The Amtower B2G Market Report

The Amtower B2G Market Report
Volume 3, #47, December 6, 2004

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In this issue…
1) Amtower Off-Center Observations
2) The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly: Panasonic's Better Late than Never
3) Events Worth Attending

AMTOWER OFF-CENTER OBSERVATIONS

The annual Input holiday party December 1 at the McLean Hilton was once again the networking event of the season. The ballroom at the Hilton was packed to overflow, the food was great and the bar was free. I went over my limit and had three O’Douls. It was a great event and my thanks to Peter Cunningham and the entire Input crew, especially those who worked hard to make sure everyone else had a good time.

In the November 22 Federal Computer Week, Citadel Security ran an ad (page 29) that needs some serious grammar checking. Yeah – I know, I’m one to talk. But if I saw mistakes, they must be bad!

Not that I have an opinion.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY: PANASONIC’S BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

In the November 22 Federal Computer Week (same one mentioned above), Panasonic ran an 8-page pull-out advertisement. The same basic ad ran in a recent BusinessWeek (though this one had a football theme). It is one of those pull-out ads that opens up – it’s one long page folded over on itself and opens from the middle to create a four-page long ad. It should be an effective format for a strong message, but this did not deliver a strong message. Here are my thoughts.

Once you open it up, the large picture runs across two pages. It is a good selection for a government ad background - a port scene with an implied security theme. The side photos have uniformed personnel and a satellite photo, both appropriate for government ads. The back page photo had a glamour shot for the Panasonic flat screen, not a bad photo, but a poor selection for a government ad. The same picture was in the BusinessWeek ad.

The interior (port) photo was surrounded by a good selection of Panasonic products. I would have suggested physically tying the products closer to show how they work together.

The headline read, "Panasonic introduces ideas for government." I found this weak, as there are no ideas presented, only products (see white paper idea, below)

Considering how this was done (tipped in) it was probably very pricy. I also find the timing of the placement, seven weeks after end of FY, questionable. It was rubber-cemented in, which means they assumed some people would take it out. This has so little editorial content that it would be useless as a stand-alone - no shelf-life. So who would pull it out?

For the money spent, I would have suggested a two-page spread, tied in with a e-newsletter sponsorship (with same publication) - all geared to getting people to the Panasonic web site for a white paper download with more detailed info on how all this stuff works together - AND sell the implied message (subtlely) about the quality.

I referenced a similar ad produced by ENC Marketing tied to a white paper in September (http://www.federaldirect.net/newsletter092704.html). Using ads and email to create traffic for good white papers is very effective for qualified lead generation when done properly.

Panasonic missed the boat.

EVENTS WORTH ATTENDING

Beware of the schlock vendors, producing “black hole” events, events that eat your money with no significant return!

December 8-9, 2004, Web Content Management Clinic, George Washington University, Washington, DC. www.digitalgovernment.com

December 15, ENC Marketing Breakfast on Events. www.encmarketing.com

December 16, "Lessons Learned from the 9/11 Commission". Kevin Scheid, on behalf of the 9/11 Commission, will discuss the organizational, cultural and technological barriers to sharing information and how they added to the tragedy of the attacks against the United States on 9/11.
Speaker: Kevin Scheid, Team Leader on Intelligence, 9/11 Commission. http://www.affirm.org or call 703-715-6701.

2 NSA events coming up in early December, on site at NSA. www.fbcinc.com

INTELCON National Intelligence Conference and Exposition, February 8-10, 2005 Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Alexandria, VA. www.fbcinc.com

March 22-23, 2005. Federal Information Systems Security Educators’ Association (FISSEA) Conference. “Target Training in 2005 - Computer Security Awareness, Training, and Education”. Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda, Maryland (White Flint Metro Stop).

FISSEA is a national forum for government, industry, and academic leaders, educators, and researchers involved with computer security awareness, training, and education. The conference will include presentations, papers, tutorials, and panels. Typical topics include: management of information security programs and personnel, conducting security training, information security and assurance curriculums, supporting technologies (network, wireless, encryption, vulnerability tools, educational tools), security labs, intrusion response programs, organizational behavior, certification, regulations, and emerging technologies.

Why Attend?

Discover new ways to improve your computer security program
Dual tracks of high quality presentations
Great networking opportunities
Gain awareness and training ideas and resources
Obtain practical solutions to training problems
Earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits

FISSEA website: http://csrc.nist.gov/fissea
Electronic Registration URL: https://rproxy.nist.gov/CRS (Fee $280)

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As always, your comments, questions and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
Mark Amtower

The Amtower B2G Market Report is published by Amtower & Company, and is written for companies targeting the government marketplace. The opinions expressed are those of Mark Amtower unless otherwise noted. Contact us at Amtower & Company, PO Box 314, Highland, MD 20777-0314 (301-924-0058). This material is copyrighted and may not be duplicated, reprinted or otherwise replicated without written permission of the publisher. Email subscriptions are free by request: sign up at www.FederalDirect.net


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