How to Influence the Influencers: A Crash Course in Analyst, Media and Public Relations (CTGE 442O, CEUs: 0.6)

NOTE: Fall 2003 was the last semester of the
Enterprise and E-commerce Management Program

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How to Influence the Influencers: A Crash Course in Analyst, Media and Public Relations (CTGE 442O, CEUs: 0.6)

  Anyone reading this description is either an influencer, or one of the influenced, or both. Whether you work for a vendor of technology or are a buyer and user, you are influenced by industry analysts, venture capitalists and the media, whether you think you are or not. And "the market" is influenced the same way. Learn how the game works, so you can play it better or know when you're being played.

This course is for you if you:

• Depend on the media for what you read and hear about the Internet and e-commerce and want to ferret out what's real, what's hype and what's carefully crafted for consumption; or
• Are in marketing, e-business strategy, corporate communications or analyst/public/media relations; or
• Brief Information Technology (IT) industry analysts or grant interviews with the media; or
• Subscribe to services of IT industry analysis firms (ex., Gartner, Jupiter Communications, IDC, Giga Information Group, META Group, etc.); or
• Need to learn how to work with IT industry analysts or the media to get the word out about an Internet or e-Commerce company.

This course is designed for people with various levels of experience for those contemplating a change or who are new to the job, and those experienced in their roles, but who have learned on the job and have wished for a course like this one.

You will learn from industry veterans how to influence the influencers with emphasis on the IT (not financial) industry analysts and the media and how to use public relations to help you do it. You will learn how to make the game of influence work for your company.

Plus you'll gain insight into knowing when you're being influenced.

Topics include:

• The synergistic roles of analysts, media and thought leaders; how they differ and how they influence one another and their audiences;
• How analyst firms function and what analysts actually do;
• How public relations is different from advertising, marketing, sales or analyst relations, and why technology companies need to do it;
• How to have a win/win relationship with analysts and the media;
• How best to pitch a company, product or story idea;
• Best practices in analyst and public relations of Internet and e-business companies and the media that cover them.

OBJECTIVE:

1. To provide participants with an insider understanding of the world of IT analysts, media and influence, and 
2. To equip participants with the fundamental knowledge and insight needed to understand the game of influence and to build effective relationships via their AR and PR functions.

ACTIVITIES:

This six-hour course is a combination of instructor presentation, interactive group discussion, and Web-based research, analysis and presentation by student participants.

 Bring to class on Day 1:

• People experienced in briefing analysts or talking with the press – Please prepare verbal examples and anecdotes of “worst practices” or “horror stories.”  Please cover these topics: Purpose of the Interaction (ex., a company or product announcement, a CEO introduction, a periodic update, damage control, a PR story pitch), Audience (analyst or media), Summary of What Happened, Results and Lessons Learned. Please disguise any references to specific people or companies.

• People new to interacting with analysts or the media – Please prepare a verbal description of a real or potential analyst or media interaction to which you would like to apply the lessons learned from this course. Please identify these topics: Purpose of the Interaction (see examples above), Audience, Goal, Challenges, and Your #1 Question or Concern. Please disguise any references to specific people or companies.

• All participants, please bring:

1. A list of several Internet, e-commerce or e-business companies which you are interested in examining during individual or group course work.

2. Copies of articles which exemplify blatant or subtle influence, especially if they quote analysts or well-known thought-leaders.

PREREQUISITES:

Business experience, the ability to use the Web and search engines, and access to the Internet for course work assignments.

READING MATERIALS:

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