The generic term “Special Report” is often used by magazines or newspapers to cover all manner of in-depth features on companies or products, but what we have developed at Cleverdis goes very much further than this, and this is what we would like to explain here. Indeed, while SPECIALreports may not appear at the outset to be very different to sales brochures, “standard” special reports or white papers, their concept, philosophy and content make them extremely different. They are able to add a great deal of credibility to any marketing campaign becoming the “information heart” of the offering and creating a kind of backbone for various kinds of communication through channel or to buyers and decision-makers.

Given the potential strength and effectiveness of these documents, we felt it was essential to create this SPECIALreport ABOUT SPECIALreports to give you full insight into the entire scope of communication possibilities at hand.

The Times, They Are a Changing!
Interview with Gérard Lefebvre – President & CEO – Cleverdis

How are forms of corporate and product communication evolving with the onset of new technologies in our everyday lives?

G.L.: Conventional methods of redressing identity problems are becoming progressively less effective because the traditional focus has viewed corporate identity and corporate communications as functional rather than as strategic. In “high-tech” sectors, the job of communicating on image and product is becoming even harder.

Jakki Mohr of the School of Business Administration at the University of Montana, Missoula, underlined this when she said, “Despite its increasing importance in today’s business environment, the marketing of high-technology products and services is not covered in many marketing curricula”, underlining that “marketing must be modified in a high-tech environment, where market information can be hard to come by at best and potentially misleading at worst.” Strategies long used to deliver selling messages to a mass culture through a single medium are now obsolete. Businesses today need to think of innovations they can use to help with communication between suppliers, contractors and customers. In this sense, the targeting of communications plans has to change to take into account the fact that people don’t have a good understanding of what they’re being sold, meaning traditional models are obsolete. The old mar-comm concept was simple: Message sent. Message received. Message acted upon. This concept applies to mass market advertising, which aims to incite purchases for products that are generally known and understood (i.e. – buy this new soap powder because it’s soft on your hands, drink this new, improved soft drink – it just tastes soooo good… etc etc.). This is a simple concept, but the reality of getting the message to the client is far from simple today. The new Mar-comm concept has a couple of extra preliminary steps added in that are now really essential … those steps are: Sales Channel Informed and Educated. Potential Customers Informed and Educated. In other words, in this particular market, two primary steps are now essential before the selling process can be effective.

But isn’t this the role of the PR agency?

Yes and no. The PR agency generally has the role of looking after publicity of this kind, however their role is often not very clear in this respect and in many cases, we act as a strong support for agencies (either internal or external). We are able to assist an agency in structuring specific information in a credible, logical manner in such a way as to make it “palatable” and truly informative for the target readers, inviting and tempting them to want to find out more about the company’s offering. While agencies generally have a terrific grasp on the conceptual thrust of a campaign, we can really help here on the technical front.

How are information distribution models changing and how is the SPECIALreport evolving in this respect?

It is clear that the internet is constantly gaining momentum as a means of information distribution. While hard copy is still important there are more and more people gravitating to our website to download PDF versions of our SPECIALreports. At time of writing there are more than 10,000 downloads a month from our website www.cleverdis.com. When one considers the fact that the target is entirely in the professional domain, is quite extraordinary. I believe this trend will continue and we are consequently further developing this service as part of an overall communication plan for those commissioning SPECIALreports.

What is a SPECIALreport
and how is it compiled?
Interview with Valentina Russo – Editorial Coordination & Design – Cleverdis

What is the recipe for Cleverdis SPECIALreports?

V.R.: SPECIALreports are the fruit of a careful blend of Consulting, calling upon the qualities of a Corporate Publishing Specialist, with a zest of networking and the use of image and reputation.

Cleverdis thus has created a marketing/communication vehicle which is without equal in the high tech A/V and consumer electronics fields. Cleverdis SPECIALreports are totally different from any other kind of communication vehicle on the market today. Not only do they add real value to marketing plans, they are often at the very heart of the communication strategy of the biggest players in the market.

What is the recipe for Cleverdis SPECIALreports?

V.R.: SPECIALreports are the fruit of a careful blend of Consulting, calling upon the qualities of a Corporate Publishing Specialist, with a zest of networking and the use of image and reputation. Cleverdis thus has created a marketing/communication vehicle which is without equal in the high tech A/V and consumer electronics fields. Cleverdis SPECIALreports are totally different from any other kind of communication vehicle on the market today. Not only do they add real value to marketing plans, they are often at the very heart of the communication strategy of the biggest players in the market.

So they are highly targeted?

I tend to employ military terms here… because business these days is a lot like being at war! I would say they are like a mar-comm “weapon”, allowing companies to make “surgical strikes” in the market. While having an apparent simplicity, the SPECIALreport employs precise methodology and is in fact perfectly structured to respond to specific commercial objectives or a precise marketing plan. Its structure is unique and allows the company using it to leverage the exceptional credibility that Cleverdis has established in technology markets in general and in the audio-visual sector in particular.

So just what does the “miracle” structure and methodology consist of in Cleverdis SPECIALreports?

They are based on commonsense marketing principles and the creation of real added value. These are adaptable to each client’s target, in BtoB or BtoC. In general, to complete a SPECIALreport, there are 7 different steps:

1) Preparation: We begin by identifying in a very precise manner who the SPECIALreport will be addressed to… who should be reading it. The content of the SPECIALreport will then be structured in this context. To assist us here, we call upon the huge databases and knowledge-bases we have constituted over time and we don’t hesitate to analyse the reaction of our traditional readers in order to better understand what kind of information they may be seeking for the topic at hand.

2) Value Added: Right from the beginning of the SPECIALreport, we bring into play one of the main values of Cleverdis in this field. This particular value is that of constantly monitoring the industry – much like a radar… and when a piece of information that’s detected is considered as being particularly interesting, it is qualified and disseminated amongst a public of decision-makers. In ten years, we have built a reputation as a reference information source with a public that is of particular interest for vendors and solution providers. Each introduction thus begins with a reminder of our vocation in this respect, and we underline to the target audience the fact that we have qualified the information they will find in this SPECIALreport, as being particularly interesting for them in their particular field.

3) Your Company Engagement (Vision Statement): We ask one or several of the leaders of the company having ordered the SPECIALreport to voice their engagement with the target audience concerning their company’s strategy. This is particularly important… this kind of “commitment” by the management, as so many companies flit in and out of various markets depending on their whims at the time, and the buyers and/or channel really need to have this kind of “security blanket”. It is a very strong and important selling point. It’s also important from the point of view that decisions to buy or install are taken at a very high level in any company, and the fact of having someone at a very high level from the company commissioning the SPECIALreport shows the respect that company has for its customers and potential customers.

4) Situating Your Company in the Marketplace: At this point in the compilation of the SPECIALreport, we call upon top-line experts – the world’s major specialists who would never have given their time for a commercial brochure, but who don’t hesitate to participate when it comes down to a SPECIALreport signed by Cleverdis. For example, in the A/V sector, Ross Young, President of DisplaySearch, one of the world’s top consulting organisations, did not hesitate to participate in several of our SPECIALreports.

5) Personalisation: The next part of the SPECIALreport involves the operational players of the company. Product managers and technical experts from within the company have the chance to express themselves much in the same way as they might do in an official product presentation. Here again, we play a key role in helping them place their products in perspective with regard to other offers on the market, as opposed to presenting them in the same way as in a commercial brochure. We put our name and reputation to this, as all information supplied is checked and reworked into an objective format. Our readers know the content is neutral in this respect and that’s what gives such weight to our SPECIALreports compared to simple commercial brochures and leaflets.

6) Case Studies: Wherever possible, depending upon the maturity of the offering, we include end-user case studies, with the same promotional concept – underlining the benefits of the company’s experience, and the concrete benefits of their offering.

7) Conclusion: To conclude, our president, Gérard Lefebvre, adds his special trade-mark to the SPECIALreport in the form of a conclusion. This “signature” definitively reinforces the credibility of the SPECIALreport as the information that is contained within is thus officially validated by Cleverdis.

Is this structure unalterable?

No… of course we are quite supple and are able to adapt to different situations specific to each customer. Cleverdis SPECIALreports are, in this sense, the fruit of a unique blend of consulting and corporate publishing, adapted to marketing plans or PR operations. Each SPECIALreport is thus unique both through its content and its structure… but all benefit from the same methodology. Our very numerous prestigious references in this field, which may be consulted on our website www.cleverdis.com speak for themselves.

• Understand Your Marketing Goals
• Understand Technologies Employed
• Understand the Evolution of Applications

We put this knowledge at your service, greatly facilitating the task of putting together your SPECIALreport. The process begins with a meeting where we establish the target audience, the overall content and the general editorial line of the report (as explained by Valentina Russo). Armed with this information, we study the various sources of information and recommend both page line-up and working process for the compilation of the report. We take care of research, interviews and case studies, and our creative department works on a specific innovative concept for the design of the SPECIALreport.

How are SPECIALreports distributed and followed-up?

The distribution can be a real key point to the success of this incredible marketing tool. Our first task consists of identifying the target. Our client may already have databases and the distribution will naturally take place using these lists, but in the case that a client’s databases are incomplete or if they are entering a new market in which they have no base, we are able to let them benefit from Cleverdis’s exceptional resources in this field. The distribution then takes place using several methods:

• direct mailing to a defined target group
• distribution through specific trade shows
• downloading of PDF version from the site of the client as well as through our own website. We’ve been seeing major growth in the number of professionals using this method – with more than 10,000 downloads a month from our website at time of writing (and growing all the time).

 But our mission doesn’t end there. Our offer includes a personalised follow-up with 500 key prospects within the target group. These contacts are called within several days of the mailing of the SPECIALreport in order to ensure they have received it, and to field their comments and remarks. We then realise a QMR (Quality Management Report) which is given to the client, concluding the mission with an action that is both concrete and efficient, ensuring Return on Investment for the marketing / communication project.

Could you be more precise about the ROI?

To my knowledge, there is no other marketing vector today (trade shows, advertising, press conferences, etc.) that enables a company to tell its story so clearly to totally targeted contacts (generally 6,000 contacts with 500 called back by telephone). These people are not receiving a simple advertising message, but a full, professional report dedicated to their sector… with an investment for the client of less than 6 euros per contact! If you calculate the return on a 16 page SPECIALreport, this is what you will find. 

In what language are SPECIALreports written?

We have mastery, through native speakers in-house, of most of the main languages in Europe – English of course, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, etc. We are therefore able to compile SPECIALreports in different languages avoiding the “word for word” translation one sometimes finds in translation agencies, where it is difficult to find people who understand the terminology of the high tech fields in which we work.