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The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

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Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#32
post #23
post #5

Subtext, for those of you who don't know how analyst firms work: Vendors subscribe to these things, or buy reports for their field, in order to get access to analysts. Access to analysts ensures that they themselves will appear in these reports.

Well, my firm does research reports like this (but not quite as expensive) and that is emphatically not our business model. We set out to deliver the best information we can to whoever needs and will buy it, and there is no relationship between being a customer and getting mentioned in a report. It probably obvious to all, but I'll just state for the record that proper research reports are expensive to put together (…

I don't have much of a problem with gigantic price tags on research reports sold to buyers.

I do have a problem with the business model that soaks vendors for "valuable research" as a pretext for pay-to-play appearances in reports.

I cannot say that that is the business model of any specific firm, including the firm whose report is the subject of this thread. Just that I've been very closely involved in A.R. for a couple companies now and know how the market works.

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#33
post #26
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Analysts are the people who write about subsets of the technology market for market research firms. They travel to vendors and to large companies who buy from vendors and attempt to assess the whole market; then they write these reports, which are ostensibly intended to help enterprise purchasers pick the right products (and thus easily justify 5-figure price tags).

I think you're failing to distinguish between companies like Gartner, who are more along the lines of what you describe (i.e. mass-market research) and other companies (like mpclark's) that have a small audience and need a lot of work to produce these reports.

I have no idea who 'mpclark is or what his research firm does; we're commenting about a very large enterprise analyst firm here.

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#34
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be scared. http://www.amazon.com/American-Microsemiconductor-120293-000...

Googling around has led me to http://120293-0001revkmicrosemiconductor.blogspot.com/ , which greatly puzzles me.

Amazon affiliate advertising bot.

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#36
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be scared. http://www.amazon.com/American-Microsemiconductor-120293-000...

Googling around has led me to http://120293-0001revkmicrosemiconductor.blogspot.com/ , which greatly puzzles me.

Guessing it's an affiliate marketing scheme. Some guy made a bot that generates blogspot blogs that refer to various Amazon products. When you click on any of those Amazon links they'll use his affiliate id.

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#37

This is how smart criminals launder money?

I've wondered if that isn't the case, actually, on some non-digital products. You'll see a bunch of sellers offering an item around Amazon's own price, and then someone else selling it for $999.00. Those could just be tests, I suppose...

Here's a pretty interesting read on automated price adjustments by third party sellers: http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=358

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#38
post #5

Subtext, for those of you who don't know how analyst firms work: Vendors subscribe to these things, or buy reports for their field, in order to get access to analysts. Access to analysts ensures that they themselves will appear in these reports.

[deleted]

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#39

So what can I sell this copy for? http://www.idc.com/MarketScape/download/IDC_MarketScape_Virt...

Indeed, the $25,000 PDF is also available as one of the free samples on IDC's website.

"Download Samples Now" on this page: http://www.idc.com/MarketScape/index.jsp

Re: The $25,000 PDF at Amazon

#40
post #32
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, my firm does research reports like this (but not quite as expensive) and that is emphatically not our business model. We set out to deliver the best information we can to whoever needs and will buy it, and there is no relationship between being a customer and getting mentioned in a report. It probably obvious to all, but I'll just state for the record that proper research reports are expensive to put together (…

I don't have much of a problem with gigantic price tags on research reports sold to buyers. I do have a problem with the business model that soaks vendors for "valuable research" as a pretext for pay-to-play appearances in reports. I cannot say that that is the business model of any specific firm, including the firm whose report is the subject of this thread. Just that I've been very closely involved in A.R. for a co…

Yes, point taken. Some funny stuff does go on. We've been approached more than once to provide nice supporting quotes for big company press releases, on a paid basis. Gedouttahere!

(The flipside of this is you should run a mile when you see "independent" analysts quoted in vendor press releases)

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