If Product Marketing isn't working, make It Work Product Launches Thematic

Is your department's marketing team for product lines have trouble in coordinating marketing resources to deal with an unending stream of product launches with a lack of date for release, as well as the constant stream of managers wanting to garner lots of attention from marketing on every release? Is there a solution?

• Be attentive to the latest product updates.
• Develop a captivating product story that is more than the components.
• Marketing should be organized and smart to do their best in their work of marketing new products.

If you're struggling with the constant flow of your timelines for your products, an endless supply of "t-shirt" dimensions to make the project's scope, and the slack in release dates for your products and fretting about being an irritant to your product management team is moment to think about certain product launches. Learn how this could be achieved in this show of Growth Stage!

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David Vogelpohl () (00:04)

Hello everyone! We invite you to join The Growth Stage podcast by . I'm your host, David Vogelpohl. I'm a member of the digital products community by serving as . It is my pleasure to bring only the top of the community to you through the Growth Stage podcast. This episode, we're going be interviewing someone who's very special to me. I'm currently working with him . The conversation will be about how the marketing of products has fallen into an unorganized state and the most effective way to bring back to normal is through thematic

New product launches are something we'd be pleased to receive to the Growth stage Mr. Braden Steel. Braden, welcome.

Braden (00:39)

Thank you, I appreciate your introduction. I'm excited to talk about how to market things today.

David Vogelpohl () (00:44)

Awesome. I am delighted to be your coworker here at Braden. I had a feeling I went through anxiety attacks due to my inability to pronounce your name in the loudest way. And I'm like is it possible that the pronunciation you are using is an odd pronunciation I didn't know about, or did not remember throughout the years or something. Welcome to the forum. Of course. What Braden will talk about are his opinions on issues in traditional advertising of product launches and the benefits of having regular launches that have a theme to products.

Braden (00:58)

Yeah. Thank you.

David Vogelpohl () (01:14)

in order to give your concentration to product launches to create a cohesive tale about the product that will be more significant than components. Marketing will benefit from getting more organized and strategic so that you are able to deliver the best quality work on the launches that you manage. I attended Spryng hosted by Wynter, W -Y -N T - E -R, I think, and also S P -R - N G. However, it's not a conference.

The group was talking about the many challenges and issues when it comes to marketing. The topic of marketing for products was discussed. The group was feeling like they were drained from every single feature launch or new product release and attempting to get the maximum benefit from each particular one. The topic of thematic releases for products was brought up by another member of the group who had proposed the idea. The group was already embracing it about a few years ago.

This is why I thought it might be fun to talk about this topic in my blog this morning. This is it, Braden, are you looking forward to starting?

Braden (02:18)

Yeah, let's do it. It's a pleasure to discuss it. it. it. it.

David Vogelpohl () (02:20)

Alright, good deal. I've looked for a long period of time, however I'm still not certain of the best solution to this issue. Was the first thing you bought on the internet?

Braden (02:28)

It's a cool concept. I was thinking about this subject. I was in junior high school years. Auctions were on fire. Also, I picked up my PlayStation 2 with a bundle of games. The bundle included sports games and other games. There was always discussion about the ideal time to buy it. However, I bought it, and I loved it. I got plenty of usage out of the console and had lots of enjoyment.

Another alternative is to make use of the money I earn myself. The first thing I bought was guitar. This was also the first item I have ever bought with cash. That was also the second choice.

David Vogelpohl () (03:06)

OK, I love the distinction you make the money you own and, I guess, what was that of the money of your parents? How did you fund the PSP?

Braden (03:14)

It's possible that I earned this by weeding my lawn, cutting grass or whatever. The second was just like the salary that I get by myself.

David Vogelpohl () (03:24)

If you're trimming the lawn and are paying for the lawn, Braden. This is fine. Ok, I decided to give the forum a pass when I first started but, could you please provide the public with information of the work you're taking part in on this forum, or the things you're doing?

Braden (03:27)

Sure, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, sure. So I'm the senior Manager of Product Marketing for . My responsibilities include everything that is sold for our entire range of products, as well as for the different industries we're in. If a brand-new product launches, I'm responsible for all the marketing messages associated with that product and the surrounding environment, while providing support items such as B2B games and video games and any other area we're hoping to sell into. Merchant of Record.

The way we do it is that we will integrate all aspects starting with the purchase button, and culminating in a personalised selling experience. We partner in partnership with SaaS businesses, gaming companies AI firms B2B companies, and other things similar to. that. that. that.

David Vogelpohl () (04:18)

Excellent, excellent. As you go on to detail what you accomplished, you covered an array of topics. These included topics like product launches and feature releases. Additionally, you talked about verticals. Within the B2B segment You talked about. SaaS and video games. Modern marketers are frequently taking a vertical approach in relation to a particular product. It happens adds to the complexity of marketing products.

What's wrong with the promotion of goods? What did not work in the traditional strategy?

Braden (04:56)

That's an awesome question. You know, product releases are dependent upon a range of elements that fall outside the marketing director's manage. Examples include engineering problems or commitments from clients required as well as sales can become a major problem that says"hey you need to complete this project before the launch of the next item. There are lots of involved elements to launch. This is why it's important to collaborate with teams working on product development to set commit dates and have a clear understanding of

When will these products become available in time for their release? What does the word "release? Does it mean that the software is available to all or is it still in a Beta phase? It is now the right time to answer the next question to be asked: What is the best moment to discuss the software? What topics would we prefer to discuss? Are we able to speak about it, as we're attempting to prove the concept? This poses a lot of questions and a lot of anxiety is caused by the notion that we know the procedures of manufacturing and engineering. According to me, the main thing that's broken is

It's difficult to determine that it's impossible to determine the product's final design and establish an release date and strategy for a product in the process of being released. It's when those who oversee product development like me get a week before launch, one week before GA and the product manager says, This will be finished. You can then do this job. And it's like, okay but hold for a while. This isn't all I've needed to finish. It's true that you've talked about verticals. It's been discussed.

It takes up a lot of your time, as well. The main issue, you know, I've needed to answer and am now pondering is how I control the process of making the product, along with various aspects of my work in the absence of control over when the launch will take place?

David Vogelpohl () (06:40)

If you're using the floating timeline and the application isn't working as it should. A problem is found shortly before the time limit. They are able to push the release through and get it to the date they desired. It's not easy to coordinate resources with other designers, marketers, webmasters and content specialists as well as other similar things. That's why this orchestration of floating dates I'm seeing. What's the second component? Similar to what the other element you've...

It's true that I've you have worked as a marketing manager for various products at various times. I'm thinking about how every when I speak to someone from the product department and they tell me that we're planning to launch X and I'll come up with a huge announcement about the new release. Do you think that the level of work and time required to promote new releases is sometimes excessive? Are you of the opinion that this is an important aspect of what's wrong with the old-fashioned method of marketing the products?

Braden (07:28)

Sure, indeed. You know, these product managers are managers with a purpose. They're also the owner of those products. They're thrilled about this new item. They've been working on this for for a long time, trying to be sure the product is to the market. Naturally, they'll want as much support as they're getting in order to sell their products. It's not easy to convince an executive from the group responsible for developing products to appear in front of you and say"I'm delighted by this new feature.

I'm in search of a large number of support I've put together a list of suggestions that I'm going to have the courage to say"let's start the brakes a little bit for the A, B, or C reasons, but I'm not in a position to endorse your ideas, or do it because, well it's not possible for me to do it or I'm finding it hard to sustain a long-term connection with the product managers as you might believe that they don't desire to aid them, or perhaps perform another task. However, this isn't true this isn't your goal to aid all those you are able to.

David Vogelpohl () (08:26)

Yeah. That's what you're feeling when it comes to managing the go-to-market around a product launch. It's difficult to manage the flopping dates in the traditional method, as well as the other managers because of the amount of time and energy they're putting in the process. Let's say, let's make an announcement regarding this. However, with all the requests, along with all the deadlines floating around, it feels like you're doing less than your best work. You're distributing your time among all these demands which can make it hard to do the best job. This is a problem I'm currently experiencing. Do you feel like that?

Braden (09:01)

Yeah, yeah, that's right. It's a situation where many factors fall off at once. It is necessary to find the ideal approach to tackle each of these. The only thing you can do is work 24 hours in a day and that's not even including, you know, working all day in a row as well as the pressure that comes with needing to keep in mind, and keeping each of these things at the forefront. Think about these issues.

Make them smaller and easy to access for the marketplace. There's certainly plenty to do.

David Vogelpohl () (09:35)

This was something you mentioned previously in your discussion about support for product managers, and the relationship between PMMs as well as PMs. If you're an advocate of the traditional method of marketing to products, are you able to say that it could be in conflict with PMMs as well as PMs?

Braden (09:58)

It's true, and it's what I'm thinking. There's been instances when it was a difficult conversation when you simply said, I just don't have the funds to help your request. In these circumstances, you must take note and be aware of the things that the PM's looking for, however it definitely creates tension. It's true that the key is to communicate effectively when you're in situations where it is necessary to need to be there and be a participant in the conversations, taking note of the conversation.

Be clear, adept at logging what you're doing as well as utilizing the theme-driven process to launch your product in order to eliminate some of the issues which are common to typical product.

David Vogelpohl () (10:41)

You're now getting Product managers seeking the best megaphone for their new releases. Marketing departments across other industries are asking"Can we be more strategic so that we can perform better? And you kind of talked about topics for the product launches. Let's begin by asking an inquiry. What exactly is a thematic release?

Braden (10:59)

Yeah, great question. A thematic release is a bundle of goods under an umbrella. In this case, B2B as the umbrella as well as the whole range of products that fall under it.

David Vogelpohl () (11:16)

If we're discussing themes-based releases which I'm assuming that we're talking about not often. It could be due to the fact that you're extremely dedicated. But, do you have the time to do it consistently, over a month-long period or every quarter? monthly?

Braden (11:30)

Good question. There is a spring release or release during the summer time, and an autumn release in the autumn. There isn't a lot of people in holiday mood until the end of the calendar year, which is why we don't release it available until then. However, we release it 3 times per year. Also, we do special releases at times during between.

David Vogelpohl () (11:45)

The organization behind the product is working towards stating that every quarter, we'll be able to announce this theme improvement on this particular product line item and, if we can integrate the promotion for the product, then we'll to make it an entire program. Would it be possible to include the elements of all of the items and new releases that are associated with this theme?

Braden (12:08)

It does. It's got these features. Then we review our customers' plans and decide What are they planning to do for next year? This helps us classify the merchandise into the categories. It's not a method that is top-down and says it is necessary to determine themes. For themes A what products fit under the topic of A? Instead, we examine what are the products we're planning to introduce this year?

What's the most important subject for these products? categorized under during these seasons.

David Vogelpohl () (12:44)

It's possible to observe the difference, and this will be amplified. You might be off during a quarter when your date of release is an issue, however there could have been a delay, i imagine, before being aware that you have the issue. Yeah. So you're decoupling the GA in the event you'd like to do, and the promotional.

Braden (12:51)

That's correct, yeah.

That's correct. Yeah. It's a great idea, since we've executed the strategy, and GA actions we carry out since these products require promotion when they go live. So, we in the context of our overall process, which is thematic, could have GA actions as well as thematic actions to apply to every item.

David Vogelpohl () (13:18)

Any release you wish, be included in the theme rollout. There's also a kind of small version of such a thing as the GA release. The result is basically the double dip that it is a sound.

Braden (13:31)

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. It's been extremely helpful to ensure that the internal teams within our business have access to GA. It means that satisfaction of clients shouldn't only be an issue of receiving feedback from customers. It's like Hey I'm using this awesome product. I'd like to learn more details about the product. The Customer Success team isn't a thing yet. This isn't the case because in GA we're always releasing information on FAQs and Value Messages in order to make sure that everyone is informed of the latest developments.

Then, the main advertising messages, like that you've mentioned, could appear a little off at times. If you've got a product set to launch in January but you're not in a position to introduce something with a theme this means that the product will not receive adequate marketing coverage at the beginning however, it is likely to tag along with more marketing activity at a later time in the entire year.

David Vogelpohl () (14:17)

If you were thinking it was very strategic and strategic, do you think it would be a good idea to throw in an X or an additional release during the launch of your theme if you have GA scheduled for the same highly strategic product that you've been awaiting?

Braden (14:30)

Yeah, absolutely. We do, however, have some ad-hoc releases which we're in favour of. We try to limit them to one or two releases whenever we are able to. We've developed a procedure that we share in conjunction with your Product team. we conduct an exchange and then think: Okay, we're aware of this incredible product. The product doesn't belong within the same category, but it's important for reasons A or B. We've decided to plan for the whole group so that everyone is aware of what we're trying for. Then, that this will get a distinct focus.

It's a plus that there aren't any chances of having fifteen items which fall off at the close of each quarter. The most common events of products that provide everything at the same time.

David Vogelpohl () (15:08)

Thank you.

One of my favourite business jokes is the observation that executive Q3 represents the ideal time to start Q3 while the Engineering team Q3 is the close of the quarter. This suggests that they're all in a way moving toward the end of Q3 so that they can reach their quarterly OKRs. Yeah. Okay. I've got it.

Braden (15:33)

Yes, precisely.

David Vogelpohl () (15:38)

You have a theme set to launch within the coming quarter or possibly in the coming months, you hear about an announcement significant about a product or feature that isn't aligned with the theme. Do you think this is an exception to the ones that there could be a connection between the themes?

Braden (15:55)

It's exactly what you'd expect. So, I'll present you with a visual representation of the work that we're currently doing. Payments were released took place in the beginning quarter of this year. We were presented with a range of exciting choices for payment. One payment which didn't get into the process of engineering might not have the chance to function properly by the time the launch event took place. The payment came from Google Pay and everyone knows Google Pay. You know, we took a examine the feature and thought, how do make people aware about Google Pay? The feature isn't really one for business-to-business. So, yes we made a tiny version to Google Pay.

It was created with documents such as FAQ documents, blog posts, blog post or article which is promoted on social media sites like that.

David Vogelpohl () (16:29)

What happens when you have such a release that is an anchor item, and then another one that's thematic, but not? This sounded like that you were using an anchor item. It could be the situation of the thematic publication Apple Pay slipped from or Google Pay slipped from. So, what do you do? Do you wait to announce this thematic release until anchor elements are in place? What else can you choose to decide to

Braden (16:54)

Yeah, I mean, it depends. There are times when it's a waiting and seeing. We've experienced it. Yes, I was speaking with those responsible for this product on Monday. They informed me that B2B might be a viable option should there be delay in an announcement in the coming year. The advantages of a themed launch is that There's no date to be met. The deadline has been set for us. If you'd like to move that back slightly in order to accommodate the timeframes needed for the development of our product and engineering, we could.

It is possible to alter these themes at any moment. If one of the most important features abruptly not scheduled to be released, maybe we'll be able to add the elements to create the ideal combo to match the theme in an alternative method. There's plenty of flexibility with the system to take into account the various changes that can occur throughout the season.

David Vogelpohl () (17:47)

This seems quite reasonable. If I think of a conventional marketing strategy for announcing an announcement of some new product, it's similar to publishing an announcement on blogs, perhaps it's a press release, email to our clients, or email our prospective clients, and this kind of thing. How does thematic release differ from its format?

Braden (18:07)

Yes, I've discussed the subject before. The majority of these activities are still happening. And at the thematic moment they're happening, however it is something we call GA actions. Also, a great deal of like internal enablement, within-app notifications. If anyone can gain access to this piece of software's tech and we're able to provide the tech to both our customers as well as our internal teams. This access is separate from this theme's release.

At the same time, in the moment, instead of focusing on all of the similar attributes, this is, you know, fragmented and is able to convey the narrative about the value broadly of the elements. This is an important distinction I've observed and it's not possible when you release something that is, in a fragmented fashion throughout an entire quarter or a whole year.

David Vogelpohl () (19:04)

Yeah. It also increases the impact of the tale. Since the illustration I think to be perfect are improvements to the quality of life, which were difficult for engineers, but don't necessarily increase the value or commercial viability of the items. Are you even aware of what I'm discussing? Anyone who's not aware isn't aware that there was a problem or a thing. It's not easy for Phil who is the manager of product, to say"Hey Hey, you're all! This is a problem we've resolved. It could be advantageous for both the company and the customers.

Braden (19:08)

Yeah.

David Vogelpohl () (19:34)

Therefore, it's believed that these releases don't just give people the chance to speak on the megaphone, but they could also aid to advance the story of additional improvement in living standards.

Braden (19:43)

Absolutely, you are able to let many apps profit from this. They would not be likely to gain from the marketing or might get an brief announcement, for instance, from Pendo. They're instead on a website that's a part of these more extensive features, which can communicate with this megaphone. In addition, there's lots of worth in the tiniest changes regarding the quality of your living.

David Vogelpohl () (20:08)

If this method, have you achieved your goal? How many quarters of daily time are you using?

Braden (20:13)

This is our third launch. the month of July will be the third theme launch for the month, which will be on July.

David Vogelpohl () (20:20)

Three quarters into the program are you satisfied with the improvement in your capacity to manage marketing resources, as well as support new launches of products, or is it too yet to say?

Braden (20:33)

I'd say it's certainly better than I did on my own. What I'm noticing is that not just I'm now able to help the entire team, and not only assist them, but to coordinate with the rest of marketing particularly demand generation. It's possible to make use of a large amount of lead time, which they had not prior to the launch of the product.

We could also put them into the same campaign we used to struggle for. This would be the biggest advantage. But the other benefit is that it's provided us with the chance to pursue additional verticals, like, such as gaming. We wouldn't have the funds to explore or the expertise to propel the verticals ahead.

David Vogelpohl () (21:28)

You mentioned the video game section at a minimum for a limited duration. There were players who were engaged in video games for long periods of time from the start of the business. It was mentioned that the business having a greater involvement with the segment of video games. Do you believe the segmentation of games can play an integral role in thematic releases, or does it primarily revolve around features?

Braden (21:51)

Yes, segmentation plays a big role. Like I mentioned, the upcoming launch is focused on B2B. It's an area we'd like to be a part of and look forward to expanding into. It's a whole future that we're creating using video games, too. We've already mentioned how we've improved Our Apple Pay and implemented Google Pay. Also, expanding with vertical themes isn't only giving users the chance to being able to think in terms or...

The advantages are exactly the same that you get with theme-based launches. But, there are also benefits of integrating things like thoughts leadership into your theme-based launch, that aren't feasible to integrate into a conventional launch. It means that you'll be able to get an additional, perhaps a bigger marketing campaign, as well as more value from these product launches for your larger organization.

David Vogelpohl () (22:44)

Excellent. This was a fascinating episode Braden. Thank you for coming to Radio Talk and having a discussion about this. The conversation was fascinating regarding Spryng right here in Austin. I was thinking it would be fun to bring it to the stage however, this was an amazing experience. Thanks for taking part present on stage.

Braden (23:01)

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for inviting me to join you. It was an absolute blast.

David Vogelpohl () (23:04)

Awesome. If you'd like to find out more information about the work Braden is doing and possibly his next album check out .com. Thank you for taking part in this week's episode on Growth Stage. The host for this week's episode will be David Vogelpohl. I'm an avid supporter of the community of digital products that I am a part of at . I am ecstatic about the chance to share the very best from the community for you on the Stage of Growth. Stage. Thanks to all of you.

David Vogelpohl David is the Chief Marketing Officer at . For the past 25 years, David Vogelpohl has led teams to develop top-of-the line engines of innovation and technological advancement for the top brands, including WP Engine, Genesis, AWS, Cloudflare, and many other companies.

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