White Paper Critique: Oracle: Big Data for the Enterprise


Sponsor: Oracle

Link: click here

Grade: 42 out of 100 (the low score is due to a few huge errors, but otherwise it is not awful. Just not very good)

Strengths:

• Right length
• Writing isn't bad
• First half covers the right issues
• Lots of hypothetical examples provide helpful illustration of key concepts and use of technologies that have not shown a clear ROI yet

• Exceptionally heavy Oracle references in the beginning and throughout the first half
• Only one third-party reference, despite many debatable assertions
• No info about the author's credentials (he is in product management)
• All but one graphic focuses on the Oracle product stack
• Poor editing—several obvious errors
• No clear call to action

The single reference to the famous Mckinsey prediction about the growth of data is the only third-party data point in the piece. Otherwise, there are no external experts, no data, no survey insights—nothing that provides readers with any proof points. Although the report offers many hypothetical situations, including manufacturing, healthcare, retailers, etc., there are no customers or users, either. And although it is true that the white paper accompanied a lot of new pieces of the Oracle Big Data stack and, therefore, not that many users are available, there usually are betas or other examples to draw from.

No, Oracle just wants to pound out its marketing messages with little regard for credibility.

Two errors reflect a bit of carelessness and the lack of an editorial eye:

• Two illustrations are labeled figure 1
• A coding glitch in the production of the report left this sentence toward the end: Error! Reference source not found

The irony is that Oracle could do much better if it wanted—I know several top-notch writers and editors working for the company. However, its overly aggressive marketing culture may not allow a more subtle approach.

The grade of 42 is the result of quantifying the level of compliance of this white paper with the 10 Key Attributes of a Successful White Paper.

Caveats: Personal disclosure: I, and colleagues on the Triangle team, have done a lot of work on business intelligence for Microsoft, SAS, Business Objects and other vendors over the years. But never for Oracle. We are currently working on several projects that involve BI for other vendors.

Was I unfair? Too tough? What do you think? Send a note and weigh in.

White Paper Critique: The World Has Changed... and Doing Nothing About It Is Costing You Money
The Communications Tipping Point is here... Are you ready?

Sponsor: Siemens

Link: click here

Grade: 61 out of 100 (sort of close to passing)

Strengths:

• Original survey data
• Plentiful charts
• Strong writing style and point of view
• Good mix of external data sources
• Self-control—Siemens didn't plug its solutions until the last page

• Headline needs a subtitle, so you know what the paper is about
• Poorly conceived charts
• Missing information
• Who is the author? His/her credentials?
• Some assertions lack data to support them
• Some comments reflect unfamiliarity with business budgeting and spending practices
• No clear call to action

Last year, I was involved in a large (~500 responses from senior executives and managers of midsize and large companies) survey for PricewaterhouseCoopers, using the Bloomberg Businessweek Research Services list, and our data had somewhat different results for the cloud vs. on premises questions. And other surveys I've seen in mid-2011 had consistent results. The variance between what else is out there and the Siemens data suggests some methodology questions.

The formatting of the charts leaves a lot to be desired, too. Multiple colors are used in each chart, but the lack of a color legend makes it difficult to understand the data. In addition, although there is a reference to each figure in the text, the figures themselves aren't labeled. Furthermore, several charts were not done correctly, making it difficult to see trends. For example, the "today" data points were done as vertical columns while the "2-years hence" was a pie chart. Another example of amateur hour.

However, other aspects of the report were well done. The design and headlines attract the eye and engage the mind. However, the headline doesn't tell you anything about the paper, which is about unified communications and other network products and services.

The grade of 61 is the result of quantifying the level of compliance of this white paper with the 10 Key Attributes of a Successful White Paper.

Was I unfair? Too tough? What do you think? Send a note and weigh in.

White Paper Critique: Sapient Global Markets' Cloudy Spin
Cloud Computing For the Financial Services Industry

Sponsor: Sapient

Link: click here

Grade: 67 out of 100 (many opportunities for improvement)

Strengths:

• No overt promotion of Sapient's offerings
• Writing style is appropriate for the audience, assuming that audience is senior business decision-makers
• Examples of the types of offerings—excellent description of the different types of cloud services
• Many of the graphics are well done

• Huge picture of a man on the cover. Is that the author? If so, why is the author above the title and so large? Which is more important to the reader?
• No information about the author is included in the white paper.
• No date on the cover. However, the Web page has a date in November 2011.
• A few old IDC survey data points are referenced, including this:
• "6% of CIOs polled felt that cost reduction across the board was a critical business priority for the future." Is that number a typo? Only 6 percent? If it is correct, it shouldn't be used in a white paper promoting the cost-reduction aspects of cloud computing.
• User experiences linked to specific benefits are not incorporated into the paper. Instead, there is a series of mini case studies on one page. The summaries rarely focus on benefits and mostly describe the cloud products used.
• Graphics need better labeling to provide guideposts to the readers. Also, more active language. One hub-and-spoke graphic highlighting benefits has the phrase "consideration factors" as the hub. Stronger and more active words would be more compelling, such as Value Drivers. Also, some of the benefits aren't well labeled—data virtualization isn't a benefit but a capability of cloud computing tools that create a benefit.

Other editing gaffs or poor judgment calls are sprinkled throughout the document. In addition to the examples noted above, consider this bullet point: "67% saw improving the marketing time for products and services as critical in the coming years."

Huh? I assume the writer meant "time to market" and some copy editor unfamiliar with business concepts and language made the point unintelligible. Either that or the piece should have had a better explanation of marketing time.

Major kudos to the authors, though, for not making the piece a blatant brochure for Sapient's services. The subtle approach of mentioning its partner Microsoft's cloud platform as part of the example list was well done, though.

The grade of 67 is the result of quantifying the level of compliance of this white paper with the 10 Key Attributes of a Successful White Paper.

White Paper Critique: Par Accel Misfires, But Comes Close
Criteria For Analytic Platform Selection

Sponsor: Par Accel

Link: click here

Grade: 57 out of 100 (not as bad as the grade would indicate)

Strengths:

• Right length, especially for assumed target audience
• No hard sell—very subtle
• Strong, knowledgeable author tone

• Starts off with business decision-makers as target audience, but technological depth will deter completion
• No customers; few experts cited
• Who is the author? What are his/her credentials?
• Where are the evidence points? Quantifications of the value?
• Weak call to action

Other writing or other content issues:

• The executive summary doesn't summarize the content, just the challenges. It doesn't mention the solution or the benefit from the solution.
• It needs more editing. Some run on sentences, fragments and other errors reduce readability.
• The business benefits of each criteria need to be better explained. The scarcity of proof points from outside experts is a big weakness.

The grade of 57 is the result of quantifying the level of compliance of this white paper with the 10 Key Attributes of a Successful White Paper.

Caveats: Personal disclosure: I, and colleagues on the Triangle team, have done a lot of work on business intelligence for Microsoft and other vendors over the years. We are currently working on several projects that involve BI, but not Sybase, Par Accel or its competitors.

Was I unfair? Too tough? What do you think? Send a note and weigh in.

By Larry Marion, Editorial Director, Triangle Publishing Services Co. Inc.

1. Keep it short. 12 pages for business decision-makers, such as the CFO, the CEO, the COO and other senior officials, and 16 pages for technology decision-makers. The goal is to encourage a conversation, not give the target audience everything it needs to know.
2. Focus the topic and the discussion. Don't try to boil the ocean.
3. Avoid the hard sell. The first half of the white paper should offer valuable data/information/insights, while second half sells the sponsor's products.
4. Lead with customer insights. The most valuable information in the first half is insights from customers. They have the most credibility and should be cited as often as possible in the first half of the white paper.
5. Include third-party experts. Quotes and data from subject-matter experts at reputable consulting firms and in academia have almost as much credibility as customers, and these are vital components.
6. Include the author's name if he or she has a credible background—extensive experience, etc. Avoid using product marketing managers as the authors, due to questions about their credibility.
7. Use charts, schematics and data points extensively; it is extremely important. BDMs seek data points they can use as bullet points in their internal presentations.
8. Be sure the tone is credible. Assume the reader knows something about the topic. Also, the author must infuse the text with his/her savvy.
9. Make the text easy to scan, read and absorb. Everyone says a white paper should be well written, but what does that mean? Short sentences, short paragraphs and multiple subheads to break up and organize the content.
10. Include a clear call to action—what to do if a reader wants more subject-matter information, product information, a demo or a proposal.
    
    
    
    

• 55% of participants said they download one to five white papers each month, while more than 40% said they download six or more.
• White papers are especially popular sources of information at key early stages of the purchase cycle, but they are also read by a significant number at later stages when vendor selections take place.
• Topic is the most important factor affecting the decision to download a white paper. When it comes to topics, business issues are measurably more important than technical details, while both are significantly more important than product information.
  

Bitpipe’s Executive Survey of IT Professionals: How the industry obtains, values and uses vendor literature

The purpose of this study was to identify how IT professionals go about accessing high-tech vendor information, and the role this information plays in their purchasing decisions. Information sought included: the respondents’ prior experience with vendor white papers and case studies, and reasons for using them; how often they refer to white papers and case studies during the year; how valuable white papers and case studies are in helping them in their jobs; the points in the buying process they typically consult white papers and case studies, and how likely they are to consult them before making a critical buying decision; whether they access white papers and case studies before, or after, making contact with a vendor; how easy/difficult it is to find the white papers and case studies they are interested in; whether white papers and case studies affect their perceptions of vendors as reliable suppliers; whether or not they pass along white papers and case studies to their colleagues—and which ones; and finally, how they value Web sites like Bitpipe that provide access to major white papers and case studies on computing, networking and communications equipment and software.
Among the key findings:

• 85% of IT professionals say they use vendor white papers and case studies to help evaluate products and technologies.
• 87% of the respondents found them valuable in helping them do their jobs. The majority (55%) found them very or extremely valuable.
• Only 13% found white papers and case studies somewhat valuable in helping them in their work.
  
  

To read the full report: Bitpipe’s Executive Survey of IT Professionals White_Paper.pdf

Triangle Publishing Services’ The White Paper White Paper: How to Produce A Successful White Paper, And Why

The individuals who make—or at least approve—final product purchase decisions often are not the primary users of the complex products under consideration. And in fact, the individuals assigned to evaluate, implement and use these products day in and day out usually don’t fully understand them, either. Often, a vendor’s own sales force, channel partners and strategic allies may not fully understand its product. And if they don't understand it, they can't effectively communicate key messages in a consistent way.

White papers, case studies, online return on investment (ROI) calculators and other marketing tools help marketers of complex products bridge the gaps in understanding. Although the specific content and structure varies, based on the type of product or service being described, the intended audience and other factors, a white paper addresses the need of a particular audience for more information about a vendor’s product.

White papers ensure that a consistent, appropriate and accurate message gets out. They:

• Cover a complex topic in depth.
• Gain credibility from third parties.
• Set the agenda and define the playing field.
• Advance the sales cycle.
• Engage the prospect.
• Speak appropriately to the target audience.
• Clarify a vendor’s strategy and positioning.

To learn more: Triangle Publishing Services’ The White Paper White Paper:
How to Produce A Successful White Paper, And Why