Case Study on recent technology market research work done for Progress Software.

1. www.vansonbourne.com
case.study
Creating real-time impact from real-time data
“This project with Vanson Bourne has given us real insight into market readiness for this technology and the
appetite for it has been central to developing our business strategy. It has given us a platform to go out and
be a thought leader in this space.”
Rachel Harnden,
Senior Manager, Press and Analyst Relations, EMEA, Progress Software
A typical challenge
How do you raise awareness of the benefits of complex
technology? How do you create a PR campaign that will
reach the appropriate audience with clear messaging
about what it is, why it is important and why that audience
should speak to your company about it? This is a typical
and recognisable challenge facing marketing and PR
managers and Rachel Harnden, Senior Manager, Press and
Analyst Relations, EMEA, Progress Software faced this
same challenge with the company’s business event
processing (BEP) technology.
However, turning the challenge around, and moving from
a company view to a customer view, Rachel determined a
research-based approach would work best. The objective
was to build an understanding of how a business could
significantly benefit from being more responsive to events
such as customer feedback and competitor pricing.
Research Solution: Media Relations, Demand Generation
Research Scope: 400 business operational managers and IT managers; 2 regions; 3 industry sectors
1 | Vanson Bourne - Progress Software
Research Methodology: Telephone interviews

2. Calls for a focused approach
Based primarily on previous experiences, Rachel
commissioned Vanson Bourne to help. Vanson Bourne
conducted 400 interviews with an equal representation of
business operational/ service design managers and the IT
managers responsible for the underlying IT systems. The
industry sectors; energy generation, telecommunications
and logistics, wereselected because of the volume and
complexity of their business events or operational inputs.
“I could tell, having done several projects with them previously
that, although this was a new technology area that we had
not focused on previously, they clearly understood the
company and what we were trying to achieve. This was a key
differentiator. They were keen to understand the technology
solution and continually came to us with sensible and useful
suggestions.”
Delivered very atypical results
The project soon began to deliver very interesting and
impactful results and as the quality of the content from the
research became apparent, the role and value of the
project evolved.
“It started out being a PR project. We wanted to raise market
awareness around complex event processing technology in
our key vertical markets but the content had a much wider
and real business impact.”
Working with her colleagues in the product marketing
team, and in particular with one of the firm’s technology
evangelists, Rachel used the research data to create a
presentation to communicate the research results
internally. Eventually the research was presented to to the
chairman and the board.
"The executive team then became very familiar with the research because it demonstrated
that there was a real need for real-time data. It helped the organisation to create a market
strategy around the firms’ business event processing solution and subsequently led the firm
to make an acquisition in January this year."
Rachel Harnden,
Senior Manager, Press and Analyst Relations, EMEA, Progress Software
Research Solution: Media Relations, Demand Generation
Research Scope: 400 business operational managers and IT managers; 2 regions; 3 industry sectors
2 | Vanson Bourne - Progress Software
Research Methodology: Telephone interviews

3. And better business results
With greater significant value from the research, Rachel
began to position the results as a foundation for a thought
leadership and demand generation campaign. In addition
to implementing a multi-national PR campaign with a
series of press releases and media interviews, research
results were presented to the sales teams at a sales kick-off
conference and in webinars with both industry and
financial analysts.
Following discussions with Rachel, Vanson Bourne also
created a comprehensive report of the overall research
findings which then formed the basis for a series of
whitepapers for the energy, telecommunications and
logistics markets. These papers have been promoted
online, as part of a wider branding campaign, with a
click-through from a company advertisement to a relevant
download piece. In addition, Progress Software ran a
webinar programme with IDC and is currently developing
sector e-books as the company continues to leverage its
investment in the research study.
To date, Progress Software has generated very good media
coverage for the company in both its European and North
American markets and its lead generation activities,
including promotional activity through online publications
such as CIO.com, ComputerWorld and Business Week have
led to over 500 downloads of the research report.
“The combination of the research results and the insights
offered by Vanson Bourne, have worked very well - not just as
a marketing tool for Progress but as a wider business tool.”
About Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is a global software company that enables enterprises to be operationally
responsive to changing conditions and customer interactions as they occur – to capitalise on new opportunities, drive greater
efficiencies and reduce risk. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class infrastructure software spanning
event-driven visibility and real-time response, open integration, data access and integration, and application development
and deployment – all supporting on-premises and SaaS/Cloud deployments. Progress maximises the benefits of operational
responsiveness while minimising IT complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com or
+1-781-280-4000.
About Vanson Bourne
Vanson Bourne is an independent and specialist market research provider for the global technology sector. We have a demonstrable
track record of helping our clients better understand and communicate more effectively in their target markets, providing market
research with real statistical rigour. Our expertise in sampling, design and assured project management combine with informed
data insights and market context to deliver highly effective technology marketing. More information can be found at
www.vansonbourne.com
Research Solution: Media Relations, Demand Generation
Research Scope: 400 business operational managers and IT managers; 2 regions; 3 industry sectors
3 | Vanson Bourne - Progress Software
Research Methodology: Telephone interviews