the market, allowing firms and investors to estimate market potential, both total addressable market and total serviceable market. They create categories in which vendors might be leaders and show where vendors are placed in comparison to the wider market. Finally, they provide market momentum for large vendors and for vendors in growing markets. We’ll come back in our next transmission on how vendors can use market sizing, forecast and shares. This time, we’re exploring the powers and limitations of market share methodologies... . Read More » - Published: 2021-10-28 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/10/28/gartners-magic-quadrant-tips-for-success/ Prepare to compete at Olympic-level in your next Gartner Magic Quadrant with tips for success from our partner, Nigel Montgomery. If the technology industry had an Olympic Games, would your company want to compete? Almost certainly! Cast your mind back to summer 2021: Tokyo Olympics were in full swing, sports stars breaking records to win gold. There must be a link between the Olympians and the aspirational technology vendors participating to be a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrants (MQ), right? ... Read More » - Published: 2021-10-14 - Modified: 2025-07-08 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/10/14/how-are-your-analyst-research-subscriptions-like-a-gym-membership/ Starsight's 5 drills for industry analyst research subscriptions shows they are like a gym membership. Both are use it or lose it & need work to see results. Starsight’s five drills to ensure you’re getting value from analyst firms. How many times have you auto-renewed a gym membership, only to never walk through the door again?  As our partner Thomas Otter says, analyst firm subscriptions are like gym memberships: use it or lose it. You won’t get any money back at the end of the year if you only go to the gym once, and you won’t get money back if you have 10 inquiry hours leftover either.   It’s easy to buy into the dream that sales teams sell, but it’s your job to make it reality. Schedule regular assessments of the value being delivered through your subscriptions. If there is none then it's time to re-evaluate your strategy... . Read More » - Published: 2021-09-23 - Modified: 2025-07-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/09/23/to-swag-or-not-to-swag/ A Starsight survey of analysts and AR pros gave us valuable insights on industry best practices when it comes to event swag. You might have noticed last month that our Twitter timeline was taken over by a hot debate in the analyst relations industry: to swag or not to swag? We saw industry analyst input from a host of firms, including Gartner, Constellation Research, HFS Research, Gigaom, Otter Advisory and VDC Research.   Ever been to an event and received a backpack of free stuff, only to have those giveaways (aka swag) sit on a shelf and gather dust? Or maybe you’ve been gifted something that seemed useful, but fell apart the first time you used it? Or maybe you were lucky and you got something free that has lasted and become a staple in your life?   If you work as an industry analyst, you’ve likely had at least one of these things happen. Probably even all of them, and more than once! If you work in analyst relations, you’ve likely given out gifts like those described. Hopefully yours fell into the last category... ... Read More » - Published: 2021-09-02 - Modified: 2025-07-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/09/02/what-are-the-4-business-impacts-of-analyst-relations/ Understand the benefits of an analyst relations program beyond inclusion in a report. Read our blog to understand the 4 business impacts of AR. Sure, a Gartner Magic Quadrant might look pretty on your website –but did you know that your business will reap benefits far beyond that? Many B2B technology business leaders only come across industry analysts when things are going well. Maybe when your company has been positively mentioned in an analyst report such as the Gartner Cool Vendors? The other time is when things are not good. Like when you hear that you have lost out on a deal because analysts are recommending your competitors. Analyst relations delivers bang for its buck, creating a positive impact across your company... . Read More » - Published: 2021-07-21 - Modified: 2025-07-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/07/21/10-truths-on-analyst-relations-for-tech-startups/ AR does not have to be a “blue-chip vendor only” advantage. Tech startups, can, and should, implement AR programme as early as possible. Your tech startup is perfectly poised to disrupt the industry, your MVP is out and beta clients are raving about it. You’re on a path to scale but first, all startups need to answer some life or death questions. How to convince investors your solution is genuinely innovative? Where to expand? What features to prioritise for the best product-market fit? In which category should you play and how to position your offerings to appeal to customer needs? Industry analysts are the #1 information source for evaluating emerging technologies according to Sapphire’s 2020 CIO Innovation Index –and the #2 source for effective ways for startups to get attention after VC’s.   ... Read More » - Published: 2021-06-28 - Modified: 2025-07-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/06/28/the-5-differences-between-ar-and-pr-and-why-you-should-run-them-separately/ PR comes out best managing a crisis whilst AR is best at enabling you to lead a category. Differences: targets, content, timeframes, salience & focus. To the untrained eye, analyst & B2B influencer relations (AR) share similar traits with PRESS & PUBLIC RELATIONS (PR). But they are very different business functions.   Media relations (PR) comes out at its best managing a crisis. During quieter times, it delivers repeat coverage. Building brand awareness –essential not only for recognition at the top of the funnel, but builds brand equity over time.   ... Read More » - Published: 2021-05-26 - Modified: 2025-07-07 - URL: https://www.starsight.biz/2021/05/26/hello-world/ Starsight Communications is a new analyst & influencer relations agency, supporting vendors to build relationships with firms and deliver AR tactics. Starsight Communications is a new kind of specialist influencer & analyst relations consultancy. Insights-driven, strategic and hands-on.   Our name has AR, as in analyst relations, at its core: we’re 100% focussed on B2B influencers & analysts and we exist to help technology vendors build relationships with this demanding audience. We don’t do media relations, or anything else, as a side hustle. We are all influencer and analyst relations experts – and the first agency with 100% IIAR> Certified Professionals. We know our friends in the analyst community and will help you get to know them... . Read More » > For more information about Starsight or its analyst relations services, visit https://www.starsight.biz/contact/. Content is published by Starsight Communications and should be attributed to Starsight when referenced.