By Bolaji Ojo
This is our debut Marketing Electronics webcast. Here we discuss how electronics manufacturers are steering their way through the complex minefields of design and innovation activities, product introduction, other NPI activities, as well as all the arduous tasks involved in the process of bringing their offerings to market at the right time and price.
In the first set of episodes in the Marketing Electronics series, we engaged Guy Forster, founder of TKO Marketing and IpXchange. Forster is still at the helms of the company he founded 30 years ago, although he has added fresh and younger talents to support and guide the company’s customers. It has been an interesting ride with numerous twists and turns as well as changes along the way, Forster told Bolaji Ojo, founder and editor-in-chief of TechSplicit.
” We’re in a very high-risk business,” Forster said. “People can’t afford to make bad decisions. A bad decision will almost certainly cost a design engineer their job and their career. When they evaluate technology, they’ve got to make sure that they’ve done the right things. If they get it wrong, it might cost their company millions [of dollars].
Click below for the webcast:
Forster discussed the evolution of the electronics industry over decades with TechSplicit, emphasizing the transformative role of semiconductors in various sectors. He highlighted the increasing complexity of design engineers’ tasks post-pandemic, driven by advancements like edge AI and 32-bit microprocessors.
The TKO Marketing executive stressed the importance of human relationships and authentic engagement over automated marketing, noting that design engineers now have six to nine months to make critical decisions, compared to previous lead times of three to four years.
“You asked me what CEOs must do in terms of the culture of their companies and how should marketing respond,” Forster said. “We’re in a high risk, fast moving [market where] lead times used to be three to four years. They’re now six to nine months. I know this because engineers have told us this on IpXchange.”
Forster added: “That means people are making decisions very quickly and getting designs into production really quickly, more so than before. If I’m the CEO, I need to recognize that, and I need to get my team to respond and communicate in a way that helps design engineers make better decisions. Then, I need to drive my marketing to be in line with that.”
Click the video below for the webcast discussion with TKO Marketing’s Guy Forster.
Bolaji Ojo is founder and editor-in-chief of TechSplicit. He can be reached at bojo@techsplicit.com.
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