On Products, the Press, Analysts and SaaSOn Products, the Press, Analysts and SaaS

"How do companies with such a trivial product get such [extensive] press?"

I had written in a recent blog entry about the claims and the coverage garnered by a BI software as a service (SaaS) company. Their products may be quite nice - their architecture and positioning seem sounds - but their grandiose self-depiction overstates their impact on the overall BI market.

The person who sent me this question founded a company that creates BI solutions using open-source software, a rival of the company I wrote about. His question was half serious, half rhethorical - he surely had his own answer in mind - but it's worth a moment's thought. Consider the following as two minutes of PR 101 from someone on the receiving end of many press releases.Companies get the press coverage they do because of a combination of: