Strategic Third-Party Industry Awards Program Strategy

Strategic Third-Party Awards Program

Elevating Advocacy, Credibility, and Pipeline through Joint Customer Wins

Script: Good morning. Today I'm presenting our strategy for FY27 Third-Party Awards. This is not about chasing vanity trophies. It is a disciplined, scalable advocacy strategy designed to validate our 'Enterprise AI' narrative through the voice of our most successful customers. We are focusing on high-credibility analyst awards—IDC and Forrester—to drive tangible sales and marketing value.

Executive Framing: Why This Matters Now

Analyst Credibility

Moves Cloudera from 'vendor claims' to 'market validation.' Wins in IDC and Forrester categories prove our Enterprise AI capabilities are real, deploying, and delivering value.

Sales Velocity

Provides sellers with irrefutable proof points. A joint win is a powerful closing tool that signals reduced risk and high success potential to prospective buyers.

Customer Advocacy

Deepens executive relationships. Nominating a customer CIO or CDO for a prestigious award builds loyalty and positions them as industry thought leaders.

Script: Why prioritize this now? Three reasons. First, Analyst Credibility: In a crowded AI market, third-party validation separates hype from reality. Second, Sales Velocity: These awards give our field teams proof points that shorten sales cycles. Third, Advocacy: This is a service to our customers. We aren't just selling to them; we are helping them build their personal and organizational brand.

Target Landscape: Focused & High-Impact

<strong>Focus:</strong> Digital Strategy, AI & Data<br><strong>Region:</strong> Asia/Pacific & ME<br><strong>Why:</strong> Recognizes digital transformation leaders.

<strong>Focus:</strong> Data & AI Impact + Tech Strategy<br><strong>Region:</strong> Global (Americas, EMEA, APAC)<br><strong>Why:</strong> High bar for 'measurable business outcomes'.

<strong>Focus:</strong> Financial Services AI & Excellence<br><strong>Region:</strong> APAC & Middle East<br><strong>Why:</strong> Critical for our FSI stronghold markets.

Script: We are exercising discipline by limiting our scope to three marquee programs. 1) IDC Future Enterprise: Ideal for showing regional dominance in APAC. 2) Forrester: The 'gold standard' for Global Data & AI impact—extremely competitive but high reward. 3) The Asian Banker: Specifically to target our heavy FSI footprint in growth markets. We are not pursuing pay-to-play vanity awards.

End-to-End Execution Process

1. Identification

Sales & CSMs signal 'Referenceable Innovators'. Criteria: Measurable KPIs & Executive buy-in.

2. Joint Submission

Customer-led, Cloudera-supported. We provide the data framework and narrative drafting.

3. Analyst Judging

Rigorous evaluation (Interviews/Metrics). Not just a popularity contest.

4. Maximizing the Win

Global PR amplification, Sales enablement kits, and Executive storytelling.

Script: Efficiency is key. 1) We identifying candidates via Sales/CSM data—looking for hard metrics, not just 'happy customers'. 2) The heavy lifting is done by Advocacy & Marketing; we draft the submission to minimize customer effort. 3) We manage the analyst interview prep. 4) The real work begins after the win: converting the credibility into marketing assets.

Scaling from Ad-Hoc to Programmatic

Standardized Frameworks

Start with the end in mind. Submissions are drafted using reusable 'DIA' blocks (Data, Impact, AI) that feed directly into case studies and reference decks.

Regional Pipeline

Proactive scouting in APAC, EMEA, and US. We maintain a 'Bench' of 3-5 award-ready customers per region, aligned to key award cycles.

Cross-Functional Governance

Defined ownership: Advocacy owns the narrative, Sales owns the relationship, Comms owns the amplification. No silos.

Script: To make this scalable, we stop reinventing the wheel. We use standardized narrative templates mapped to Cloudera's 'Data-In-Action' messaging. We build a 'bench' of customers so we aren't scrambling at deadlines. And we have clear governance: Advocacy leads, Sales supports, Marketing amplifies. This ensures repeatability across regions.

Value Realization: Business Impact

Executive Engagement

C-Level advocacy moments & speaking slots

Sales Acceleration

Deal mentions & risk reduction proof points

Share of Voice

Tier-1 PR coverage in target regions

Script: Ultimately, this program drives three things: 1) Executive Engagement—C-levels want to be associated with winning. 2) Sales Acceleration—we arm sellers with the 'winners kit'. 3) Share of Voice—credible news that isn't just product announcements. We ask for your endorsement to resource and execute this globally.

Thank You

Script: Thank you. I’m happy to take questions on specific regional targets or our submission timeline.

Appendix: 2025/26 Cycle Details

TAB Global AI Excellence

Deadline: Jan 23, 2026<br>Ceremony: May 14, 2026 (Kuala Lumpur)<br>Focus: Embedded AI in Finance

Forrester Tech Awards

APAC: Aug 2025 (Sydney)<br>EMEA: Sep 2026 (London)<br>Note: Vendor firms cannot apply directly; Client must lead.

Script: Appendix for reference on key dates.

Data & AI Impact

Executive Summary

Shift from Opportunistic to Strategic award submissions.

Focus on IDC, Forrester, and TAB for maximum credibility.

Requires strict governance and cross-functional resourcing.

Recap.