Profiting From a Flexible Global Product Design Strategy

Leading Performers Achieve Simultaneous 15% Reductions in Development Time and 19% Reductions in Development Cost


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 11, 2009) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), announced the publication of the recent report, "Design Anywhere: Maximizing the Global Opportunity, Minimizing the IP Risk." Global design strategies involve significant challenges in the management of distributed design as well as introduce risk in exposed product data and intellectual property. However, Aberdeen found that effectively managed, a "design anywhere" strategy provides significant benefits, including an average 15% reduction in development time and an average 20% increase in revenue from products launched in new or emerging markets.

"It is easy to think that pursuing a design globalization strategy will automatically result in some significant cost-savings," explains Chad Jackson, Vice President of Aberdeen Group's Design to Deliver Practices. "However, few companies have found how to best execute on this type of initiative. For many companies, a global strategy leads to only incremental benefits. When poorly managed, we found that a global design strategy can result in as much as a 12% increase in development costs."

Companies most successfully addressing the challenges of a global design environment not only shortened development schedules by an average of 15% and achieved an average 20% increase in revenue from products launched in new and emerging markets. They achieved these benefits while simultaneously reducing development costs by an average of 19%.

Aberdeen's "Design Anywhere: Maximizing the Global Opportunity, Minimizing the IP Risk" study identifies the steps these leading performers take to achieve these benefits.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5885.

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Product Innovation and Engineering Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Chad Jackson Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (512) 284-8080 chad.jackson@aberdeen.com