VLSI Consultancy

www.asic-vlsi.com

Essentials of Technical Marketing


Synopsis

This course is aimed to provide an opportunity for the participant to acquire an insight into Technical Marketing
with specific focus to the microelectronics industry. It is targeted to provide a head start to people who would like
to work as Technical Marketers in this space.

Even till date, most of the microelectronics world has been split into 2 main forces - the Technical people and the
Marketing people. Technical Marketing is a specific and niche area which taps on the synergy of both sets of these
expertises in order to achieve a project success and customer win.

Hi-tech market has its own set of specifics & uncertainties which need to be addressed. While marketing is a
continuous process in a product life cycle, one can broadly split it into 2 phases the first phase in which
marketing is needed to help define the product/R&D/technology road map (also called in-bound marketing in some
organizations) and second phase where it helps push the product out to the market (also called out-bound
marketing). The first phase is quite often neglected resulting into heavy losses not just in terms of market share
but also in terms of the invaluable man efforts put into developing a new but market inappropriate
technology/product. While this course targets to provide valuable insight into both these aspects, special emphasis
is provided on inbound marketing an area where engineers with a technical background can especially value-add
if they are equipped with the right kinds of marketing skill sets as needed in a hi-tech industry for this job function.

This course will enable your Technical Marketing engineer to understand the basics involved and effectively work
within the team & with the customer to provide and help develop the optimal R&D road map and also facilitate
marketing the final product for project win and success.

The course is structured into modules. Interactive workshops within the course facilitate in making this an
interesting and interactive learning experience. Participants will be exposed to issues cited from real industry
experience. This course will be delivered by a senior VLSI consultant with extensive exposure in supporting &
managing microelectronics projects on a global scale.
What You Will Learn
- Basic concepts of marketing
- Some underlying concepts of hi-tech market and customers
- Marketing research in hi-tech markets
- QFD (identifying customer requirements and mapping them onto product design process or R&D roadmap)
- Categories of Adopters (both with respect to a product as well as to adopting a new technology)
- Development of a technology map
- Using a platform and Derivative Strategy (what is it and why to use it)
- Technology Paradox and some solutions
- Tips on effective communication
- These in turn will enable you to effectively communicate with & support your customers internal as well
as external
Who Should Attend
- Technical Marketing engineers (fresh or with a couple of years experience)
- IC and System Design Engineers, Product Development Engineers
- Customer Support Engineers, Business Development Engineers
Prerequisite
Basic engineering know how.
Course Methodology

This course is conducted in a seminar room. The course will include brief interactive workshops like sessions to
encourage participation and facilitate learning. Each participant will receive a set of course material. There are no
lab sessions.
VLSI Consultancy
www.asic-vlsi.com


Course Duration
2 days (9am 5.00 pm)
Course Instructor
Meenu Sarin
VLSI Consultancy
Website: www.asic-vlsi.com, Blog: www.asic-vlsi.com/blog
Email id : meenu@asic-vlsi.com, Tel: +65 98629814

Mrs. Meenu Sarin is a microelectronics professional with over 20 years experience in the microelectronics
industry across various facets of operations & across geographies like Europe, India, Singapore, Greater China and
Australia and with special focus in the semi custom ASIC environment. She has registered her company, VLSI
Consultancy, in Singapore from where she works as a free-lance consultant. She has conducted in-house training
courses and public workshops in various countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong and India besides
delivering talks in universities. She is also a founding member and an Executive Board Member of the
Semiconductor Association, Singapore (www.midas.org.sg)


From 1997-2002, Meenu was a Technical Marketing Manager in STMicroelectronics (STM)/Singapore with focus on
Telecom segment. In this role, she was responsible for Business Development and Program Management for STMs
semicustom ASIC projects in Asia Pacific. Meenu also worked as a Program Manager in charge of managing various
semi custom projects with customers in the Asia-Pacific Region. Before her move to STM Singapore, Meenu
worked at STM India from 1991 to 1997. As a Design Manager for Library Design Group, she was responsible for
managing a 30 member team involved in design and development of semi custom digital libraries in various
technologies across different platforms as per the market requirements and to support designers in STMs world
wide locations. Prior to this, Meenu had been a Design Engineer for digital library design and development at STM
Italy for several years after she received her engineering degree (Computer Engineering) from Delhi Institute of
Technology, India in 1988.

Course Structure

A. What is Marketing

i. Some truths and myths
ii. Ps of marketing
iii. Components of Profit market share, market size, percentage margin
iv. Why do people buy
v. Competition
Analysis
Sources of information
vi. Determining the market price, price-volume relationship
vii. Achieving profitable innovation
Options for biz development
(Penetration, development of new services, market development, diversification)
Role of marketing in innovation
viii. Managing the future
Planning process
Models and techniques SWOT, Growth Share Matrix


B. Introduction to High Technology

i. Uncertainties (Market, Technology and Competitive) and their sources
ii. Framework for making hi-tech marketing decisions
iii. Market Pioneering advantages and risks the early adopters and the laggards
iv. Market orientation in hi-tech markets
What does it need
Barriers
v. Market Research in hi-tech markets
Aligning market research with the type of innovations
Research techniques (empathic and lead user)
vi. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Kano Diagram


VLSI Consultancy
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C. Understanding Hi-Tech customers

i. Factors affecting customer purchase decisions
ii. Categories of Adopters (Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards) &
crossing the chasm ; for both a new product as well as adopting a new technology (with example
reference of Moores Law)
iii. Customer Visit Programs
iv. Product Development and Management issues in hi-tech markets
Development of a technology map
What-to-sell decision (know-how, proof-of-concept, final product)
Product vs. Services
Product platforms and Derivatives why use this strategy?
v. Pricing considerations in hi-tech markets
Considerations
Technology paradox what is it and some solutions

D. Technical Marketing - How do we communicate and sell

i. Selling the next step
ii. Role of different methods of communication
iii. How do we sell