Chuck Rutledge : Now Market It
Chuck Rutledge
Sr. Mktg & Biz.Development Executive who excels at identifying, and capitalizing, on opportunities that drive revenues & growth. Introduced new products and services, and opened up new markets for Fortune 500 companies & start ups.

Longview IoT Boosts Energy and Wireless Efficiency

Some of the biggest challenges slowing down the adoption of IoT are security, efficient battery usage and optimized wireless communications.One company has...

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Hallmark's Simple, Inexpensive Way to Boost Customer Satisfaction

In an effort to boost margins, companies often push more users to automated solutions such as FAQs, chatbots, voice bots and anything...

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Huawei Places the World's First 5G VoNR Video Call

Huawei recently completed the world's first voice over NR (VoNR) call. The voice and video call service was made using two Huawei...

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IGEL Advances Future of Work

IGEL is a provider of a next-gen edge OS for cloud workspaces. The company’s software products include IGEL OS, IGEL UD Pocket (UDP) and Universal...

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Tata Communications and Cisco Collaborate on SD-WAN

Tata Communications and Cisco have extended their partnership to enable enterprises to transform their legacy network to a customized and secure multi-cloud...

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How to Win the 50-Year-Old China Trade War

Today and this week in-fact is historic - the left and right in the U.S. agree that we have a major trade...

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Extreme Elements Enables The Autonomous Enterprise

Extreme Networks just announced Extreme Elements which in-turn enables the autonomous network and subsequently the autonomous enterprise. In a dynamic webinar, Dan...

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Can Service Providers Position Themselves So They Do Not Become Dumb Pipe Providers?

July 6, 2009

 Service providers face a challenging problem as they compete for differentiation.  The service providers are deploying and promoting innovative high speed 4G wireless networks that provide high speed internet connectivity to smarter more capable endpoint devices - both for mobile and fixed services (such as Verizon Hub).  The result is further commoditization of voice and text messaging.  With more bandwidth comes the ability to further bypass the service provider by taking applications "over the top" on an all IP network.    The service providers will be challenged to create new applications in a world of Internet based content and applications - so the question arises - where are the opportunities for the service provider to add revenue-generating value in a world of mobile high bandwidth access?

The service providers certainly are in the position to collect and mine lots of information about their customers.  Can this be packaged and provide to content providers allowing them to better target and access their target markets?  Are they able to use the information to enable the creation of unique services and applications that could generate additional revenue?

Service providers have always been key partners for enterprise and business customers that have complex communications needs.  As advanced communications is providing improved productivity tools, is there an opportunity for the role of the service provider to become an even more important partner - with more systems integration to bring together voice, data, mobile, and existing internal networks?  Will the complexity of the new communications networks with capabilities such as Unified Communication provide a greater opportunity for hosting solutions for businesses that do not want to manage the internal networks required?

Will they be able to leverage the ability to bundle communications services together - creating offers for video based services, internet and phone - both fixed and mobile?  Perhaps the value is in the customer experience rather than the content or applications?  Can the service providers create an ability to manage and interface with the variety of communications services in such a way that makes the experience easier and even fun - thus creating a unified experience that adds value that consumers and businesses are willing to pay for?      

Perhaps the most likely outcome is that we will see some of all of the above.  What scenarios do you think will dominate? 



The Recession Provides an Opportunity to Improve Market Position!

May 19, 2009

 Things do not to appear to be as grim as they had a couple of months ago.  Is the worst of our economic woes over? I don't really know.  But, the business cycle continues as it has in the past.  We continue to have booms followed by busts followed again by economic growth.   At the peaks of the booms and the bottom of the busts it seems the refrain is much the same - "this time it is different."   However, though things do change, the fundamental principles remain much the same. 

The recession has had executives running for cover until the economic storm has passed.  They make short-term business decisions that manifest themselves in extensive cost cutting measures such as layoffs, furloughs, and typically near the top of the list - the marketing budget.  The uncertainty of the times strikes at the hearts of individuals' insecurities, so holding on to what you have becomes the behavior of both consumers and businesses.

However, economic growth will return, and the recession offers a potentially excellent opportunity for companies to significantly improve their market position.  This may also be a great time to pick up ground on the competition.  They may be hiding from the storm like so many other companies led by fair weathered captains of industry.  What if you were to continue to invest in your business?  Get more aggressive with development plans to build additional differentiation against the competition that has cut its R&D.  Avoid layoffs of the people needed to operate the business so that you don't find yourself hiring new untrained individuals who need to learn your business at the same time the economy is recovering.

Marketing may appear to be a sensible place to reduce expenses since fewer people are buying and those who are typically are spending less.  Everyone else is cutting back on marketing, why not do the same?  The problem is that your partners, customers and prospects may also notice this, and the message it sends is not one of reassurance. 

This economy provides an opportunity for those who have some financial strength to improve their market position.  The opportunity is actually twofold for marketing: the noise level is lower and the cost of delivering your message louder is greater.



Now, Market It

April 26, 2009

Hello TMC readers - I would like to take this opportunity to provide an introduction to my blog. 

Now, Market It - what does this mean?  As a high tech marketing person, I am always interested in how high tech companies utilize marketing.  Though much has been written about marketing in high tech companies, I have found the spectrum of views on high tech marketing remarkably vast.  In some companies marketing is core to its strategy - and in others it is the organization that manages the website and trade shows.

In high tech industries there is so much focus on the technology that I don't think marketing is always an integral part of the strategic planning process.  Often marketing is thought about when it is time to bring a solution to market.  The technology has been transformed into a product or service - "Now, Market It".

As with so many things in high tech businesses, marketing has unique challenges.  Marketing is both a science and an art - it requires an understanding of the analytical and the creative.  It is complicated by the fact that different marketing strategies are required based on a variety of factors including where the technology is in the Technology Adoption Life Cycle.  Marketing is dynamic and multi-dimensional.  It requires continual adaptation and an understanding that markets are both global and local. 

Marketing is appropriately a key component to strategic planning and for supporting innovation in any high tech company.