Symantec 2013 Annual Report Download - page 107

Our GTM network includes a direct sales force, broad eCommerce capabilities, and indirect sales resources
that support our ecosystem of partners worldwide. We also maintain important relationships with a number of
Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”), Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”), and retail and online stores
by which we market and sell our products.
Consumer
We sell our consumer products and services to individuals and home businesses globally. Our products are
available to customers through our eCommerce platform, distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers,
system builders, ISPs, wireless carriers, and in retail locations worldwide. We have partnerships with OEMs
globally to distribute our Internet security suites and our online backup offerings.
Small and Medium-sized Businesses
We sell and market our products and services to SMB customers through indirect sales partners around the
world, who are specifically trained and certified to sell our solutions. This group includes value-added resellers,
large account resellers, and managed service providers. Our products are also available on our eCommerce
platform, as well as through authorized distributors and OEMs which incorporate our technologies into their
products, bundle our products with their offerings, or serve as authorized resellers of our products.
Enterprise
We sell and market our products and related services to enterprise customers through our direct sales force
of more than 4,700 sales employees, as of March 29, 2013, and through a variety of indirect sales channels,
which include value-added resellers, managed service providers, large account resellers, and system integrators.
We also sell our products to businesses around the world through authorized distributors and OEMs who
incorporate our technologies into their products, bundle our products with their offerings, or serve as authorized
resellers of our products. Our sales efforts are primarily targeted to senior executives and IT department
personnel responsible for managing a company’s IT initiatives.
Marketing and Advertising
Our marketing expenditures relate primarily to advertising and promotion, including demand generation and
product recognition. Our advertising and promotion efforts include, among other things, electronic and print
advertising, trade shows, collateral production, and all forms of direct marketing. We also invest in cooperative
marketing campaigns with distributors, resellers, retailers, OEMs, and industry partners.
We invest in various retention-focused marketing and customer loyalty programs to help drive renewals and
encourage customer advocacy and referrals. We also provide vertical industry-focused marketing programs in
targeted industries and countries.
We typically offer two types of rebate programs within most countries: volume incentive rebates to channel
partners and promotional rebates to distributors and end users. Distributors and resellers earn volume incentive
rebates primarily based upon the amount of product sales to end users. We also offer rebates to end users who
purchase products through various resale channels. Both volume incentive rebates and end-user rebates are
accrued as an offset to revenue or deferred revenue.
Research and Development
Symantec embraces a global research and development (“R&D”) strategy to drive organic innovation.
Engineers and researchers throughout the Company pursue advanced projects to translate R&D into customer
solutions by creating new technologies and integrating our unique set of technology assets. Symantec focuses on
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