Why Can't Case Studies Be More Positive?

"A high-tech advantage lets us 'play with the big boys.'"

-- customer case study

Yesterday I said that CMO growth champions are effective at managing a paradox: the opposing sides of process and creative -- the steady state versus big bang theories of business expansion. But what about the technology vendors that market to them? What do they say to CMOs who are out to prove that solid productivity gains and big-time growth are not mutually exclusive?

For many tech vendors, the productivity message comes first, growth second. Take this case study by Siebel. Note that this case is not about just any software. This is about Siebel's marketing solution. And the key message? Cost savings.

Now look at this case study from my client Two Step Software. Like Siebel, my client makes what is essentially a productivity solution. But the case study connects the dots between productivity and growth. And growth is the star. One of the ways this works is by making the case about a single central problem -- not just about growth in the abstract. The particular problem is both growth related and one with which the target audience will closely identify. Specifically it is about how to position the subject of the case (a law firm) on a level playing field in its own industry against much larger players.

There's a lot of other technique stuff going on here -- like opening the case with a "success story within a success story" about one of the largest VC deals of 2004.

My real point, however, is that tech companies need to reach beyond tired productivity messages and address what business customers really want -- competitive advantage. In that context, productivity is just an essential means to an end. But the audience won't get it without help. If tech companies expect to sell a growth message, they first have to express it.