Mailbag: DCG and Constellation Working Together for Clients Navigating the Disruption

Scott Liewehr emailed me today announcing that Digital Clarity Group and Constellation Research, Inc. are forming a strategic alliance to better serve their clients. Scott is CEO of Digital Clarity Group and it's no secret CMS Report is an admirer of both him and his company. Yet Scott's email still surprised me. Why would DCG, rising among the ranks among analyst firms, strike an alliance with Constellation?

The press release that accompanied Scott's email gives reasons for the strategic alliance, but I'll add one observation of my own. Both DCG and Constellation likely recognize they share the same understanding of how legacy research firms are failing their clients and believe a fresh approach to handling "digital disruption" is necessary. An understanding that can easily translates to the buyer seeking out this kind of research that two heads are better than one.

Digital Clarity Group and Constellation Research, Inc. Announce Strategic Alliance

Two award-winning advisory firms to address the needs of brands and organizations for strategic advice and analysis on effective response to digital disruption.

March 9th, 2015, NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO - In a world undergoing rapid change due to digital disruption and business transformation, leading brands and organizations seek comprehensive expertise as they make investments in experience management and address the entire creative-to-commerce life cycle.  To date, no single player in the research and advisory market brings the capacity to deliver an end-to-end perspective on digital transformation for both buy-side and sell-side clients.  

Effective immediately, Digital Clarity Group (DCG) and Constellation Research, Inc. (Constellation) have announced a strategic alliance that will address this market demand. Initially the firms plan to collaborate on:

  • buy-side research on operationalizing experience management and facilitating the creative-to-commerce life cycle
  • participation and hosting of buy-side client-facing events

Both firms were recognized as leaders by the Institute of Industry Analyst Relations in 2014. Constellation was named Independent Analyst Firm of the Year, and DCG was named New Analyst Firm of the Year.

DCG and Constellation offer top-quality research and advisory with an aligned focus on helping clients navigate the new world emerging from digital disruption, yet from different perspectives and minimally overlapping coverage areas. Constellation is strong in the enterprise, providing leading coverage on topics such as CRM, big data, security, cloud, and collaboration, while DCG is strong on the brand side, emphasizing customer experience management (CEM), content management, ecommerce, and business process management. Also, Constellation has deep knowledge of large offshore systems integrators, whereas DCG has built up a unique expertise with and about (digital) agencies. Existing and new clients of both firms will benefit from this unique cross-disciplinary perspective.

“We're excited to collaborate with the Digital Clarity Group team. They have been a disruptive force in the analyst business and a peer for thought leadership," noted R "Ray" Wang, Founder and Principal Analyst, Constellation Research, Inc. "Our clients welcome innovative partnerships with other firms who have emerged as market makers and specialists in their coverage areas.  We personally look forward to the joint research and other activities planned over the next 18 to 24 months."

“There are very few research firms that have impacted the market as much as Constellation Research has done in such a short timespan,” said Scott Liewehr, CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Clarity Group. “Both our firms provide top-quality research, thought leadership and consulting focused on helping clients transform their businesses in response to digital disruption, yet we approach the problem from different yet complementary perspectives. Our clients trust us to help them make better decisions, and we are excited to collaborate with Constellation to provide them with an even broader point of view on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."

This collaboration aims to serve the needs of buy-side clients often left unsatisfied by the shifting of legacy analyst firms to a publishing model that emphasizes the provision of “insurance” for risk-averse decision-makers over thoughtful insights and pragmatic advice. DCG and Constellation are acknowledged leaders of the new breed of firms up-ending the research industry by getting back to basics. Both are laser-focused on supplying high-quality research and thought leadership on complex topics, as well as establishing trust with each client uniquely as they learn their business and pragmatically navigate them through the complexities of digital transformation.

Digital Clarity Group and Constellation Research, Inc. will remain separate entities.  The alliance is focused on the buy-side market.

About Constellation Research

Constellation Research is an award winning, Silicon Valley based business research and advisory firm that helps clients transform business models with disruptive technologies and progressive strategies. Constellation caters to clients who possess talent, influence, and vision. This community of successful senior business leaders excels and continues to advance in their careers.  

About Digital Clarity Group

Digital Clarity Group is an analyst and consulting firm that helps organizations navigate the new world emerging from digital disruption. DCG works with business leaders who aim to transform the experience they deliver to customers, prospects, and employees. The firm delivers insight, research, and services focused on the content, technologies, and practices that enable world-class experiences. Founded in 2012, the firm is based in New York City. The DCG blog, team bios, reports, videos, and events are accessible on the company’s website.