Editor's note: Last year we introduced the Bamboo Year in Review feature, kicking off with a note from the desk of the CEO and including in-depth Q&As with each of the Bamboo department heads. In keeping with the Bamboo commitment to transparency, we're going to make the Year in Review feature an annual Bamboo Nation tradition. In this installment, we check in with Lily Griffin, who heads up the Bamboo Marketing team.
Bamboo adopted a new tagline in 2009, replacing "Take SharePoint to New Heights" with "Essentials for SharePoint." Why the change?
Part of my job is to keep our messaging fresh and timely. Our previous tagline had served us well for many years, but as we looked ahead at 2009, we knew our product line would be evolving and we also recognized the position our company had secured in the worldwide adoption of SharePoint. With over 60 products for SharePoint plus a burgeoning Lab for nascent technologies, Bamboo is the go-to vendor for SharePoint Add-ons. Our customers consistently tell us that when they have a need, they go to our store first. As for the tagline itself, we felt the word "essentials" conjured images of basics, core, necessary elements. At one of our early brainstorming sessions, we kicked around the idea that Bamboo products are to SharePoint as water is to bamboo. That kind of thing. You know, just sitting in a small room, throwing around rubber balls and using up all our whiteboard markers.
At this year's SharePoint Conference (SPC) in Las Vegas, Bamboo featured the slogan, "SharePoint Evolution." What does that mean?
Ah, the Microsoft SharePoint Conference - the premier event for SharePoint. Well, let's go back to our marketing brainstorming meetings. Preparations for events such as the SPC take months of planning. Back in early summer, we sat in a room and basically brainstormed every possible idea for our show theme. We tossed around a 2010 space odyssey, clouds in the sky - you name it. But we kept coming back to one primary concept - that in the coming months there would be momentous changes to both SharePoint and to Bamboo's product line. As an active participant in the Microsoft TAP, we were privy to early versions of SharePoint 2010 and what we saw could only be captured as "evolutionary." As for our own product line, we saw Bamboo continuing its move "up the food chain" - transforming from a provider of Web Parts and components into a more fully integrated provider of SharePoint-based technologies.
Yes, while we are known as the "folks who make Web Parts," 2009 marked a transition as we successfully rolled out our first application - Product Management Central (PM Central). The first of many applications to come, PM Central goes beyond standalone Web Parts by offering a consolidated, turnkey solution. Also in our product plan (and just released to Bamboo Labs!) is Bamboo Conductor, Bamboo's second application and our first foray into workflows. Throw in hosted applications and if all of these aren't evolutionary, well I don't know what is! It became quite clear to us that this was the theme.
Just as with last year's SharePoint Conference in Seattle, Bamboo's t-shirts were one of the hot giveaways in Vegas this year. How do you manage to keep producing desirable, eye catching t-shirts for the SharePoint audience?
Once we came up with the evolution theme, the rest just fell into place. No, I'm lying. It was pretty challenging to come up with the "cool" evolution tee. First, let me start by telling you that there is a fair amount of vanity at Bamboo - starting with me. I just will not wear an ugly t-shirt. I see people stand in line for t-shirts all the time at shows, but where do most of those shirts end up? At the bottom of a drawer, or used exclusively for sleeping, car washing or possibly working out. If we're going to give out a t-shirt at a show, well, we want people to wear them! It's a very personal decision, the clothes a person chooses to wear, so designing a great tee means appealing to your audience, enforcing your brand and, in our case at least, also meeting the approval of your most vain co-workers. In the end we went through maybe fifty different designs before we arrived at the evolution tee that went to press. Lastly, don't discount the importance of a good quality shirt and excellent printing. I have to thank our friends at Reston Shirt and Graphics who consistently turn our designs into terrific shirts!
Bamboo had another very busy year on the SharePoint conference circuit. In addition to the SPC, Bamboo appeared at and/or sponsored events including the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, SharePoint Technology Conference, three Best Practices Conferences, and SharePoint Saturdays. Not counting the SPC, if you had to pick just one, which show was the most important for Bamboo in 2009?
I don't think you can pick just one. Our presence at all of these events provided us with an opportunity to meet our customers in person and provide guidance and expertise through various speaking engagements. Large to small, the events we attended in 2009 provided us with a wealth of opportunities, and we will continue to participate in many of them next year.
Speaking of next year, which shows are on the Bamboo events calendar for 2010?
Bamboo will continue to participate in as many SharePoint events as we are able. Our events calendar lists the many events we plan to attend around the world, starting with SharePoint Connections in Amsterdam in January. You can expect to see Bamboo at more European events in 2010, thanks to our new presence in Amsterdam. You can also expect to see Bamboo alongside our top partners. We participated in many partner-led events this year and plan to continue to do so in 2010. SharePoint Saturdays and other regional events continue to grow in popularity and Bamboo plans to participate in as many of these as possible. Finally, the addition of our products to the GSA schedule and our thriving business with federal entities means we'll do more shows where we can reach our federal as well as state and local customers.
Bamboo was a Gold Sponsor of the SPC, and presented a Partner-led session on The Future of SharePoint Project Management. What are your thoughts on this year's SPC?
As always, Microsoft pulled off a great event in Las Vegas. Highly anticipated (the last such event was 15 months or so ago), the SPC provided Bamboo an opportunity to mingle with other respected vendors and interact with a highly knowledgeable audience in a very focused setting. SharePoint 2010 certainly provided ample opportunity for session topics! As for our own session, given the roomful of attendees, I'd say the nexus of project management and SharePoint 2010 was a topic of particular interest. SharePoint is clearly evolving and what's coming will drastically change the end user experience. Working alongside our partner and recognized leader in SharePoint project management, Dux Raymond Sy, we were able to provide guidance on how the new project management features in SharePoint 2010 will impact the ability to manage projects in SharePoint in the future. You can expect to see continuing coverage on this subject on Bamboo Nation.
Your Marketing team merged with Steve Gaitten's Online Operations group this year. How's that going?
We've consolidated two teams into one for operational efficiency, shared creativity and greater use of our talents. You couldn't ask for a better team.
What market segments, industry verticals or other groups is Bamboo trying to reach in 2010?
With a solid foothold in the SharePoint market, Bamboo will continue to reach more customers - specifically targeting project managers, IT Administrators, and end users. Hosted applications represent a new market. The federal market and our customers in Europe are specific segments where there is tremendous growth and opportunity. Finally, our extensive partnerships allow us to penetrate niche markets, leveraging our products with our Partners' expertise. For instance, working alongside Partners such as Organice allows us to serve the needs of the AEC market.
As a new offering from Bamboo, do you foresee any challenges in the marketing of Bamboo Requirements Manager, our first offering in the hosted application space?
Well, I think anything that is evolutionary is a transformation, and marketing hosted applications, while significantly different from our core market, relies on our existing business for its core structure. Our storefront, our community and our leadership in the market all provide the "skeleton" upon which we will evolve. A sizable portion of our current customers are looking for quick, immediate solutions, and hosting makes a tremendous amount of sense for us to offer these customers. The opportunity to provide such a choice is exciting, and is a challenge my team welcomes.
How will marketing at Bamboo be different in 2010?
Well, you've got to stick around to find out, don't you? In the meantime, have a great holiday and look for more exciting, evolutionary changes from Bamboo in 2010!
Read the entire 2009 Bamboo Year in Review package:
Posted
Dec 18 2009, 01:30 PM
by
Lily
Lily Griffin oversees the marketing programs for Bamboo Solutions Corporation. She leverages 18 years of business experience in global technology sales, marketing and business development. Prior to Bamboo Solutions, Lily was employed by Litton/PRC as a marketing and sales executive for a global, multi-billion dollar federal contract, supplying integration and enterprise solutions to DoD and civilian agencies. Lily also served as director of marketing for a commercial enterprise document management venture, marketed to both commercial and federal clients. Prior to her work at Litton/PRC, Lily was employed at Advanced Technology Corporation in the product management group and was responsible for managing third-party suppliers and technology refresh of complex computing systems. Lily holds a bachelors degree in International Studies from George Mason University.