The Open Group
Thought Leadership
Challenge
The Open Group is a global non-profit consortium focused on IT standards and advocacy for the practice of Enterprise Architecture (EA). NASA, Apple Computer, Boeing, IBM, HP, Accenture and Lockheed Martin are among the organization’s more than 300 members. When the Bateman Group began working with The Open Group in April 2006, Enterprise Architecture was not fully acknowledged as a genuine discipline by the IT industry, nor was there a clear understanding of the job description of the Enterprise Architect. EA was associated strictly with information technology, when in reality it relates more broadly to business optimization. The Bateman Group identified two key objectives: 1) position The Open Group as the leading proponent for the practice of Enterprise Architecture from both an IT and a business perspective; and 2) increase awareness of its various certification programs, standards initiatives and global conference series targeting the Enterprise Architect.
Strategy
The Bateman Group first conducted a high-level audit of media and industry pundits to determine The Open Group's influence and perception of Enterprise Architecture overall. After doing so, the Bateman Group crafted an integrated PR program spanning the organization’s multiple products, services and event offerings. Out of the gate, the Bateman Group began establishing The Open Group’s unique point of view on the future of enterprise computing via bylined articles; executive Q&As; issues response campaigns; and high-profile speaking engagements.
The Bateman Group also embarked on a comprehensive campaign to elevate the content and attendance levels at The Open Group’s quarterly global conferences. Bateman Group members have attended each conference – both domestically and internationally – since beginning work in April 2006, and given onsite support as well as writing daily recaps, which are distributed to more than 40,000 individuals at member organizations. In addition, the Bateman Group secured well-known IT analysts, editors-in-chief, industry pundits and influential bloggers to serve as keynote speakers and panelists.
These prominent individuals would often post updates to their blogs about their speaking experiences, helping to virally spread the perception of the conferences as “must attend” events for anyone interested in Enterprise Architecture and other closely related topics, such as service-oriented architectures (SOA), security, open standards and cloud computing.
Results
In the first year, the Bateman Group placed over a dozen high-profile articles and columns that examined the evolving role of the Enterprise Architect in such outlets as CNET, CIO Update, CSO, Align Journal and DM Review. The Bateman Group also secured executive Q&As with the CEO on related topics in literally dozens of IT trades including CIO Insight, CIO Magazine, Computerworld, InformationWeek, ZDNet and eWeek. An aggressive speaking program additionally secured more than a dozen executive speaking opportunities within this period, including three keynote addresses and international placements in Australia and England.
The Bateman Group’s work has cemented The Open Group as the leader in the Enterprise Architecture industry, driving both standards adoption and elevating the profession itself. Members of the media and analysts consistently come to The Open Group, via the Bateman Group, for executive commentary on a host of issues, based on its thought leadership position in the space.
The PR program has resulted in a substantial increase in corporate membership to the consortium; doubled conference attendance globally; and grown participation in certification programs by as much as 300 percent. When the Bateman Group began work with The Open Group, its architecture framework TOGAF (a methodology for building architectures) had just 1,000 certified practitioners.
Today, more than 8,000 people are TOGAF-certified. Additionally, The Open Group’s ITAC program (IT Architect Certification) has more than doubled its participants. Finally, attendance at The Open Group’s global conference series has grown 100 percent from approximately 200-250 people to more than 400 registered attendees at many events.
"The Open Group’s culture demands in-depth technical knowledge as a baseline for success. Our Bateman team not only understands the content, they excel at tailoring our messages for a broader audience and building meaningful, long-lasting conversations on our behalf."
Allen Brown
CEO
The Open Group