Product Marketing Adventures

You know the Slack message. “Hey, do we have a battle card for this competitor?” And you don’t, because it’s the 50th new name you’ve heard this year. In this episode, we talk about why competitive intelligence programs don’t fall apart from lack of effort. They fall apart because the problem is infinite, and scale becomes the real challenge.
I’m joined by Mindy Regnell, an award-winning product marketer whose win-loss program won the 2025 Win-Loss Program of the Year from the Product Marketing Alliance. Mindy has spent nearly a decade in market and competitive intelligence, helping teams understand not just who they compete with, but why customers choose. 
Mindy breaks down how she runs competitive intelligence at Klaviyo, and why her approach isn’t “build a battle card for every competitor.” It’s building a framework that makes the chaos manageable, especially for regional sales teams dealing with a long list of niche and unexpected competitors. We get into her Long Tail inspired framework, plus the practical steps for building it, pressure testing it, and getting leadership buy-in by tying it to outcomes.
We close with a messaging critique of Anthropic’s Super Bowl ad and what it gets right about competitive storytelling without naming names. If you’re trying to build a CI program that doesn’t turn into a never-ending content factory, this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways
CI doesn’t fail because you’re not working hard enough, it fails because the competitor list is infinite
Build a framework that scales instead of reacting competitor by competitor
Start with your differentiation, then cluster competitors by the real problem they solve
Pressure test with fresh eyes and secure buy-in by focusing on outcomes
Build broad framework assets first, then go deep on tier-one competitors
Strong competitive messaging can create contrast without direct call-outs

LINKS

Mindy's Presentation "Streamlining Battlecards for Crowded Markets": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UpNBtOVUkdSRgh8osemE9dz4tsKAAcUa/view
Mindy's Battlecard Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UOWT8klquy1-xWdtE4V7koMu2clfGKfPGVjfLU3HHmQ/edit?tab=t.0

Messaging Critique: Anthropic

Connect with Mindy: 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mindyregnell  

Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/ 
Website: https://www.productmarketingadventures.com/

Platform repositioning is messy. You’re changing how the market understands you, how customers experience value, and how internal teams talk about the product. In this episode, I sit down with Jameelah Calhoun, VP of Market Strategy at Forter, to unpack what it really takes to reposition a platform when the pressure is high and the stakes are real.
Jameelah shares what repositioning looked like at Eventbrite during COVID, when the events industry changed overnight. Eventbrite needed to expand beyond “ticketing tool” and be understood as a broader suite of marketing resources for event organisers. She breaks down how to start with the data you already have, spot where product market fit is soft, and find the moments in the journey where customers hit friction.

From there, we get into the practical decisions that drive outcomes. Jameelah explains why segmentation is non-negotiable, how to identify the highest leverage problem, and what it looks like to reduce friction through changes to sign-up, packaging, and the path to value. She also talks about building internal trust through tight collaboration with product and engineering, plus using lightweight experiments and an experimentation roadmap to keep decisions focused and defensible.
We close with a messaging critique of Calendly. Their homepage nails clarity by repeating “scheduling” relentlessly, but that same simplicity can undersell the more advanced value for sophisticated buyers, like integrations, payments, and workflow automation. We talk about the opportunity to keep the core promise while elevating the positioning so it reflects what the product has become.

Key Takeaways

Start with existing research and performance data before you build a new story
Segment your audience properly, because different users need different value cues
Find the highest leverage problem, then focus your work there
Build trust through close partnership with product and engineering
Use lightweight experiments and a clear roadmap to validate decisions
Messaging should stay clear, but still reflect the full value of the product

LINKS

Messaging Critique: Calendly 

Connect with Jameelah: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameelah-calhoun/ 
Podcast:  https://www.unpopulardecisions.com/ 

Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/

Product marketers, you know this pain. You need insights yesterday, but the data is scattered across calls, surveys, dashboards, and internal docs. In this episode, Emily Pick shares how she used AI agents to run a multi-layered messaging gap analysis in just two hours, turning what normally takes weeks into a repeatable process. The big lesson is not magic prompts. It is getting clear on inputs first, then using automation to pull the right data, and finally using AI to pressure-test narratives and messaging angles fast.
We also cover why feedback loops matter if you want the insights to stick. Emily shares how she validates findings with product, demand gen, and stakeholders so the work gets sharper and earns trust. Then we finish with a messaging critique of Granola.ai, an AI note-taking tool with a refreshingly clear promise for people in back-to-back meetings, plus a smart “Crunched” campaign. The opportunity is emotional differentiation. In a crowded market, the story is not just better notes. It is being present in the meeting.
Key Takeaways

Start with inputs, not tools. Define the data that actually matters before you touch AI
Automate collection so you can spend time on narrative, not admin
Use AI to explore and test messaging angles quickly, not to replace strategy
Build feedback loops to validate insights and increase stakeholder buy-in
Messaging wins when it is consistent, specific, and emotionally resonant

LINKS

Messaging Critique:
Granola.ai
https://www.granola.ai/

Connect with Emily: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilypick/
Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/

Product launches are never “just a launch.” Some releases quietly drive retention, others reshape the business, and treating every launch like a Tier 1 moment creates burnout internally and noise externally. In this episode, Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing at Atlassian, breaks down how Atlassian thinks about launch tiers and how PMMs can use tiering to align teams, set expectations, and ship with more clarity and less chaos.
Ashley walks through what actually makes a tiering framework work, starting with auditing how launches have been run in your org, then aligning tiers to impact across customers, the company, and the ecosystem. She shares how to build buy-in through a cross-functional roadshow, and how to map tactics to tiers based on intended impact, not a checklist of activities.
We also take a look at the messaging of Contentstack in our messaging critique segment. We go through a real example of channel mismatch, where a strong billboard promise did not match the vague website headline, and what changed when feedback forced the messaging to become clearer and more consistent. The takeaway is simple: even the best launch plan falls apart if the message people land on does not match the message that got their attention in the first place.

Key Takeaways

Launch tiers create clarity by aligning effort to impact, not internal workload
Audit past launches to build a framework your org will actually adopt
Get cross-functional buy-in through a roadshow before you lock the tiers
Map tactics to the tier’s impact, not a bigger list of activities
Messaging consistency across channels is non-negotiable for launch success

LINKS

Messaging Critique:

Contentstack:
https://www.contentstack.com/

Connect with Ashley:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyfaus/
Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/

Every product marketer knows the feeling of walking into a meeting, bracing to prove your worth because most people do not really understand what product marketing actually does. We are all experts at crafting messaging and launching products, but translating that work into business results that leadership can see and believe in is where so many PMMs get stuck. Today, we're talking about how to demonstrate product marketing value in a way that is simple, credible, and impossible to misunderstand. Julien Sauvage, CMO at Cordial and former PMM leader at Salesforce, Gong, and Clari, joins us to share his expertise.

Julien explains his practical playbook for proving impact, based on his experience at Gong where he directly linked messaging changes to sales outcomes. He shares how to start with a single metric, build a narrative, train your sales team, and use data to measure adoption and results. This approach proves value and creates a culture of continuous improvement and alignment with business priorities.

We also break down the messaging strategies of UserGems and ZoomInfo, showing why clarity and specificity matter for every brand, no matter the size. Julien’s advice for PMMs is to focus on business outcomes, keep your approach flexible, and make your narrative impossible to ignore. Tune in for actionable strategies and real-world examples that will help you make your product marketing impact clear and compelling.

Key Takeaways:

Start with one clear metric to define and measure your impact
Build a narrative and enable your sales team with hands-on training
Use data to track adoption and outcomes, then refine your approach
Prioritise clarity and specificity in your messaging, regardless of your brand’s size
Keep your strategy flexible and always align with business priorities

LINKS

Messaging Critique:

ZoomInfo: https://www.zoominfo.com/ 
UserGems: https://www.usergems.com/ 

Connect with Julien:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-sauvage/ 

Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/