The news of Deltek purchasing Washington Management Group and Federal Sources created quite a stir in the contracting community. Here are my thoughts on my previous post, which was only posting the Deltek press release.
Deltek, under Kevin Parker (who joined Deltek in 2005) there have been several acquisitions, including Input and GovWin (formerly MySBX). Mr Parker discussed these and other issues on my radio show last October - http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?sid=2075743&nid=58&_hw=Kevin+parker .
During that interview, Mr Parker stated that Deltek's push into offering more services to the contractor community was far from over.
I still don't think Deltek is done, but I would be hard pressed to figure out what would be next. No insider info here.
What this means to the contracting community is that Deltek/Input/FedSources offer a comprehensive suite of paid information and consulting services. Add in GovWin for the small contractors and you has an impressive array free and paid services.
For those companies that used to use both services, you will pay less. For the companies that used to try to negotiate a better price by playing Fed Sources off Input, well, that is probably over.
Are there other sources available for the contracting community? Yes, but they are mostly smaller providers, with the exception of Bloomberg Government, BGov.
I am still not certain BGov is a direct competitor to Deltek. If they are, with the acquisition of Federal Sources by Deltek, BGov will find it more difficult to compete directly with Deltek.
This is a relationship driven market and between Deltek, Input, WMG and Fed Sources, most of the major contracting community is well covered. Factor in the Colaition for government Procurement and you have the GSA Schedules covered too.
It will be interesting to watch the ripple effects from this.
Showing posts with label BGov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BGov. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Shifts in the Gov Media Landscape: What These Could Mean to B2G Marketing
In my new book, Selling to the Government, I quote my friend and long-time business development professional Bob Davis, PhD. In one of our interviews for a CD set we recorded on BD, he said, "Marketshare is rented, never owned." This is one of those classic 'I wished I'd said it' statements. This statement is true not simply for contractors, but for government media as well, where the landscape is changing rapidly.
Among the changes you should be aware of, these seem to be of some significance. They appear in no particular order.
FierceMarkets: Late last year veteran reporter Dave Perara joined the staff of FierceMarkets to edit the government facing enewsletter FierceGovernmentIT. Dave helped make it a more interesting publication. FierceMarkets is an enews operation that has nearly 1,000,000 subscribers worldwide for the many tech enewsletters it puts out. Fierce is doing a good job of growing marketshare and influence. They are making a strong push to grow mindshare in the government market. FierceGovernmentIT is a good read and the readership is growing. The associated web portal is a robust source for government IT information and there is a commitment to become bigger in this market.
BGov: Allan Holmes, former online editor of National Journal/Government Executive, moved to Bloomberg Government (BGov) late last year. He is only one of several editors and reporters to move to BGov. BGov is a paid content source for contractors, not a traditional media source. It almost does not belong in this post, but because I don't think the business model BGov envisions will work, it bears watching as it evolves. It will be interesting to see if Bloomberg's BusinessWeek starts covering more government contracting issues.
Washington Business Journal: Jill Aitoro, also formerly with National Journal/Government Executive, has moved to the Washington Business Journal. Washington Business Journal obviously has had a weak spot for years in the government contracting arena, and they are making up for lost time. Aitoro started in the government arena as editor of Government VAR in the early 2000s, then moved to Government Executive. WBJ also now has a new monthly column from industry veteran Larry Allen, former president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. Will this be enough to attract more ad dollars and readers? I don't think WBJ will ever be a primary B2G source, but with Jill and Larry there, it will be interesting to read.
AOL: Wyatt Kash, former editor in chief of Government Computer News and most recently content director of FOSE (both part of 1105 Government Media), is moving to AOL. Wyatt Kash is not going to AOL to ignore the government market. AOL is hungry for niche content and Wyatt is a great editor so this bears watching as it evolves. I look for AOL to add a few more solid editors and reporters and go after this market with a vengeance.
FedScoop: David Stegon of FedTech Bisnow is moving to FedScoop. Goldy Kamali has carved out an interesting niche with http://www.fedscoop.com/, and I am not certain exactly what it is: part networking event producer, part advertising arm for her perpetual advertisers (Intel and Microsoft, and now HP and Symantec), part news source (no original news, but links to top stories from media and blogs). Whatever it is, it is interesting. The edgy style of David Stegon will certainly help get more visitors if Goldy and Dave can get people to sign up for the newsletter. FedScoop bears watching.
Bisnow (Almost Never Boring - gotta love that line!), http://www.bisnow.com/, an extraordinary enewsletter publisher and producer of numerous networking events, also continues to grow and expand the Bisnow brand and influence in DC and thirteen other cities, all of which are federal hub cities. Mark Bisnow is one of the more interesting people I know and it is always fun to have coffee with him and brainstorm. Dave Stegon going to FedScoop opens the door to changes at Bisnow. I have known Mark Bisonw by reputation since the late 1990s, when he was the main face and voice of MicroStrategy. He did a live radio show from the dining room at the Tower Club, which planted the seed for me wanting a talk show. Bisnow has three national newsletters: Fed Tech Bisnow, Real Estate Bisnow, and Association and Non-Profit Bisnow. Each city has a real estate newsletter, and Bisnow events occur in each city served. From his townhouse offices off Connecticut Avenue in NorthWest DC, Bisnow is always someone to watch because he is never boring and always innovative.
WFED and http://www.federalnewsradio.com/: Chris Dorobek has moved on to places yet to be named and Francis ("the voice") Rose will move into the afternoon drive-time slot. I refer to Francis as "the voice" because he has one of those voices that just oozes depth and authority. He is fun to listen to and you always learn something. With the departure of Chris Dorobek after two and one half years, there will be other changes coming to WFED. The only weakness of Dorobek in the PM drive time was he did his show live from 3-5 PM, then the show was repeated from 5-7 PM, unless pre-empted by a sports event. Francis Rose will do a 4 hour show, and he has become a top talent in our market. While I am not privy to what is happening, I expect some new shows and hosts. WFED also has a robust web presence, one of the best overall active news source for all things Federal, and the listening audience for WFED (1500 AM) continues to grow. The combination of broadcast and a robust web site is powerful. My show (Amtower Off Center, Monday at noon) is in year 5 and I have to say, while I hate the drive into DC, I always enjoy myself when I get there.
GovLoop: We also have the rise of Steve Ressler's www.GovLoop.com as an online social network, news and opinion source. The network is around 40,000 strong. Steve Ressler started http://www.govloop.com/ in June, 2008 as the first social network "by, for and about Feds", and in two and one half years it has grown to 40,000. While this is not huge by social networking standards, it is significant. Steve is no longer a Fed, but he remains a force. Some rumors put Dorobek here later this year. Will it be the blogging or broadcast Dorobek, or both? Ressler also does Gov 2.0 Radio with Adriel Hampton and Steve Lunceford on Blog Talk Radio.
GovWin: Jeff White's GovWin, now part of Deltek (along with Input), has become a great information source for small businesses seeking government contracts. It has several large businesses that use GovWin to identify the sub-contractors they require for bids. GovWin started out as a portal to help small companies partner and sub-contract and it is still that, but much more. It has become a news and education portal for the 27,000 plus members it serves. The site is free for small businesses to join, so there is every reason to do so. With a parent like Deltek and with Input as a sister company, I am looking for much more from http://www.govwin.com/.
TFCN- The Federal Contractor Network: Further, we have Alex George's TFCN network that started on LinkedIn and evolved into yet another social networking platform, http://www.tfcn.us/ with news and opinions. Alex George has been relentless in expanding the TFCN brand through deploying groups on LinkedIn and driving traffic to http://www.tfcn.us/ portal.
Final thoughts, comments and detritus:
Targeted content delivered by enews platforms is not going away and content delivered in mutliple ways is growing. Interactive content, where visitors or members can comment directly will be an important feature. Opinions and analysis, as well as news, will be part of the mix of the successful portals. The ability of members and visitors to share the content will assist in the viral spread. I am looking for an audio component from some of the more innovative players in the market. Web radio, podcasting and traditional broadcasting are key to delivering content in the ways that people digest information. Portals that offer a robust combination of news, opinions, blog(s), audio and video content will emerge stronger than those that have mutiple ways to disseminate appropriate content.
Audio has always been at best a sideline in our market, as had video.
No longer
As government contracting C-levels, sales, business development and marketing professionals, it is critical to understand where our target audience(s) get the information that is critical to them. The market is evolving in ways we could not imagine a few short years back. At my August,2008 session of Government Marketing Best Practices, I said traditional B2G media that did not adopt and adapt to social networking platforms would fall behind and lose marketshare. Those that were slow suffered.
And afterthoughts:
I am not ignoring 1105 (Federal Computer Week, Washington Technology, FOSE, etc), Government Executive, or Federal Times but will address print media separately soon. I am also not implying they are not changing and adapting, as they remain vital information sources to the government community.
I also did not address the blogging community at all in this, as it deserves a separate detailed analysis. I am currently seeking some input on this from some key bloggers in the community.
I will point out that though I am a member of GovLoop, GovWin and TFCN, LinkedIn is my social network of choice and it just hit 100,000,000 members. I am member # 222,445, having joined over seven years ago (February 11, 2004). LinkedIn is an important part of the information and content sharing platforms for the business of government.
Among the changes you should be aware of, these seem to be of some significance. They appear in no particular order.
FierceMarkets: Late last year veteran reporter Dave Perara joined the staff of FierceMarkets to edit the government facing enewsletter FierceGovernmentIT. Dave helped make it a more interesting publication. FierceMarkets is an enews operation that has nearly 1,000,000 subscribers worldwide for the many tech enewsletters it puts out. Fierce is doing a good job of growing marketshare and influence. They are making a strong push to grow mindshare in the government market. FierceGovernmentIT is a good read and the readership is growing. The associated web portal is a robust source for government IT information and there is a commitment to become bigger in this market.
BGov: Allan Holmes, former online editor of National Journal/Government Executive, moved to Bloomberg Government (BGov) late last year. He is only one of several editors and reporters to move to BGov. BGov is a paid content source for contractors, not a traditional media source. It almost does not belong in this post, but because I don't think the business model BGov envisions will work, it bears watching as it evolves. It will be interesting to see if Bloomberg's BusinessWeek starts covering more government contracting issues.
Washington Business Journal: Jill Aitoro, also formerly with National Journal/Government Executive, has moved to the Washington Business Journal. Washington Business Journal obviously has had a weak spot for years in the government contracting arena, and they are making up for lost time. Aitoro started in the government arena as editor of Government VAR in the early 2000s, then moved to Government Executive. WBJ also now has a new monthly column from industry veteran Larry Allen, former president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. Will this be enough to attract more ad dollars and readers? I don't think WBJ will ever be a primary B2G source, but with Jill and Larry there, it will be interesting to read.
AOL: Wyatt Kash, former editor in chief of Government Computer News and most recently content director of FOSE (both part of 1105 Government Media), is moving to AOL. Wyatt Kash is not going to AOL to ignore the government market. AOL is hungry for niche content and Wyatt is a great editor so this bears watching as it evolves. I look for AOL to add a few more solid editors and reporters and go after this market with a vengeance.
FedScoop: David Stegon of FedTech Bisnow is moving to FedScoop. Goldy Kamali has carved out an interesting niche with http://www.fedscoop.com/, and I am not certain exactly what it is: part networking event producer, part advertising arm for her perpetual advertisers (Intel and Microsoft, and now HP and Symantec), part news source (no original news, but links to top stories from media and blogs). Whatever it is, it is interesting. The edgy style of David Stegon will certainly help get more visitors if Goldy and Dave can get people to sign up for the newsletter. FedScoop bears watching.
Bisnow (Almost Never Boring - gotta love that line!), http://www.bisnow.com/, an extraordinary enewsletter publisher and producer of numerous networking events, also continues to grow and expand the Bisnow brand and influence in DC and thirteen other cities, all of which are federal hub cities. Mark Bisnow is one of the more interesting people I know and it is always fun to have coffee with him and brainstorm. Dave Stegon going to FedScoop opens the door to changes at Bisnow. I have known Mark Bisonw by reputation since the late 1990s, when he was the main face and voice of MicroStrategy. He did a live radio show from the dining room at the Tower Club, which planted the seed for me wanting a talk show. Bisnow has three national newsletters: Fed Tech Bisnow, Real Estate Bisnow, and Association and Non-Profit Bisnow. Each city has a real estate newsletter, and Bisnow events occur in each city served. From his townhouse offices off Connecticut Avenue in NorthWest DC, Bisnow is always someone to watch because he is never boring and always innovative.
WFED and http://www.federalnewsradio.com/: Chris Dorobek has moved on to places yet to be named and Francis ("the voice") Rose will move into the afternoon drive-time slot. I refer to Francis as "the voice" because he has one of those voices that just oozes depth and authority. He is fun to listen to and you always learn something. With the departure of Chris Dorobek after two and one half years, there will be other changes coming to WFED. The only weakness of Dorobek in the PM drive time was he did his show live from 3-5 PM, then the show was repeated from 5-7 PM, unless pre-empted by a sports event. Francis Rose will do a 4 hour show, and he has become a top talent in our market. While I am not privy to what is happening, I expect some new shows and hosts. WFED also has a robust web presence, one of the best overall active news source for all things Federal, and the listening audience for WFED (1500 AM) continues to grow. The combination of broadcast and a robust web site is powerful. My show (Amtower Off Center, Monday at noon) is in year 5 and I have to say, while I hate the drive into DC, I always enjoy myself when I get there.
GovLoop: We also have the rise of Steve Ressler's www.GovLoop.com as an online social network, news and opinion source. The network is around 40,000 strong. Steve Ressler started http://www.govloop.com/ in June, 2008 as the first social network "by, for and about Feds", and in two and one half years it has grown to 40,000. While this is not huge by social networking standards, it is significant. Steve is no longer a Fed, but he remains a force. Some rumors put Dorobek here later this year. Will it be the blogging or broadcast Dorobek, or both? Ressler also does Gov 2.0 Radio with Adriel Hampton and Steve Lunceford on Blog Talk Radio.
GovWin: Jeff White's GovWin, now part of Deltek (along with Input), has become a great information source for small businesses seeking government contracts. It has several large businesses that use GovWin to identify the sub-contractors they require for bids. GovWin started out as a portal to help small companies partner and sub-contract and it is still that, but much more. It has become a news and education portal for the 27,000 plus members it serves. The site is free for small businesses to join, so there is every reason to do so. With a parent like Deltek and with Input as a sister company, I am looking for much more from http://www.govwin.com/.
TFCN- The Federal Contractor Network: Further, we have Alex George's TFCN network that started on LinkedIn and evolved into yet another social networking platform, http://www.tfcn.us/ with news and opinions. Alex George has been relentless in expanding the TFCN brand through deploying groups on LinkedIn and driving traffic to http://www.tfcn.us/ portal.
Final thoughts, comments and detritus:
Targeted content delivered by enews platforms is not going away and content delivered in mutliple ways is growing. Interactive content, where visitors or members can comment directly will be an important feature. Opinions and analysis, as well as news, will be part of the mix of the successful portals. The ability of members and visitors to share the content will assist in the viral spread. I am looking for an audio component from some of the more innovative players in the market. Web radio, podcasting and traditional broadcasting are key to delivering content in the ways that people digest information. Portals that offer a robust combination of news, opinions, blog(s), audio and video content will emerge stronger than those that have mutiple ways to disseminate appropriate content.
Audio has always been at best a sideline in our market, as had video.
No longer
As government contracting C-levels, sales, business development and marketing professionals, it is critical to understand where our target audience(s) get the information that is critical to them. The market is evolving in ways we could not imagine a few short years back. At my August,2008 session of Government Marketing Best Practices, I said traditional B2G media that did not adopt and adapt to social networking platforms would fall behind and lose marketshare. Those that were slow suffered.
And afterthoughts:
I am not ignoring 1105 (Federal Computer Week, Washington Technology, FOSE, etc), Government Executive, or Federal Times but will address print media separately soon. I am also not implying they are not changing and adapting, as they remain vital information sources to the government community.
I also did not address the blogging community at all in this, as it deserves a separate detailed analysis. I am currently seeking some input on this from some key bloggers in the community.
I will point out that though I am a member of GovLoop, GovWin and TFCN, LinkedIn is my social network of choice and it just hit 100,000,000 members. I am member # 222,445, having joined over seven years ago (February 11, 2004). LinkedIn is an important part of the information and content sharing platforms for the business of government.
Friday, January 14, 2011
BGov Rumored to be making another purchase
Yet another rumor emerged through the grapevine this week: BGov is looking to purchase a contract service in the state and local space.
True or not, the move would make sense given the purchase of Eagle Eye for federal data, and the recent hiring of skilled editorial talent like Allan Holmes.
I have also spoken to a few (very few, this is no scientific sampling) of the folks who have taken the "free 30 day test drive" of the BGov product. For the most part, they find it interesting but not useful enough to purchase. At least not yet.
If you hear of anything regarding BGov and its new moves, drop me a line at MarkFederalDirectnet . Confidentiality of sources is guaranteed.
True or not, the move would make sense given the purchase of Eagle Eye for federal data, and the recent hiring of skilled editorial talent like Allan Holmes.
I have also spoken to a few (very few, this is no scientific sampling) of the folks who have taken the "free 30 day test drive" of the BGov product. For the most part, they find it interesting but not useful enough to purchase. At least not yet.
If you hear of anything regarding BGov and its new moves, drop me a line at Mark
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
INPUT sale(?)- day 4, take 3
So, here's what I've heard since Saturday:
- that Deltek was a potential buyer;
- that 3 companies were in the final bidding and there might be a deal to slice INPUT into pieces among the 3 (very strange, but I guess it's possible);
- that it could be Fed Sources (sorry, but where would they get the money?):
- that it is a private equity firm (makes the most sense);
- that a very senior person has left (only one source on this one);
- several people jumped in to tell me that INPUT has been "on the block" for several years (only partly accurate);
- that the likelihood of it being BGov is low (this from several reliable sources).
Please keep in mind that I am not getting anything from inside INPUT and I am not aware that I know anyone inside BGov. Even though I am connected to over 2,500 people in the government market on LinkedIn, I have no Bloomberg/BGov contacts.
SO, my post Saturday was probably off the mark in who the buyer was- if there was a sale.
I predicated my assumption/guess on several things I heard last week, most of which I cannot mention here. Suffice it to say, there was something going down Thursday and Friday that involved INPUT. Whether or not it resulted in a sale, well, we'll all find out about the same time. Maybe here.
Which leads me to conclude that I may be wrong about BGov/Bloomberg (expert witnesses are against me here), and that the final deal may still be in the works.
If that's the case, I was wrong on both fronts (buyer and sale) - but boy, it was fun thinking something had occurred!
But stay tuned- I will be watching INPUT, FSI and Bloomberg closely.... and news is coming very soon...
- that Deltek was a potential buyer;
- that 3 companies were in the final bidding and there might be a deal to slice INPUT into pieces among the 3 (very strange, but I guess it's possible);
- that it could be Fed Sources (sorry, but where would they get the money?):
- that it is a private equity firm (makes the most sense);
- that a very senior person has left (only one source on this one);
- several people jumped in to tell me that INPUT has been "on the block" for several years (only partly accurate);
- that the likelihood of it being BGov is low (this from several reliable sources).
Please keep in mind that I am not getting anything from inside INPUT and I am not aware that I know anyone inside BGov. Even though I am connected to over 2,500 people in the government market on LinkedIn, I have no Bloomberg/BGov contacts.
SO, my post Saturday was probably off the mark in who the buyer was- if there was a sale.
I predicated my assumption/guess on several things I heard last week, most of which I cannot mention here. Suffice it to say, there was something going down Thursday and Friday that involved INPUT. Whether or not it resulted in a sale, well, we'll all find out about the same time. Maybe here.
Which leads me to conclude that I may be wrong about BGov/Bloomberg (expert witnesses are against me here), and that the final deal may still be in the works.
If that's the case, I was wrong on both fronts (buyer and sale) - but boy, it was fun thinking something had occurred!
But stay tuned- I will be watching INPUT, FSI and Bloomberg closely.... and news is coming very soon...
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Bloomberg announces President for Bgov
Sean Callahan of BtoB magazine reports the announcement of a new president for Bloomberg's government division.
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/MEDIABUSINESS/100309960/1078
According to BtoB (direct quote from BtoB is in italics)- (Bloomberg) said Tuesday that Kevin Sheekey is rejoining the company as chairman of the government-oriented division. He will also oversee government relations and communications.
Sheekey, who most recently was New York’s deputy mayor for government affairs, worked at Bloomberg from 1997 to 2001.
“Kevin will oversee a service that applies Bloomberg’s unmatched capabilities in data gathering and analytics to a one-stop, integrated information source of government information. Bloomberg is ideally positioned to address the fragmented market for information about people, decisions and data in Washington that affect business,” Daniel Doctoroff, president of Bloomberg, said in a statement. Bloomberg, which has traditionally shunned acquisitions, has been aggressively expanding beyond its core terminals business. The company acquired BusinessWeek late last year.
Alright, let's deal with a couple of tidbits in here.
First, being a former Bloomie and Deputy Mayor of NYC apparently qualifies Mr Sheekey as 'the guy'. While there is sense in this, as far as knowing the Bloomberg method, there is no sense in it if they plan on his being the main BGov person in DC. This market requires an insider as the driver. DC is a relationship driven market and you need a Rolodex or LinkedIn connections with hundreds if not thousands of contacts and those people need to know and trust YOU.
The other point I wish to address is "the fragmented market for information about people, decisions and data in Washington that affect business." While this is a catchy phrase, it means very little.
People, decisions and data.
This implies that there is information worth paying for that is not currently available in DC, or at least not available in one place.- information that involves each of these elements.
This reminds me of a situation I faced in 2002, when I was called by someone from NY who wanted to start a publication in DC - The Federal Paper. I wrote an Amtower Off-White Paper about this (see below), but I advised him against moving ahead. the federal paper folded after 2 issues.
Here is the Off White Paper (and keep in mind I wrote this long before The Apprentice):
"Off-White Paper" #17 - News for the News Impaired: An Amtower "Off-White" Paper
In 1998, I wrote a second Off-White paper on trade shows (Off-White 3.1), about the soon to be ill-fated GovTechNet. The overall point of that piece was "where is the value-add" for this event – what’s the point? We already have two big events, and unless you’re targeting a strong niche, there is no need for this. Well, I pissed off a few people. Again.
And, the event folded in short order.
And now we have a similar situation. The Washington Post announced 9/23/02 what many of us already knew, that there was another publication being launched in the Federal market. The Federal Paper is to be a weekly targeting "senior executives, presidential appointees, and the Hill" (read: the already overworked, the learning impaired, & the otherwise unemployable) with news that apparently they aren’t getting elsewhere. A controlled circulation base of 30,000 of people who need yet another news source.
The breakdown:
- 7,000+ presidential appointees (deer-in-the-headlights syndrome);
the Hill, 1,000-2,000 (with news about the executive branch? They already know everything they want to know, which they get from The Idiot’s Guide to the Executive Branch);
- 5,000+ career SES people (my God, people who work!)
- and another 15,000 "senior" people (AARP?).
News in Washington, D.C. which they aren’t getting elsewhere?
Well, of course, there is no news for these people in Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, National Journal, Government Executive, the Post’s Federal Page, FCW or GCN and a host of others, including paid newsletters, e-newsletters, web sites and gossip.
That being said, an experienced team has been assembled to pull this off, and it is led by someone with a publishing background.
But the premise remains weak, and when my clients and friends call (I get at least one a day on this one), my advice is "save your money, or if you have that much to spare, give it to me."
So here’s how they got there…
Market research: three sycophants and a rich person in a room with a case of Heineken and four straws.
Rich guy: "I think we can make a play in the public sector publishing market."
Sycophant 1: " Oohhh, it’s a great market."
Sycophant 2: "Aahhh, it’s a huge market."
Sycophant 3: "Yes, but aren’t there…"
Rich guy: "You’re fired."
Sycophant 1: "Decisive."
Sycophant 2: "Forceful."
Rich guy: "Adjourned."
Come to think of it, I am out of cat litter.
Not that I have an opinion on this….
Amtower
Copyright 2002, Amtower & Company
http://www.federaldirect.net/offwhite17.html
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/MEDIABUSINESS/100309960/1078
According to BtoB (direct quote from BtoB is in italics)- (Bloomberg) said Tuesday that Kevin Sheekey is rejoining the company as chairman of the government-oriented division. He will also oversee government relations and communications.
Sheekey, who most recently was New York’s deputy mayor for government affairs, worked at Bloomberg from 1997 to 2001.
“Kevin will oversee a service that applies Bloomberg’s unmatched capabilities in data gathering and analytics to a one-stop, integrated information source of government information. Bloomberg is ideally positioned to address the fragmented market for information about people, decisions and data in Washington that affect business,” Daniel Doctoroff, president of Bloomberg, said in a statement. Bloomberg, which has traditionally shunned acquisitions, has been aggressively expanding beyond its core terminals business. The company acquired BusinessWeek late last year.
Alright, let's deal with a couple of tidbits in here.
First, being a former Bloomie and Deputy Mayor of NYC apparently qualifies Mr Sheekey as 'the guy'. While there is sense in this, as far as knowing the Bloomberg method, there is no sense in it if they plan on his being the main BGov person in DC. This market requires an insider as the driver. DC is a relationship driven market and you need a Rolodex or LinkedIn connections with hundreds if not thousands of contacts and those people need to know and trust YOU.
The other point I wish to address is "the fragmented market for information about people, decisions and data in Washington that affect business." While this is a catchy phrase, it means very little.
People, decisions and data.
This implies that there is information worth paying for that is not currently available in DC, or at least not available in one place.- information that involves each of these elements.
This reminds me of a situation I faced in 2002, when I was called by someone from NY who wanted to start a publication in DC - The Federal Paper. I wrote an Amtower Off-White Paper about this (see below), but I advised him against moving ahead. the federal paper folded after 2 issues.
Here is the Off White Paper (and keep in mind I wrote this long before The Apprentice):
"Off-White Paper" #17 - News for the News Impaired: An Amtower "Off-White" Paper
In 1998, I wrote a second Off-White paper on trade shows (Off-White 3.1), about the soon to be ill-fated GovTechNet. The overall point of that piece was "where is the value-add" for this event – what’s the point? We already have two big events, and unless you’re targeting a strong niche, there is no need for this. Well, I pissed off a few people. Again.
And, the event folded in short order.
And now we have a similar situation. The Washington Post announced 9/23/02 what many of us already knew, that there was another publication being launched in the Federal market. The Federal Paper is to be a weekly targeting "senior executives, presidential appointees, and the Hill" (read: the already overworked, the learning impaired, & the otherwise unemployable) with news that apparently they aren’t getting elsewhere. A controlled circulation base of 30,000 of people who need yet another news source.
The breakdown:
- 7,000+ presidential appointees (deer-in-the-headlights syndrome);
the Hill, 1,000-2,000 (with news about the executive branch? They already know everything they want to know, which they get from The Idiot’s Guide to the Executive Branch);
- 5,000+ career SES people (my God, people who work!)
- and another 15,000 "senior" people (AARP?).
News in Washington, D.C. which they aren’t getting elsewhere?
Well, of course, there is no news for these people in Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, National Journal, Government Executive, the Post’s Federal Page, FCW or GCN and a host of others, including paid newsletters, e-newsletters, web sites and gossip.
That being said, an experienced team has been assembled to pull this off, and it is led by someone with a publishing background.
But the premise remains weak, and when my clients and friends call (I get at least one a day on this one), my advice is "save your money, or if you have that much to spare, give it to me."
So here’s how they got there…
Market research: three sycophants and a rich person in a room with a case of Heineken and four straws.
Rich guy: "I think we can make a play in the public sector publishing market."
Sycophant 1: " Oohhh, it’s a great market."
Sycophant 2: "Aahhh, it’s a huge market."
Sycophant 3: "Yes, but aren’t there…"
Rich guy: "You’re fired."
Sycophant 1: "Decisive."
Sycophant 2: "Forceful."
Rich guy: "Adjourned."
Come to think of it, I am out of cat litter.
Not that I have an opinion on this….
Amtower
Copyright 2002, Amtower & Company
http://www.federaldirect.net/offwhite17.html
Friday, February 26, 2010
Bloomberg & BGov take 5 - what are they DOING?
These two posts are from January 27 FishbowlDC posts. FishbowlDC provides the inside scoop on DC media. You should subscribe if DC media is of interest to you (if you have PR responsibility or are just a media junkie, FishbowlDC is a great source). My personal thanks and kudos to FishbowlDC for following this so closely.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/new_bloomberg_initiative_takes_aim_at_hill_rags_150213.asp
1/27/10, 4:59 PM
"Sources tell FishbowlDC that an underground project, slated to put a hurtin' on NJ, CQ-Roll Call, The Hill and Politico is underway at the Washington bureau of Bloomberg News. Rumor has it that the project's aim is to specifically report and track Cap Hill news using a dashboard site similar to Bloomberg's existing technology. "
Few details about the initiative have surfaced but the competition has already begun in the HR department. Reportedly led by former CQ Editor and VP Mike Riley, we hear that recruiting efforts have already snagged several CQ folks including top salesperson Joanna Matthews.
At the time of this post, Bloomberg could not comment on the project or specific hires but a rep tells FishbowlDC, "We are hiring globally and Washington is increasingly important to our subscribers, readers, listeners and viewers. Naturally we are adding staff in the DC bureau."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/bloombergs_bgov_details_begin_to_surface__150240.asp
1/27/10
"Bloomberg News still isn't talking about the development of their new product, designed to take on The Hill, CQ-Roll Call and other Cap Hill pubs but details about the venture have started seeping out since FishbowlDC first reported this afternoon.
Sources at the organization say the initiative is being overseen by execs Chris Walters and Don Baptiste who have traveling to Washington on a weekly basis. Additionally, Chris Roush from UNC's "Talking Biz News" tells us that the project is expected to have a $100 million budget, will create 40-50 editorial positions and is being referred to as "BGov" internally."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/new_bloomberg_initiative_takes_aim_at_hill_rags_150213.asp
1/27/10, 4:59 PM
"Sources tell FishbowlDC that an underground project, slated to put a hurtin' on NJ, CQ-Roll Call, The Hill and Politico is underway at the Washington bureau of Bloomberg News. Rumor has it that the project's aim is to specifically report and track Cap Hill news using a dashboard site similar to Bloomberg's existing technology. "
Few details about the initiative have surfaced but the competition has already begun in the HR department. Reportedly led by former CQ Editor and VP Mike Riley, we hear that recruiting efforts have already snagged several CQ folks including top salesperson Joanna Matthews.
At the time of this post, Bloomberg could not comment on the project or specific hires but a rep tells FishbowlDC, "We are hiring globally and Washington is increasingly important to our subscribers, readers, listeners and viewers. Naturally we are adding staff in the DC bureau."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/bloombergs_bgov_details_begin_to_surface__150240.asp
1/27/10
"Bloomberg News still isn't talking about the development of their new product, designed to take on The Hill, CQ-Roll Call and other Cap Hill pubs but details about the venture have started seeping out since FishbowlDC first reported this afternoon.
Sources at the organization say the initiative is being overseen by execs Chris Walters and Don Baptiste who have traveling to Washington on a weekly basis. Additionally, Chris Roush from UNC's "Talking Biz News" tells us that the project is expected to have a $100 million budget, will create 40-50 editorial positions and is being referred to as "BGov" internally."
Amtower analysis (see my previous posts on this over the last 10 days): Bloomberg is looking to become a major paid information provider on multiple fronts.
- On one front, they will take on the Capitol Hill pubs (National Journal, Roll Call, etc), which includes the Hill and K street (lobbying) audience.
- On another front they will apply their traditional market expertise (finance/investment) to the complex government contracting community and provide an investment service to Wall Street that focuses on Global One - selling to the government (Federal, state and local). Input already announced they were providing an investment tool, Government Investment Advisor (GovIA), providing. Frankly a product like this is long overdue. "
- On yet a third front, Bloomberg will compete against Input, Federal Sources, Onvia and others in providing emerging contract opportunity data to the contracting community.
An Napoleon and others found out, fighting wars on multiple fronts is not a winning proposition.
Bloomberg does have deep pockets and can buy some of the competition, and this is what I expect to happen. With their apparently aggressive growth goals, the "purchase the competition" method is most likely.
Stay tuned....
Thursday, February 25, 2010
More on Bloomberg & BGov, take 4
This story gets more interesting every day.
www.Mediabistro.com has a couple interesting posts regarding Bloomberg's foray into the B2G marketplace
First-
"Ex-CQ CEO on Bloomberg BGov Board
The buzz is true and painful. Bob Merry, former CQ CEO, has accepted a position on the board of advisors for Bloomberg's BGov enterprise, FishbowlDC has learned."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/excq_ceo_on_bloomberg_bgov_board__150783.asp
This post is from Feb 2, and predates my first post by over 2 weeks. If I had been reading my daily emails from Mediabistro/fishbowl every day, I'd have been on this sooner! I knew Bloomberg was interested in B2G late last fall, but didn't think much of it. With the addition of Bob Merry to the advisory board of BGov, we know there is now some adult supervision. It would be interesting to know who else they have for this board.
Second-
"CQ-Roll Call Group Freezing Out Bloomberg -
Relations are getting icy between Bloomberg News and CQ-Roll Call Group.
A source at Bloomberg is saying that the CQ-Roll Call Group has refused to renew Bloomberg's subscriptions to CQ's congressional reporting services because, according to the source, "they now consider us a competitor."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/cqroll_call_group_freezing_out_bloomberg__152434.asp
Now this is more interesting, as it indicates more of the breadth and depth that Bloomberg may be interested in pursuing, or at least the paranoia they are causing by entering the market.
The paranoia is legitimate. It is not yet known how broad a net Bloomberg/BGov will cast over the market, so anyone providing government information may have cause for some alarm.
Upside: If Bloomberg makes the market more popular, more companies may be interested in entering the market and investors will may find it a more attractive market segment. Bloomberg would not be the only beneficiary from this.
What is known is that budgets are tight, information sources abound on the web for much of this data (often in raw form, but it is there), and that the true value comes from the added value current information providers bring to the table. The value-add comes from the ability to make sense from the data, make it usable, then useful. This comes from being a proactive student of the market over a long period of time. You have to know what is important to the market and be able to bring those tiny nuggets to the surface and delveier them to the right audience.
There is a major difference between making data usable and making it useful. Technically, FPDS (Federal Procurement Data Service) data is usable, but it has not been made useful (actionable). In the more raw form, it requires analysis from someone familiar with the nuances of the market to add true value. Top flight talent with B2G contracting experience on this is not readily available. It is a small club.
It will be interesting to see
- if Bloomberg/BGov will make more purchases,
- what kind of products and services they roll out,
- who will drive the BGov group,
- how the BGov group will be populated
- who Bloomberg will add to the BGov Board,
- how the competitors respond.
This is a long-term market. Companies entering with visions of near-term market domination predicated on a "brand" name are not only disappointed, but often end up as chalk outlines on the sidewalk. Bloomberg and BGov may have a real play, but if they enter with attitude and visions of near-term radical growth, it will be interesting to see if BGov becomes BGone.
www.Mediabistro.com has a couple interesting posts regarding Bloomberg's foray into the B2G marketplace
First-
"Ex-CQ CEO on Bloomberg BGov Board
The buzz is true and painful. Bob Merry, former CQ CEO, has accepted a position on the board of advisors for Bloomberg's BGov enterprise, FishbowlDC has learned."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/the_revolving_door/excq_ceo_on_bloomberg_bgov_board__150783.asp
This post is from Feb 2, and predates my first post by over 2 weeks. If I had been reading my daily emails from Mediabistro/fishbowl every day, I'd have been on this sooner! I knew Bloomberg was interested in B2G late last fall, but didn't think much of it. With the addition of Bob Merry to the advisory board of BGov, we know there is now some adult supervision. It would be interesting to know who else they have for this board.
Second-
"CQ-Roll Call Group Freezing Out Bloomberg -
Relations are getting icy between Bloomberg News and CQ-Roll Call Group.
A source at Bloomberg is saying that the CQ-Roll Call Group has refused to renew Bloomberg's subscriptions to CQ's congressional reporting services because, according to the source, "they now consider us a competitor."
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/news_notes/cqroll_call_group_freezing_out_bloomberg__152434.asp
Now this is more interesting, as it indicates more of the breadth and depth that Bloomberg may be interested in pursuing, or at least the paranoia they are causing by entering the market.
The paranoia is legitimate. It is not yet known how broad a net Bloomberg/BGov will cast over the market, so anyone providing government information may have cause for some alarm.
Upside: If Bloomberg makes the market more popular, more companies may be interested in entering the market and investors will may find it a more attractive market segment. Bloomberg would not be the only beneficiary from this.
What is known is that budgets are tight, information sources abound on the web for much of this data (often in raw form, but it is there), and that the true value comes from the added value current information providers bring to the table. The value-add comes from the ability to make sense from the data, make it usable, then useful. This comes from being a proactive student of the market over a long period of time. You have to know what is important to the market and be able to bring those tiny nuggets to the surface and delveier them to the right audience.
There is a major difference between making data usable and making it useful. Technically, FPDS (Federal Procurement Data Service) data is usable, but it has not been made useful (actionable). In the more raw form, it requires analysis from someone familiar with the nuances of the market to add true value. Top flight talent with B2G contracting experience on this is not readily available. It is a small club.
It will be interesting to see
- if Bloomberg/BGov will make more purchases,
- what kind of products and services they roll out,
- who will drive the BGov group,
- how the BGov group will be populated
- who Bloomberg will add to the BGov Board,
- how the competitors respond.
This is a long-term market. Companies entering with visions of near-term market domination predicated on a "brand" name are not only disappointed, but often end up as chalk outlines on the sidewalk. Bloomberg and BGov may have a real play, but if they enter with attitude and visions of near-term radical growth, it will be interesting to see if BGov becomes BGone.
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