INTRODUCING THE BATEMAN GROUP, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES High-Tech Industry Veteran Launches New Firm; Opens Doors with Four Client Contracts SAN FRANCISCO, Monday, Feb. 23, 2004-A team of senior public relations practitioners led by 15-year high tech industry veteran Fred Bateman today announced the launch of The Bateman Group, a full-service public relations firm specializing in infrastructure and emerging technology companies. Responding to the market need for a more flexible, results-driven and cost-efficient agency model, The Bateman Group represents a new breed of tech-focused PR firm rooted in a different vision and a distinct approach. This new approach is characterized by a senior-level staffing model, smaller teams focused on fewer accounts and more value per dollar spent than the previous generation of agencies. The Bateman Group also announced today four client relationships, opening its doors with a diverse roster of public and private companies, from market-leading global players to emerging start-ups. The Bateman Group's clients announced today include: Aspect Communications Corp.-Based in San Jose, Calif., Aspect Communications (Nasdaq: ASPT) is a leading provider of contact center solutions Vitria-Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Vitria (Nasdaq: VITR) is the leading provider of business process integration (BPI) solutions TimesTen, Inc.-Based in Mountain View, Calif., TimesTen is the leading provider of infrastructure software for real-time applications Bluewave Networks, Inc.-Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Bluewave Networks is a provider of real-time network analytics solutions for large enterprises and service providers "Technology companies, regardless of size, value content expertise and guaranteed senior-level attention from their PR partner above all else," said Fred Bateman, founder and principal consultant, The Bateman Group. "Offering a single, branded global network or niche services such as crisis management or public affairs are nice add-ons, but rarely a part of any company's primary selection criteria. To win and retain business today, domain expertise must be genuine and senior staff participation must be long-term-and all at a reasonable price. We provide just that, along with the sophisticated services and scalability needed to assist with wide variety of communications challenges," added Bateman. "The challenge of positioning and communicating complex infrastructure software like TimesTen is a daunting one," said Tim Shetler, VP of marketing, TimesTen. "The Bateman Group, however, hit the ground running and added value to our company and product messaging almost immediately. They've also been relentless in their efforts to communicate the TimesTen story to a broader audience. The results have been consistent, high quality and always what they said they would deliver or more." Most PR firms struggle with creating content that is immediately useful to their clients. Frustrated by lackluster writing product and time wasted by rounds of editing, many technology companies develop content in-house and lean on their agencies only for analyst and media relations programs. The Bateman Group differentiates itself by offering one of the most exceptional writing capabilities in the industry. This service is enhanced with real, proven expertise in the more complex segments of the technology market. A portion of these segments include: enterprise software, real-time infrastructure, application integration, business process management, web services, data/network analytics, software development, networking and telecom equipment and semiconductors, among others. The Bateman Group couples this expertise with a service model built around a more simplified agency structure consisting of just two levels-Senior Consultant and Senior Associate. Clients benefit from a team that has more time allocated for their business and also stays firmly in place, even if spending levels fluctuate month to month. "A new breed of PR agencies is emerging and those that form it are more nimble, competitive, organized, responsive and very service and value oriented. The Bateman Group is leading the pack with its innovative model developed to eliminate the problems found in traditional agency-client relationships," said Lakshmi Arya Bakshi, VP, Global PR and Analyst Relations, Aspect Communications. "For example, The Bateman Group provides all clients a highly seasoned, extremely intelligent and motivated PR team constantly active in the account helping to shape strategy, tactics, programs and content. This is especially valuable in today's environment when in-house staffing and budgets are limited." About the Founder Prior to forming The Bateman Group, Fred Bateman was an independent consultant working with emerging technology companies such as TimesTen, Niku, Stratify and Digital Evolution. Before that, Fred spent seven years with FitzGerald Communications, an Omnicom company, most recently as a senior vice president based in Redwood Shores, Calif. A Boston native, Fred was tapped to open FitzGerald's first regional office in San Francisco in 1998. During his tenure there, Fred led some of FitzGerald's premier accounts including: Software.com (now Openwave), CrossWorlds (now IBM), Best Software's CRM division, Bay Networks (now Nortel Networks), Newbridge Networks (now Alcatel), fusionOne, MMC Networks (now Applied Micro), MSC.Software and BackWeb Technologies. He has been working in technology-focused public relations for approximately 15 years. About The Bateman Group The Bateman Group is a highly specialized, full-service communications firm focused on infrastructure and emerging technologies. Differentiated by proven technical expertise, exceptional written product and an all senior-level staff, The Bateman Group's objective is to make a bigger market impact for a smaller, more select group of companies. Current clients include Aspect Communications, Vitria, TimesTen and Bluewave Networks. The Bateman Group is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, please call (415) 503-1818 or visit the website at www.bateman-group.com. Back to Top ^