ITSMA Announces Finalists for Marketing Excellence Awards

Winners to be revealed at Marketing on the Verge: ITSMA's 2005 Annual Conference

LEXINGTON, Massachusetts—September 21, 2005—ITSMA, a membership organization that helps companies market and sell technology services and solutions, today announced the finalists for its eighth annual Marketing Excellence Awards. Each year, ITSMA honors marketing that moves beyond the traditional realm of communications to spark purposeful, systematic innovation and spur exceptional business results with technology services and solutions.

In 2005, ITSMA accepted nominations in six categories. Five finalists have been chosen in each category; an international jury of marketing executives and experts will select the winners. The final results of the Marketing Excellence Awards will be announced at a special awards dinner during ITSMA’s upcoming annual conference, Marketing on the Verge. This year's finalists include:

• Launching New Solutions: BEA, Capgemini/Hewlett-Packard/Intel, Fujitsu Services, Invensys, and Sprint Nextel.
• Generating New Demand: Accenture, BearingPoint, BT, IBM, and Unisys.
• Increasing Sales Effectiveness: BEA, Computer Sciences Corp., Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Lucent.
• Improving the Customer Experience: AT&T, BT, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell, and IKON Office Solutions.
• Strengthening Brand Differentiation: Accenture, BEA, BearingPoint, Citrix, and IBM.
• Enhancing Marketing Leadership: BT, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, SAP, and Sprint Nextel.

"The applicant pool this year was incredibly strong," said Dave Munn, President and CEO, ITSMA. "We continue to be impressed by the level of sophistication and strategic thinking that technology marketers have achieved. We look forward to recognizing the winning programs at this year's conference in November."

Marketing on the Verge: ITSMA's 2005 Annual Conference will be held November 7-9, 2005 at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA. The conference agenda will focus specifically on issues facing services and solutions marketers today, such as:

• Assuming a larger leadership role in the business
• Understanding buyer priorities and preferences
• Sharpening competitive differentiation
• Managing the total customer experience
• Harnessing new techniques for communicating online

For more information about the conference, please visit: www.itsma.com/conference.

For more information about the finalists' marketing programs, please see: www.itsma.com.

About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA members include business leaders such as Accenture, BT, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing ^SM, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.