Top Of The News - Apps & Analytics:

Blackfriars Launches Web-Based Corp. Comm Analysis Tools

The most frequent error of corporate marketing -- unclear communication of a company's business value -- costs a billion-dollar organization more than $20 million every year due to longer sales cycles. Yet, marketing executives have had few objective tools to help them understand and resolve such messaging issues.

To address this need, Blackfriars Communications Inc announces a new suite of tools for marketers to assess the effectiveness of their business communications and solve messaging problems. These Web-based tools apply a uniform methodology that analyzes how well messages will resonate with four targeted audiences -- customers, media, analysts and salespeople.

Through a series of pointed questions, Blackfriars' assessment tools help marketers develop presentations, Web sites, advertising and collateral with simple, clear and consistent messages. Customers who have entered into a consulting or direct enterprise relationship with Blackfriars have the opportunity to license the assessment tools for a 12-month period.

EMC Corp engaged Blackfriars as part of the activities surrounding the launch of a recent software application, and had a first-hand opportunity to use the assessment tools.

"When you are involved in product development cycles, you can get too close to the product and the marketing efforts around it. You lose your impartiality," said Theresa McClure, director of marketing programs at EMC. "Blackfriars' assessment tools gave us an objective, consistent methodology to sharpen and solidify our marketing messages and positioning around an important software launch. They helped us to ensure the product's appeal to customers, prospects and those who influence the market."

"Our assessment tools bring discipline to the development of marketing materials. These tools measure how easily business audiences can understand and act on corporate messages, allowing marketers to get beyond subjective reactions," said Carl Howe, a principal of Blackfriars Communications Inc. "By using our tools, organizations can deliver a consistent message to the market and increase their market penetration."