ICT research and advisory firm DataDriven uses Glow to capture robust data to fuel its subscription and consulting services.
The challenge
DataDriven (DD) operates in the fast-moving, highly technical ICT sector, providing data-based advisory services to enterprise organizations to ensure that key business decisions are grounded in facts.
DD addresses two key challenges decision-makers face in the IT and technology space. The first challenge is that a growing volume of thought leadership content is opinion, not fact, which risks influencing critical business decisions without substance. As Craig Baty, CEO of DataDriven, comments,
“Opinions without data behind it are a dime a dozen.”
DataDriven’s response is to produce data-informed, fact-based thought leadership to support ICT decision-makers to lead the market. DataDriven creates content from rigorous research underpinned by proven analytical frameworks and undertaken by industry experts.
The second and related challenge is that ICT professionals want to engage in dialogue, discussion, and debate as part of the decision-making process. Instead, the information they need is often delivered passively, in difficult-to-digest formats through channels like ‘social’ media that are increasingly prone to click-bait and misinformation. DataDriven’s response to this challenge is to put the ‘social’ back into the process, by creating face-to-face opportunities for decision-makers to engage with vendors and peers.
These two approaches enable DataDriven to put the facts back into ICT thought leadership and deliver them in personalized, engaging ways, making it easier for executives to make important ICT decisions.
The solution
The fuel for DataDriven’s approach is the aggregated opinions of senior B2B ICT professionals. This data forms the bedrock of DD’s analysis, powers their modeling, and informs their strategic point of view. Glow captures this data for DD by accessing key ICT decision-makers through our comprehensive multi-panel respondent base. Our intuitive research software is then used to survey the respondents and allow DD to analyze and extract the data as needed. Glow provides support throughout the survey process to ensure high-quality data is collected fast.
"Glow has become my platform of choice"
Glow and DD have worked together across several research projects to collect data from senior executives in more than 15 markets around the world, with a key focus on Asia Pacific and Japan. The data collected provides the fuel for DD’s research subscription and consulting offerings.
"The bulk of what we need to do, 80-90% is within the Glow platform. The translation, the survey design, the logic flow. And the Glow team really helps us optimize the surveys as well"
Glow’s unique model supports DD’s needs in critical areas:
- Audience access – Glow’s multi-panel integration of quality respondent panels ensures we can capture robust numbers of respondents for DD across any market, even when the B2B target audience is niche.
- Instant language translation – Glow’s in-built instant translation tools and easy survey editing enable DD’s local market analysts to perform language localization in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional translation processes.
- Real-time analysis – live data enables DD to validate the quality of responses as they are collected and learn in real-time so they can adjust questions or logic if needed.
- One-click data interrogation – intuitive crosstab and filtering tools in the platform enable DD to find the insights quickly before they take the data into their own BI tools for more sophisticated modeling.
- Simple data exporting and sharing – one-click export enables DD to easily extract raw data, visual charts, or editable PowerPoint slides. Sharing controls empower them to control stakeholder access to the data and content by format.
- Expert support – Glow’s experts provide question design and flow logic support as well as conduct human quality assurance to ensure quality data output.
“The team is extremely professional…Nothing is too hard, they will do what they need to do ”
The outcome
DD has just completed a large-scale survey of almost 2,600 B2B ICT decision-makers in 10 key Asia/Pacific countries, spanning 5 languages and 10 industry sectors. The data captured by Glow is used to inform rich market studies based on an analysis framework created by DD’s founder Craig Baty, as part of his Doctoral studies.
The approach starts by framing the context in which the business is operating through a PESTELI analysis (Political, Environmental, Societal, Technological, Economic, Legal, International).
Respondents then identify their business challenges and highlight the role of B2B ICT decision-makers in addressing those challenges.
Other modules identify the specific ICT solutions planned (including hot topics such as Generative AI, machine learning, Metaverse, Cloud, IoT, Workplace innovation, and Digital Enablement), isolate decision-making criteria and sourcing preferences, interrogate industry-specific ICT challenges, and much more.
The modular design of the study and its market coverage means this rich data asset can be interrogated across a multitude of dimensions to provide insights for different markets, stakeholders, and technology areas.
The team at DD is using this content to help their client’s decision-making, sales, and channel enablement and to create thought leadership material for localized in-country go-to-market activities, including PR, webinars, conferences, blog posts, social posts, roundtables, and more.
“The reason I’d recommend Glow is because they are small enough to be responsive but large enough and professional enough to be able to produce high-quality research that can be used by the largest companies in the world.”
Learn more about how the DD team use Glow to drive their business forward.
To learn more about DataDriven or to access their suite of ICT industry insights reports, visit datadrivenservices.com.au.
To learn more about how Glow can help your business conduct high-quality market research quickly, visit our website or book an intro with one of our friendly team.
