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Q&A with Jay Gaines, CMO at Forrester

Jay Gaines, CMO at Forrester has over 20 years of experience in organizational design and leadership, marketing strategy and planning, marketing budget and operations management, demand creation, sales and marketing alignment, and digital strategy in a variety of b-to-b industries.

In this Q&A, Jay shares insightful thoughts about the audience-centric approach at SiriusDecisions and what marketing means to him.

MEDIA 7: How old were you when you had your first paying job?
JAY GAINES: I was 10 years old! I delivered newspapers in my neighborhood on my bike five days a week after school.

M7: You have been recognized as one of the top 10 CMOs in 2019 by The Silicon Review. What skills have enabled you to become a marketing industry leader?
JG: In my time at SiriusDecisions, I’ve had the good fortune to work closely with many amazing CMOs. That work provided me great insight into what makes for a highly effective and successful marketing leader. There are three primary skills that I think have helped me the most; first, to be a business leader and then a marketing leader. This means focusing on, being accountable for, and consistently reporting on marketing’s contribution to the same business goals that the CEO, CFO, board of directors and head of sales care about most. It also means always speaking the language of business, and avoiding marketing jargon when communicating with my colleagues outside of marketing. Second, is just being a good leader for my team by providing structure and clear goals, defending their focus, and promoting a culture of experimentation and rigor. Third, is constantly staying curious. Marketing is evolving so rapidly in terms of strategies, approaches, technologies, and measurement that part of any leader's job must be keeping up what’s new without chasing every new shiny object.

"Marketing is evolving so rapidly in terms of strategies, approaches, technologies and measurement that part of any leader's job must be keeping up what’s new without chasing every new shiny object."

M7: How impactful are the leadership summits from a marketing outreach perspective, and how significantly have they enabled SiriusDecisions to push towards the forefront as an industry leader?
JG: Our summits are a key driver of growth for us. We put a huge amount of effort into them and they have become a primary brand experience for our customers and other audiences. We attract thousands of B2B marketing, sales and product leaders to these events and use them to release our latest research, data and insights. Especially as SiriusDecisions has expanded into new geographies (Europe and Asia) and new verticals (healthcare, financial services, etc.) our events have enabled us to quickly establish presence, acquire audiences and build positive perception.

M7: You have been leading marketing initiatives for SiriusDecisions across various geographies including North America, EMEA and APAC. In your experience, how does the approach to marketing strategy vary based on different regions?
JG: At SiriusDecisions we take a very audience-centric approach in how we go to market through the use of audience frameworks and personas. We typically create personas centrally and then adapt them for geos and vertical industries. Most of the important differences we see are in persona preferences, in how they want to be contacted and engaged, how they consume information, and what their trusted sources of information are. So, while our campaign and program themes remain largely consistent globally the assets, tactics, and channels we utilize vary widely across geographies. For example, in Asia we’ve had great success and lean more heavily on mobile-specific strategies as well as a higher volume of smaller local events.

"Most of the important differences we see are in persona preferences, in how they want to be contacted and engaged, how they consume information, and what their trusted sources of information are."

M7: From a little cottage in Southport, Connecticut to a global leader in B2B marketing solutions, what has been the main force behind the overwhelming success of SiriusDecisions?
JG: By far the main driving force for SiriusDecisions has been our relationships with our clients and our commitment to their success. We have a deep culture of customer-centricity and helpfulness that permeates everything we do. For example, every piece of research we produce must pass the test of being supported by data and evidence, and also must include details about how to actually do whatever it is we’re recommending. Unlike many other firms similar to us, we also consider our work with clients to be collaborative. All of our research is based on our work with our clients and our ability to observe and measure what actually works and what doesn’t. This means we learn as much from them as they do from us and their success is our success.

"All of our research is based on our work with our clients and our ability to observe and measure what actually works and what doesn’t."

M7: What is Marketing to you?
JG: To me marketing is the art and science of engaging target audiences through the delivery of value in order to achieve specific business outcomes. Value can be delivered in any number of ways including information, entertainment and purpose, and business outcomes can span everything from customer acquisition to retention to advocacy.

ABOUT SIRIUSDECISIONS

SiriusDecisions® is the leading global b-to-b research and advisory firm. We deliver actionable intelligence, strategic and operational frameworks, and personal guidance from experienced practitioners.

Sales, marketing and product executives rely on SiriusDecisions® to contextualize problems and bring to light opportunities to drive sustainable growth. Our holistic solutions are founded on proprietary research, a deep understanding of b-to-b complexities, and the tenet that organizational alignment brings better outcomes.

SiriusDecisions was acquired by Forrester (NASD: FORR) in January of 2019.

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Industrial IoT

Ceva Extends its Connect IP Portfolio with Wi-Fi 7 Platform for High-End Consumer and Industrial IoT

Ceva, Inc. | January 05, 2024

Ceva, Inc. (NASDAQ: Ceva), the leading licensor of silicon and software IP that enables Smart Edge devices to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently, today announced the general release of its next generation RivieraWaves Wi-Fi 7 IP platform, further expanding its widely-licensed portfolio of connectivity IP, targeting high-end consumer and industrial applications including gateways, TVs, set-top-boxes, streaming media devices, AR/VR headsets, personal computing and smartphones. The RivieraWaves Wi-Fi 7 IP leverages all the latest advanced features of the IEEE 802.11be standard to deliver a premium high performance, cost- and power-optimized Wi-Fi solution for integration into the next wave of Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) and Station (STA) products. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, annual Wi-Fi enabled chipset shipments will exceed 5.1 billion by 2028, with more than 1.7 billion of these chipsets supporting the Wi-Fi 7 standard. 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Enterprise Iot

Nozomi Networks Delivers Industry's First Multi-Spectrum Wireless Security Sensor for Global OT and IoT Environments

Nozomi Networks | January 25, 2024

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Platforms

Quectel Expands Its IoT Antenna Portfolio With Six New 4G and 5G Antennas

Business Wire | October 26, 2023

Quectel, a global IoT solutions provider, has unveiled six new antennas designed to provide robust connectivity performance for IoT devices. The new antennas cover a wide range of use cases from 5G to non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) bringing new capabilities to customers. We’re delighted to further augment our comprehensive range of antennas with the addition of these new antennas and evaluation boards, said Norbert Muhrer, President and CSO, Quectel Wireless Solutions. “Internet of Things applications increasingly demand high-performance antennas that meet their specific needs whether that’s for competitive cost, access to specific network technologies in particular frequency bands or for robust, safe characteristics such as IP ratings and RoHS and REACH compliance. The expanded Quectel antenna range is sure to meet the needs of your device and deployment and is backed by our design support and deployment experience, alongside, of course, our widely deployed and comprehensive range of modules.” The Quectel YC0001CA is a 4G surface-mount design (SMD) antenna that is optimized for LTE, LTE-M and Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT) networks. This low-profile antenna, which measures just 35.0 x 8.5 x 3.0mm, operates in the 700-960MHz and 1710-2700MHz and is both RoHS and REACH compliant for use in sensitive environments. In addition, the antenna can be supplied on tape and reel for high-volume applications and is compatible with all of Quectel’s 4G, 3G, 2G and LPWA IoT modules. The Quectel YC0018CA is a 5G SMD antenna that covers 5G New Radio (NR) Sub-6GHz frequency bands. Depending on the ground plane, the antenna is designed to be mounted directly to the printed circuit board (PCB) using a conventional PCB reflow process. Measuring 40.0 x 7.0 x 3.0mm, the antenna operates between -40 °C to +85 °C and weighs 15g. The antenna can be tuned specifically for the final device environment with a simple, PI matching circuit and, when used with other 5G antennas, it can achieve multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) performance. Also available on tape and reel, the antenna can also be supplied with the YC0018CAEVB evaluation board. The Quectel YECN028AA is a 5G or NTN external antenna that supports the 410-470MHz, 617-960MHz and 1425-6000MHz frequency bands. With dimensions of 225 x 54.5 x 13.0mm, the antenna is IP66, RoHS and REACH compliant so it has wide applicability to use cases in sensitive environments. Featuring high efficiency and gain, the antenna offers omni-directional high-speed data transmission and can be used in a wide range of wireless devices such as access points, outdoor equipment, real-time monitoring devices and many others. The Quectel YEMX223J1A is a 5G x 2 combo antenna that is IP67, RoHS and REACH compliant. Measuring 186.0 x 176.0 x 100.5mm, the combo antenna supports the 410-470MHz, 617-960MHz, 1420-1520MHz, 1710-2690MHz, 3300-3800MHz and 4000-6000MHz frequency bands. The ultra-wideband antenna box is also backward compatible supporting 2G and 3G networks as well as Cat-M and NB-IoT. Designed for ease of integration with connection via two cable lengths from 450-5000mm, the pole, wall suction mount omni-directional antenna offers ease of installation and durability thanks to its IP67 and IP69K compliant enclosure. Quectel offers flexible installation option with custom cable length and connector options The Quectel YEMX425J1A is a 5G x 4 combo antenna that measures 186.0 x 176.0 x 150mm. The combo antenna supports the 410-470MHz, 617-2690 MHZ and 3300-6000MHz frequency bands and both RoHS and REACH compliant. Offering backward compatibility with 2G, 3G, Cat-M and NB-IoT, the antenna is, in common with the YEMX223J1A, compatible with Quectel’s RM520x Series of IoT modules. In addition, durability is assured thanks to the combo antenna’s IP67 and IP69K ASA enclosure. Rounding out the latest wave of Quectel antenna introductions, the Quectel YSIS001AA, metal spring antenna operates in the 412-427MHz band, the 433-435 MHz band and the 450-470MHz band which is compatible with LTE B31 plus EU433 applications. Measuring 29.0 x 7.0 x 7.90mm, the RoHS and REACH compliant antenna is mounted to the host device PCB using the conventional SMD reflow process, offering high efficiency. In common with all Quectel antennas, these new additions to the range also gain Quectel’s comprehensive antenna design support including simulation, testing and manufacturing for custom antenna solutions to meet customers’ specific application needs. About Quectel Quectel’s passion for a smarter world drives us to accelerate IoT innovation. A highly customer-centric organization, we are a global IoT solutions provider backed by outstanding support and services. Our growing global team of 5,900 professionals sets the pace for innovation in cellular, GNSS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules as well as antennas and services. With regional offices and support across the globe, our international leadership is devoted to advancing IoT and helping build a smarter world.