The Category-Creation Playbook: Sequencing and Timing

The three cycles

A category creation has three cycles that have to be aligned: the press cycle, the analyst cycle, and the buyer cycle. The press cycle is the public artifact of the category — the press list, the pitches, the relationships, the placements. The analyst cycle is the third-party validation of the category — the analyst reports, the briefings, the relationships with the major analyst firms. The buyer cycle is the demand-side validation of the category — the buyer’s recognition of the category, the buyer’s adoption of the category leader, the buyer’s willingness to pay the category price.

The three cycles are not equally fast. The press cycle is the fastest — a press placement is a 2–4 week process, and the press cycle is, on a 6-month horizon, the most responsive. The analyst cycle is the slowest — an analyst report is a 6–12 month process, and the analyst cycle is, on a 6-month horizon, the most lagging. The buyer cycle is the longest — the buyer’s recognition of the category is a 12–24 month process, and the buyer cycle is, on a 6-month horizon, the longest-cycle indicator. The three cycles operate on different time horizons, and the category leader has to plan for the difference.

The six-month launch sequence

The first month is the press primer: the category book is finalized, the press list is built, the pitches are drafted. The work is internal, with the press list, the analyst list, and the buyer list as outputs. The output is the public artifact, the third-party validation, and the demand-side signal that the next five months will produce.

The second and third months are the press launch: the pitches are sent, the placements are produced, the public conversation begins. The output is the first wave of placements — a major industry publication, a major trade publication, a few smaller ones. The press cycle is producing on a 2–4 week cadence, and the press launch is producing on a 6-week cadence.

The fourth and fifth months are the analyst validation: the analyst briefings are produced, the analyst reports are produced, the third-party validation begins. The output is the first wave of analyst reports — a major firm’s report, a few secondary ones, the analyst cycle is producing. The analyst cycle is producing on a 6–12 month cadence, and the analyst validation is producing on a 6-month cadence.

The sixth month is the buyer signal: the buyer’s recognition of the category begins, the buyer’s adoption of the category leader begins, the demand-side signal is producing. The output is the first wave of buyer adoption — a few strategic customers, a few high-profile customers, the buyer cycle is producing. The buyer cycle is producing on a 12–24 month cadence, and the buyer signal is producing on a 6-month cadence.

The operating decisions

The first operating decision is the press primer. The category book is the public artifact, and the category book has to be the right artifact. A category book that is the wrong artifact — too long, too short, too academic, too marketing — is a category book that the press reads once and forgets. The category book is a 40–60 page artifact that is, on a 6-month horizon, the most important artifact the leadership team will produce.

The second operating decision is the press launch. The press list is the public conversation, and the press list has to be the right list. A press list that is the wrong list — too broad, too narrow, too consumer, too trade — is a press list that produces placements that don’t compound. The press list is a 50+ contact list that is, on a 6-month horizon, the most important list the leadership team will build.

The third operating decision is the analyst validation. The analyst list is the third-party validation, and the analyst list has to be the right list. An analyst list that is the wrong list — too few firms, too many firms, too narrow, too broad — is an analyst list that produces reports that don’t compound. The analyst list is a 5–10 firm list that is, on a 6-month horizon, the most important list the leadership team will build.

The fourth operating decision is the buyer signal. The buyer list is the demand-side signal, and the buyer list has to be the right list. A buyer list that is the wrong list — too few, too many, too small, too big — is a buyer list that produces adoption that doesn’t compound. The buyer list is a 10–25 strategic customer list that is, on a 6-month horizon, the most important list the leadership team will build.

The post-launch cadence

The post-launch cadence is the cadence that makes the category creation work over a 3–5 year horizon. The press list is producing placements at a steady cadence — 2–3 placements per month, with one or two major placements per quarter. The analyst list is producing reports at a steady cadence — 2–3 reports per year, with one or two major reports per year. The buyer list is producing adoption at a steady cadence — 2–3 strategic customers per quarter, with one or two high-profile customers per year.

The cadence is the same in the post-launch period as it is in the launch period. The category leader that is producing placements at a steady cadence is producing the equity that compounds over the 3–5 year arc; the category leader that is producing placements at a declining cadence is producing the equity that erodes over the 3–5 year arc. The cadence is the same; the discipline is the same; the operating decisions are the same. The difference between the launch and the post-launch is the launch’s higher cadence for the first 6 months; the cadence is the same after that.