This document analyzes data from early Cool Vendors (CVs) named before 2014 and later CVs named after 2014. It finds that early CVs were more likely to already have analyst relations programs in place and saw greater commercial benefits from being named a CV, especially in sales. Later CVs were more likely to be discovered by Gartner through other analysts' reports and saw more benefit in product marketing. While both early and late CVs experienced a range of growth impacts, early CVs reported their designation had a greater impact on sales, and later CVs reported more impact on product development. The study also found regional differences, with US firms generally reporting more commercial impact from their CV designation.

1. Early and Late
Cool Vendors
- A comparison
dc@gartnerobservatory.com
DUNCAN
CHAPPLE
GARTNER
OBSERVATORY

2. The research
COOL VENDORS AS AN EXAMPLE
Initial study in 2014
Opportunities
Why research endorsements
◦ Advantages of CVs
◦ Small enough to speak to op executives
◦ Small enough that the entire process can
be captures
OUR RESEARCH
How to identify CVs
◦ Hundreds each year
◦ Our outreach
◦ CV’s responses
Two segments of CVs
◦ “Early”: pre 2014
◦ “Later”: post 2014
Regional analysis
◦ It’s different in the USA

3. Two periods of data collection: 2014 and 2018
Early
Count Percent
Complete 193 100
Partial 0 0
Disqualified 0 0
Totals 193
Late
Count Percent
Complete 91 100
Partial 0 0
Disqualified 0 0
Totals 91

4. Did AR get CVs on Gartner’s
radar?
Early: Gartner
already knew
the CVs
01
Late: Hunt for
Cool Vendors
02
Maybe:
Vendors doing
AR with other
analyst firms
03

5. Late firms more likely to have met other analysts first
What were your analyst relations efforts like in the year before being
named Cool Vendor?
Late
Early
0: Series
0:Late
0:Early
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
No Analyst Relations, purely
reactive
Early 64% 87 98%
Late 36% 48 54%
Proactive only with Gartner Early 73% 48 54%
Late 27% 18 20%
Proactive with other analysts Early 70% 53 60%
Late 30% 23 26%

6. Is CV the result of AR?
GENERALLY YES
Early firms
US firms
◦ US CVs spend much more time
doing AR
GENERALLY NO
Late firms
Non-US firms

7. Late vendors did not meet through AR
Do you feel that being named Cool Vendor resulted directly from your
Analyst Relations programme?
Late
Early
0:Late
0:Early
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
Yes Early 68% 76 85%
Late 32% 35 39%
No Early 33% 26 29%
Late 68% 54 61%

8. Did CV spark AR?
Early firms were
already doing AR
Later firms were
not
Were often
surprised by the
CV designation or
were unaware of it

9. Late vendors less likely to start AR after winning CV
Did being named Cool Vendor lead to the implementation of an
Analyst Relations programme within your company?
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
Yes Early 54% 22 24%
Late 46% 19 21%
No Early 47% 64 71%
Late 53% 71 79%

10. Commercial impact
Early firms have
felt more impact
Non-US firms
were most likely
to say it has made
no impact

11. Early vendors see more success from CV
Your commercial success
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
None Early 73% 40 44%
Late 27% 15 17%
Some Early 64% 116 129%
Late 36% 66 73%
Quite a lot Early 60% 12 13%
Late 40% 8 9%
More than anticipated Early 91% 10 11%

12. Funding impact
DATA
Most US CVs: positive impact
Most on-US CVs: no impact
HYPOTHESES
Investors and investment
professionals consume CV reports
or derivative insight
Growing acceptance

13. Late vendors see more impact on funding from CV
Raising external funding
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
None Early 73% 114 130%
Late 27% 43 49%
Some Early 60% 56 64%
Late 40% 37 42%
Quite a lot Early 50% 7 8%
Late 50% 7 8%
More than anticipated Early 50% 1 1%

14. Hiring impact
DATA
Most US CVs: positive impact
Most on-US CVs: no impact
HYPOTHESES
Survivor bias
Older firms need to hire more
widely
Firms leverage the CV designation
for years

15. Early vendors benefitted more with hiring
Attracting new employees
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
None Early 69% 103 114%
Late 31% 46 51%
Some Early 60% 61 68%
Late 40% 41 46%
Quite a lot Early 81% 13 14%
Late 19% 3 3%
More than anticipated Early 100% 1 1%

16. Marketing impact
Older firms
have done
more
US firms
report more
impact

17. Early vendors have used it more for marketing
Your marketing and/or visibility
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
None Early 78% 31 34%
Late 23% 9 10%
Some Early 64% 104 116%
Late 36% 59 66%
Quite a lot Early 64% 38 42%
Late 36% 21 23%
More than anticipated Early 80% 4 4%

18. /
Growth impact
Similar range
of different
experiences
01
Different use
of the CV?
02
US firms
generally
report more
impact
03

19. Similar impact on growth
What percentage of your growth do you feel is attributable to being
named CV?
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
1-5% Early 68% 124 144%
Late 32% 59 69%
5-10% Early 67% 38 44%
Late 33% 19 22%
10-15% Early 67% 8 9%
Late 33% 4 5%
15% or more Early 67% 8 9%

20. Overall
impact
Early CVs: sales impact was greater
Later firms: product impact was greater
◦ Less mature firms need product insight more?
◦ CV segments get smaller and more relevant

21. Early CVs boosted sales; later CVs boosted product marketing
Which department benefitted the most from being named CV?
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
Marketing Early 64% 109 122%
Late 36% 61 69%
Sales Early 73% 62 70%
Late 27% 23 26%
Product
Development/Product
Management
Early 58% 7 8%
Late 42% 5 6%

22. Getting onto other analysts’
radar
Early CVs: little
time with other
analysts
Later CVs: more
time with other
analysts
Did other analysts’
research somehow
lead users to bring
late CVs to Gartner’s
attention?
Regional
differences
US: 31% not
mentioned by other
analysts
Non-US: 45% not
mentioned by other
analysts

23. Does CV now seem to get late CVs on other analysts radar?
After you were named CV, have you been mentioned in reports by
other research firms?
Early Late
0:Early
0:Late
0: Series
Value Segment Percent Count % of Total
Yes, plenty Early 52% 14 16%
Late 48% 13 14%
Yes, a few Early 65% 82 91%
Late 35% 44 49%
Not at all Early 71% 82 91%
Late 29% 33 37%

24. Summary
Is the sales force
being enabled
through CV?
29% of US firms 17% of non-US
CV helps
vendors capture
the imagination

25. Early and Late
Cool Vendors
- A comparison
dc@gartnerobservatory.com
DUNCAN
CHAPPLE
GARTNER
OBSERVATORY