This case study talks about how Modern provided one of our clients with market size and market share estimations for a specific market they were looking to target as well as a competitor analysis and identifying partner opportunities for them.

1. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
MARKET ANALYSIS
AND INSIGHT FOR
GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY
CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co

2. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
BUSINESS SITUATION
Eduserv are investing in OpenAthens, their identity and access management product,
to extend market share and grow revenues. OpenAthens is a niche product specifically
serving the digital subscription market. In order to determine the appropriate growth
strategy, market insight and research was required.
CLIENT OVERVIEW
COUNTRY: North America, Western Europe and APAC
INDUSTRY: IT (Non Profit)
SECTOR: Identity and Access Management (IAM)
CLIENT PROFILE: Eduserv are a not-for-profit IT services company
serving government, charity and education markets.
OpenAthens is their flagship single sign-on product
for digital services.
OpenAthens is the market leading single sign-on
product for UK academic establishments.
Modern worked with Eduserv to provide
market insight into the single sign-on space
across North America, Western Europe and APAC
to determine opportunities for growth.

3. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
MARKET ANALYSIS FOR GROWTH
Modern provided market size and market share estimations for
the single sign-on market, specifically focusing on education, publishers,
pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors across North America,Western
Europe and APAC. In addition, a competitor analysis was undertaken
and partner opportunities were identified.
DEFINING AND SCOPING THE MARKET
OpenAthens is used by specific groups of people, mainly librarians who manage
multiple digital subscriptions to periodicals, databases and news, and have thousands
of end-users that require access to such content. OpenAthens is also used by those
that produce digital content such as publishers, allowing them to control access to their
catalogues for their subscribers and end-users.
The brief was very specific in that the market size needed to relate to the market
opportunity for OpenAthens. Market data is freely available through standard industry
codes (SIC) and membership organisations such as the American Library Association,
however not all libraries would use OpenAthens. Therefore the market size data had to
be related to only the types of libraries and organisations suitable for OpenAthens –
academic libraries, publishers, large healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations that
have volumous subscriptions and end-users in the thousands.
DEFINE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
IDENTIFY
APPROPRIATE
SOURCES
2
DETERMINE
MARKET SIZE
ACROSS
SELECTED
REGIONS
3
DETERMINE
MARKET SHARE
ALONGSIDE
COMPETITORS
4
MARKET INSIGHT
AND ANALYSIS
5
DISCOVERY IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
1

4. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
STAGED AND METHODICAL
APPROACH TO MARKET SIZE
CALCULATIONS
Through desk research into member associations and data providers of academic
libraries, it was possible to provide specific numbers relating to academic establishments
across the three geographical territories.
With large pharmaceuticals and healthcare establishments, only companies of a certain
employee count were included in the data (OpenAthens is only sold to establishments
that have over 500 end users). This data was cross referenced with counts using LinkedIn
data and data counts against standard industry codes from a global data provider.
By cross referencing various sources, Modern was able to provide robust insight into
the size of the market.
Once the size of the markets had been established, determining share was the next
step. This was done matching Eduserv’s data and company classifications to the data
collected in the market size counts. This showed a clear picture of where the opportunities
for growth laid.
COMPETITOR AND MARKET INSIGHT
A competitive review was undertaken
that focused on market positioning and
messaging across the wider single
sign-on market. Competitors included
EZProxy, Shibboleth, PingIdentity and
Infotrieve and the insights included
messaging, targeting, pricing, reach
and channel distribution.
A series of research papers on the global
publishing and pharmaceutical markets
were identified and key insights were
incorporated into the output.

5. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
PROPOSED SOLUTION
• Methodical approach to determining market size using multiple sources of data
and cross-referencing that data for accuracy
• Market insights to enable fast decision-making
• Eduserv branded graphs for fast inclusion in the marketing strategy documentation
SOLUTION BENEFITS
• Easy to replicate for future updates
• Fast delivery and turnaround in less than 2 weeks
• Insights provided valuable rationale for the choice of go-to-market strategy
Modern provided valuable insight and analysis of
international markets for our complex, niche single sign-on
product. The insights provided enriched our go-to-market
strategy in preparation for an international launch into a
new market.
Jo Bridger, Head of Marketing, Eduserv

6. CASE STUDY
modernb2b.co
TALK TO US TODAY
Modern
Bristol and Bath Science Park
Dirac Crescent
Emerson’s Green
Bristol BS16 7FR
Phone: 0117 332 6700
Email: info@modernb2b.co
Twitter: @modernb2b
ABOUT MODERN
Modern is an award-winning specialist
technology B2B marketing agency offering
integrated digital campaigns to drive
growth.
We focus on lead generation and customer
engagement through search, social, PR
and content, underpinned with strategic
thinking and solid metrics.
We’re honest, straightforward and clear
thinkers. We won’t baffle you with jargon and
we won’t lead you down the garden path.
We’re chosen by our clients for our
grounded insight and our ability to influence
business performance.
We start with your buyers and define a
strategy that works with their behaviour,
motivations and concerns, and the
channels they engage with.
We forecast marketing performance,
setting out how the results will take shape
over time. We set KPIs and ensure that
every media channel we recommend
delivers against your expectations.
Rigorous processes and regular, easy
to understand reports with expert
insights come as standard, so you know
exactly what works and what doesn’t,
and more importantly how it’s affecting
the bottom line.