451 Research Case Study

Expanding a successful content marketing program to target a wider audience

Client

Description

In 2015, 451 Research was engaged to deliver Vormetric's annual study on data security. Previously known as the "Insider Threat Report," it examined only threats from players acting inside the organization. With help from the 451 Research Advisory team, Vormetric was able to expand the scope to all data threats and address the broader and very public problem of outside threats.

Services Used

Custom Study

Commissioned Research

Speaking Engagement

Hosted Webinar

The Challenge

Vormetric had built a highly successful annual content marketing program that focused on the numerous internal security threats facing its clients and prospects. However, the world of data security was changing rapidly, and so were the challenges its clients were facing: 2015 was the year of the external hack, with "breaking news" coverage of major breaches at Sony, Target, Home Depot and many others. While organizations were previously mostly worried about threats from actors that, maliciously or innocently, were posing a threat to data security, the threat from external actors and systems began to pose an equally dangerous threat.

So for its 2016 report, Vormetric knew that it needed to expand the focus of its study and resulting reports, and the 451 Research Advisory team was called in to help.

The Solution

451 Research designed and then fielded a study with over 1,000 vetted data security executives and process owners in organizations around the globe, using a combination of web- and phone-based surveys. The surveys asked respondents to weigh in on current perceptions, current data security spending, emerging threats and planned spending. A surprising finding: Most organizations were investing or planning to invest in the wrong types of data protection! This gave Vormetric a powerful message to tell the market. And it did so brilliantly, with nine (9) separate reports generated by 451 Research, each one focused on a specific market geography or vertical, to enable specific media targeting.

Additionally, 451 Research supported Vormetric's thought leadership campaign with infographics, blogs, speaking engagements, webinars, analyst interviews and quotes.

The Results

The result was an impressive amount of media coverage and lead generation. In the first few months in the field, there were 1,500 report downloads and 39 feature articles globally. What's more, the company has a sophisticated lead-tracking system that identified numerous sales leads generated from the report, resulting in a significant pipeline of new opportunities.