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Do analyst firms validate the creation of a new category?

Do analyst firms validate the creation of a new #category?

What about Google Trends? It tells us what people are searching for, in real-time.

If your category is truly going to catch on, it should be something people search for, use in conversations, and post about on social media.

Take a look at the picture below, it shows the trends for three successfully created categories: Inbound Marketing, Customer Success, and Account-Based Marketing.

There is no Forrester Wave for Inbound Marketing or Customer Success Management platforms. The first New Wave Report for Account-Based Marketing platforms was published in June 2020.

There is no Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer Success or Inbound Marketing platforms. The first Market Guide for Customer Success Management Platforms came in April 2021 and the first ABM Magic Quadrant wasn’t published until this year.

I’m not knocking analyst firms. I'm just saying that the creation of these categories clearly hasn't relied on validation from waves and magic quadrants.

It happens long before that. The word is used and reused. People hear it and repeat it. And eventually, the curve crowns a new category.

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