Gettin' to Market

42 - Pets vs. Livestock with Kelly Card

Most product people know they're not supposed to get attached. But they do it anyway (and it rarely stops at the feature level). Nate sits down with Kelly Card, SVP of Product at ABC Fitness, to talk about what it actually looks like when a team treats their product like a pet instead of livestock. Not the obvious version (the PM who won't kill a feature), but the one that's harder to see: the acquired company's employees who have been living with a product for a decade, and now they're terrified to tell anyone what's actually wrong with it. They get into how pet thinking spreads from the roadmap to CS coverage, support models, outage ownership, and budget — basically everything with a RACI. And Kelly's self-diagnosis question for whether you're doing it is worth the whole conversation. New Episodes (some) Tuesdays. Visit productischange.com for more. Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

41 - The Show Was the Product with Chad Cosper

Nate sits down with Chad Cosper, Principal Product Marketing Manager at insightsoftware and self-described Deadhead, to explore what the Grateful Dead accidentally got right about building a product people can't leave behind. They didn't set out to pioneer freemium distribution. They didn't design a community — they just created conditions and got out of the way. The taping section was born from values, not strategy. The mailing list came from loyalty to specific fans. The touring revenue that kept them in the top five grossing acts of the '80s — competing with Thriller-era Michael Jackson — came from a band that genuinely didn't think they owned the music once they played it. It's a conversation about power users, brand elasticity, what it means to serve your core audience even when the casual ones show up, and whether any of it could be replicated today. Also: lessons learned includes a defense of Gen Z's "six seven" habit that is, arguably, airtight. New Episodes (some) Tuesdays. Visit productischange.com for more. Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

40 - Acquisition Storytime with Steve Thompson

In this episode of Gettin’ to Market, Nate sits down with Steve Thompson (Senior Director, Product Marketing at insightsoftware) to talk about what really happens when your company gets acquired — and how to navigate the uncertainty without spiraling. Steve has been through three acquisitions and a bankruptcy. Nate has been through two acquisitions. They discuss: * How to read the tea leaves (and when you can’t) * What to do the moment you hear the news * When to update your resume and when not to panic * How to handle new managers and shifting org structures * The biggest mistakes people make during change New Episodes (some) Tuesdays. Visit productischange.com for more. Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

39 - Good Cop, Brand Cop with Michelle Slade

John's out this week, but Nate is joined by Michelle Slade, SVP of Brand and Communications at ABC Fitness, for a candid conversation about what brand actually is and where people get it wrong. Michelle brings a rare perspective: she started as a business analyst writing requirements before crossing over into marketing, and has built brand strategy for companies like Expedia, GameStop, and Sally Beauty. The result is someone who can talk brand philosophy and ship. In this episode, they cover: * Why brand is a system, not a logo (and what happens when organizations don't have that system defined) * The "brand police" problem and why policing without infrastructure is a losing game * How brand elasticity explains why Apple can force U2 onto your phone and still charge you $200 for more RAM * Where brand has the most cross-functional friction (hint: it's not where you'd expect) * Using AI as a brand standards checker, and getting called out by your own prompt * Why thought leadership without tension is just noise Plus: tipping culture and the importance of a POV. New Episodes (some) Tuesdays. Visit productischange.com for more. Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod

38 - You Can't Vent to Your Boss...Can You?

You can't vent to your boss. Probably. But the real question is who can you vent to — and who else do you need in your corner to actually "survive and advance"? Nate and John get into the relationships that don't show up on any org chart but quietly determine everything from your next promotion to whether you're still standing after a reorg. Plus: AI's slow threat to the SaaS seat model, and John tries to fill out a visa application. New Episodes (some) Tuesdays. Visit productischange.com for more. Videos and clips available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GettintoMarketPod