For the past 14 years, Qualitative Marketing® has been developing and implementing association and user group marketing programs for technology companies. This methodology works for diverse technologies, such as convergence, data warehousing, developer tools, and vertical market applications. 1998 clients include Adobe, Informix, Philips, and Symantec. Former clients include Compaq, Intuit, Microsoft, and XcelleNet.

Qualitative Marketing's Association Marketing programs provide companies with an opportunity to create new marketing and distribution channel for their products.

Case Studies

Qualitative Marketing has a proven track record of developing and implementing successful Association Marketing programs. Following are several examples of results we have achieved for our clients:

Vertical Market Software Company

Qualitative Marketing's goal was to set-up one speaking engagement, as well as to review and modify the presentation to make sure it fit the association's requirements. The long-term goal was to develop a solid working relationship with the association. This is something they had tried to do for years, with little or no response from the organization. Qualitative Marketing achieved the following results:

  • Set-up 3 speaking engagements.

  • Developed a solid working relationship with the International association, as follows:

  • Client invited to consult as subject matter expert to incorporate technology into the association's Continuing Education courses.
  • Client invited to be on the International association's annual conference planning committee.

Philips Speech Processing

Qualitative Marketing began working with Philips Speech Processing (Philips) in April '98 setting up and managing a beta program. Relationships that Qualitative Marketing built during this program, facilitated Qualitative Marketing's nationwide launch of Philips' consumer speech processing software through User Groups and Associations. In less than three months, Qualitative Marketing developed the program, set-up and delivered 40 speaking engagements, placed 30 ads, and handled all of the other User Group related activities that supported this launch.

With only 3% of Philips' launch budget, Qualitative Marketing achieved more than 22% of sales. The following highlights some of the other results Qualitative Marketing achieved:

  • 80% of the attendees said the presentation affected their decision to purchase the product.

  • 26% planned to buy this new speech processing software

  • 20% planned to buy a second product.

  • 69% recommending the speech processing software to others.

  • Identified 3 success stories that got Philips nationwide press coverage.

Microsoft, Kodak, Toshiba, Symantec

Qualitative Marketing developed and implemented a nationwide Association Marketing program for several technology companies (Microsoft, Kodak, Toshiba, and Symantec) that wanted to reach the Real Estate market. Qualitative Marketing developed the relationships with the associations, built the seminar, identified and trained the seminar presenters, and handled all of the activities that supported this program.

Qualitative Marketing achieved the following for our clients by improving the quality of the leads reached and shortening the sales cycle:

  • 77% bought or planned to buy as a result of the seminars.

  • 90% said that the seminars motivated them to buy the products and helped them select which products to buy.

  • When we introduced WinFaxPRO to the real estate market in 1995, faxing from the computer was unheard of. After two years of rolling out a program through our partners, 56% of the agents had bought a PC Fax Modem.

  • Toshiba sold more than $1.6 million in notebooks, when notebooks were not popular in the real estate community.

  • In 1997, the National Association of Realtors® reported that digital cameras were the hottest topic among their agents. This is after being viewed as expensive and unnecessary.
Supporting Information

Typical Results

While results vary based on time of year, lead-time for implementing the program, the type of product and the price, the following is a gauge that can be used to estimate potential sales from an Association Marketing program:


Cost Comparison

The typical cost to set-up, promote, fill and offer seminars of comparable quality, is anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000 per seminar. This cost does not include the in-house costs companies incur with their telemarketing and direct mail efforts to fill the seminar. In contrast, Qualitative Marketing can achieve the same results with qualified attendees (leads) for $2,000 to $5,000 per seminar.

Quotes from Clients

Qualitative Marketing has proven that this "Influencer Strategy" works whether the company has a low-end consumer product or a high-end corporate product, as follows:

"Qualitative Marketing made introductions to key Influencers that saved me two to three years."

- Rye Livingston, Manager Association and User Group Marketing, Adobe Inc.

"(Qualitative Marketing) gives us access to people who are difficult to reach through our traditional channels."

- Charlene Stenger, Toshiba America

"(Qualitative Marketing helped us) establish a good presence in front of our target market, people who typically ignore our direct mail and telemarketing."

-Sami Jajeh, Director Marketing, XcelleNet, Inc.