CASE STUDY
What to Do When CISO Brand Perception Drifts South
As cybersecurity technology advances, existing enterprise vendors can find themselves playing catch-up to newer market entrants whose cybersecurity capabilities and reputations outshine their own.
This was an identified market risk for one leading enterprise vendor.
Challenges
Understanding Lukewarm CISO Perception and How to Resolve It
With the passage of time, this enterprise client found that its cybersecurity reputation was beginning to diminish among CISOs in the face of aggressive competitor marketing. Some customers were not renewing, and sales reported that new deals were facing growing headwinds in their cybersecurity portfolio.
The client needed a clear understanding of what CISOs thought of their brand and products, why they thought that way, and what options were available to improve CISO perception and engagement.
Solution
A CISO Perception Study Tells the Story
To understand the vendor’s market position and identify how to improve its standing among CISOs, CyberTheory conducted a thorough CISO Perception Study – a multi-layered approach to review the client’s cybersecurity offerings, acquisitions, programs, and processes, as well as to gather and analyze customer and non-customer CISO sentiment.
This process included extensive stakeholder interviews and surveys, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and included an examination of CISO behaviors within ISMG’s proprietary worldwide subscriber base as well as other market research.
CyberTheory pinpointed several reasons behind the lagging cybersecurity perception among CISOs. Fortunately, many negative perceptions were marketing, sales and customer care-related vs. product centric, allowing for some immediate remediation. CyberTheory recommended several fixes.
Recommendations included:
- An updated messaging platform tuned to what CISOs cared about most in the product category.
- Bringing the updated messaging to CISOs and the market firmly through tactics like paid media, amplifying cybersecurity PR, and expanding cybersecurity thought leadership of value to CISOs.
- Executing high-value CISO events to strengthen CISO engagement in target organizations.
- Sponsoring ongoing CISO education programs in the product category to position the client as the leading voice in the space.
- Making short and long-term portfolio enhancements of critical interest to CISOs.
Results
Turnaround Tactics That Work
Soon after receiving CyberTheory’s recommendations, the vendor announced a major enhancement of its cybersecurity portfolio, with updated messaging and CISO-focused tactics that largely aligned with CyberTheory’s prescriptive recommendations. Updated messaging components appeared in the vendor’s press announcements and marketing assets, which incorporated language CyberTheory crafted for the client to highlight its enhanced cybersecurity capabilities and re-energized focus on CISOs.
Insights and Recommendations
How a Top-Tier Cybersecurity Marketing Agency can Help Improve CISO Perception
Established cybersecurity vendors can often find themselves in need of a reputation rehabilitation. In other scenarios, large enterprises entering the cybersecurity market may be unclear about the right messaging and positioning that will resonate with CISOs.
When these issues arise, CyberTheory’s unique data resources, access to CISOs across all industries, research and analysis capabilities, and strategic marketing and branding expertise can go to work to identify gaps as well as practical, effective approaches for closing them.
Need help with CISO messaging or engagement? Learn more about CyberTheory’s CISO Perception Studies, then contact us to get started.