Press Releases

Emeryville, CA – 29 August, 2011 – Lithium Technologies, the leader in Social Customer Solutions, today announced it is has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the Externally-Facing Social Software (EFSS) Magic Quadrant ⁽¹⁾. The annual report tracks changes in the social CRM and externally facing social software markets and analyzes market dynamics. Lithium's inclusion in the Magic Quadrant is based on Gartner's evaluation of the company’s completeness of vision and ability to execute.

The Gartner MQ Adds to a List of 2011 Highlights

• Being positioned as a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Social CRM.
• Naming software veteran Rob Tarkoff CEO beginning September 12, 2011.
• Achieving a 100% increase in community deployments.
• Introducing a powerful new application suite for Facebook called Lithium LevelUp.
• Launching its Developer Nation, a program that enables Agencies and Partners to easily create and extend vibrant new experiences on Lithium’s platform.
• Bringing together hundreds of customers, partners, press, and analysts at the sold-out, fourth annual Lithium Network Conference (LiNC).
• Having customer case studies featured in three separate books:
  • Michael Brito’s “Smart Business, Social Business: A Playbook for Social Media in Your Organization”
  • Marshall Sponder’s “Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics”
  • Becky Carroll’s “The Hidden Power of Your Customers: 4 Keys to Growing Your Business Through Existing Customers.”

"We're honored to be positioned as a leader by Gartner and believe this recognition is direct result of our commitment to helping our brands create meaningful connections with their social customers,” says Lyle Fong, co-founder and CEO of Lithium. "We help our clients build a brand nation where their most passionate fans find and share the information they need, at the right place and the right time. This focus on customer engagement will fuel our growth for the rest of 2011 and into 2012."

Gartner’s Research Director, Jeffrey Mann, says, "The externally facing social software (EFSS) market differs from typical enterprise software markets, because users' needs differ: innovation matters more than integration or standards; capabilities that add unique value matter more than the best or most complete functions. Buyers should focus on finding the right products to meet the community's needs, and should observe users' behavior as well as survey their requirements and try to understand the nuances.” ⁽¹⁾

Download Complimentary Copy
A complimentary copy of the Magic Quadrant report is available for download here.

⁽¹⁾ Gartner, Inc., “Externally Facing Social Software Magic Quadrant 2011” by Jeffrey Mann, Nikos Drakos, Adam Sarner, Tom Austin, Carol Rozwell, Chris Fletcher, 25 August 2011.

About Lithium Technologies

We help great companies build brand nations for their most engaged customers.  With Lithium, clients such as Best Buy, AT&T, Research In Motion Limited (RIM), Univision, and PayPal turn their customers' passion into marketing, product development, sales, and customer service assets. For more information, visit http://www.lithium.com, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and our own nation – the Lithosphere. Lithium is privately held with headquarters in Emeryville, California.

About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2011 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Lithium Media Contacts:

Michael Paige, Corporate Headquarters & Global, michael.paige@lithium.com , +1 (510) 318 7014
Sandra Teuber, Central & Southern Europe, sandra.teuber@lithium.com , +41 (79) 223 7356
Prelini Chiechi, UK & Northern Europe, prelini.chiechi@lithium.com, +44 (7826) 912788
Imogen Riley, APAC & Australia, imogen.riley@lithium.com, +61 413 274 210