tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8433456607242913787.post6021869722571191071..comments2023-04-12T11:53:11.274-04:00Comments on Analytics Evolution: Aberdeen Group Under Fire from WSJ ReporterJohn Lovetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09954262939608647312noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8433456607242913787.post-56411593084341301132008-03-05T21:09:00.000-05:002008-03-05T21:09:00.000-05:00Thanks for sharing your perspective. While the lea...Thanks for sharing your perspective. While the leads may have been dubious during your time, the lead padding largely stopped as Aberdeen reached critical mass of subscribers after the HH acquisition.<BR/><BR/>But you are correct in that there is no qualification process (at least there wasn't when I was there) for who could populate surveys.John Lovetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09954262939608647312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8433456607242913787.post-57683998418573704062008-03-05T17:07:00.000-05:002008-03-05T17:07:00.000-05:00Hi John- Clearly you were at Aberdeen in the Jamie...Hi John- Clearly you were at Aberdeen in the Jamie Bedard years and I bet you're pulling your punches when it comes to his "strong-arm" tactics. <BR/><BR/>I was also an Aberdeen employee during those years, was there when he arrived and cleaned house, firing the majority of the long-time analysts and support staff, then turning around and hiring a team of cronies and yes-men. Somehow I weathered the storm and was able to make my own decision to leave.<BR/><BR/>My time at Aberdeen was before the Harte Hanks acquisition, so things may have changed with the influx of HH's money and lead lists. But while I was there, one of the many outright deceitful acts I saw at Aberdeen was the manner in which they generated leads for each report. <BR/><BR/>Frequently, when downloads were not up to snuff on a report, names were pilfered from downloads of other reports and added to the lists as if these individuals had downloaded the content of their own volition, effectively providing hundreds of irrelevant or uninterested names to companies that had paid for qualified leads. <BR/><BR/>This is unfair to both the companies who are footing the bill and those individuals who downloaded reports who were contacted by sales reps trying to sell them technologies in which they had no interest.<BR/><BR/>You have to also question the quality of Aberdeen's surveys themselves. While I was there, we were receiving mayby 70-100 responses to surveys that were sent out via e-mail to anybody who had shown interest in the topic, report downloaders, low-level titles, etc. Heck, I still receive Aberdeen surveys to a test account I used while there...these surveys are for all sorts of technologies for which I have no responsibility. What's top stop me from filling out these surveys and skewing Aberdeen's research?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com