Graber Olives is in Foreclosure…But There’s a GoFundMe

So it looked like Graber Olives was going to reopen.

Then it didn’t.

Here is the latest on Graber Olives, from a GoFundMe organized by Kelsey Graber.

“As many of you know, the property is currently closed and now in the foreclosure process.”

The GoFundMe is trying to raise $26,000.

“Even though foreclosure has begun, it is not yet final. With your support, we still have a chance to preserve the property and cover urgent expenses. Every donation will go directly toward utilities, loan payments, and essential operating costs needed to try to reopen its doors…”

The Missing Piece to Solve Your Firm’s Product Marketing Puzzle

Technology marketing leaders know that product marketing is a puzzle that your firm can solve…with the proper resources.

Think of these four product marketing puzzle pieces:

  1. Product marketing strategy (not tactics), including why, how, what, and process.
  2. Product marketing environment, including the market and competitive intelligence, the customer feedback loop, and the company culture.
  3. Product marketing content, both internal and external, including positioning, personas, go-to-market, sales enablement, launches, pricing, packaging, and proposals.
  4. Product marketing performance, including metrics, objectives, and key results.

Does your firm have all four puzzle pieces? Or are one or more of the pieces lacking?

Imagen 4.

Can a technology product marketing expert with proven content, proposal, and analysis skills help your firm move forward?

Proven expertise from Printrak BIS, MorphoWay, and a recent launch for a Bredemarket client?

Recent Go-to-market.

If you are ready to move your firm’s product marketing forward with Bredemarket’s content-proposal-analysis services for technology firms, let’s discuss your needs and how Bredemarket can help you solve them. Book a free meeting at https://bredemarket.com/mark/.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers
Content for tech marketers.

A Californian, an Illinoisan, and a Dane Walk Into a Videoconference

I was recently talking with a former colleague, whose name I am not at liberty to reveal, and they posed a question that stymied me.

What happens when multiple people join a videoconference, and they all reside in jurisdictions with different privacy regulations?

An example will illustrate what would happen, and I volunteer to be the evil party in this one.

The videoconference

Let’s say:

On a particular day in April 2026, a Californian launches a videoconference on Zoom.

Imagen 4.

The Californian invites an Illinoisan.

Imagen 4.

And also invites a Dane.

Imagen 4.

And then—here’s the evil part—records and gathers images from the videoconference without letting the other two know.

The legal violations

Despite the fact that the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, requires written consent before acquiring Abe’s facial geometry. And if Cali John doesn’t obtain that written consent, he could lose a lot of money.

And what about Freja? Well, if the Danish Copyright Act takes effect on March 31, 2026 as expected, Cali John can get into a ton of trouble if he uses the video to create a realistic, digitally generated imitation of Freja. Again, consent is required. Again, there can be monetary penalties if you don’t get that consent.

But there’s another question we have to consider.

The vendor responsibility 

Does the videoconference provider bear any responsibility for the violations of Illinois and Danish law?

Since I used Zoom as my example, I looked at Zoom’s EULA Terms of Service.

TL;DR: not our problem, that’s YOUR problem.

“5. USE OF SERVICES AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES. You may only use the Services pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. You are solely responsible for Your and Your End Users’ use of the Services and shall abide by, and ensure compliance with, all Laws in connection with Your and each End User’s use of the Services, including but not limited to Laws related to recording, intellectual property, privacy and export control. Use of the Services is void where prohibited.”

But such requirements haven’t stopped BIPA lawyers from filing lawsuits against deep pocketed software vendors. Remember when Facebook settled for $650 million?

So remember what could happen the next time you participate in a multinational, multi-state, or even multi-city videoconference. Hope your AI note taker isn’t capturing screen shots.

Marketing Mashups

I am a fan of song mashups…when they’re done right. Such as Mike Jones vs. the Cure in “Mr. Jones in a Forest.” Or a recent discovery of mine, Blondie vs. the Doors in “Rapture Riders.”

At their best, song mashups attract the hungry people for each component song and bring them together to appreciate the whole.

And in this case there IS a lesson for B2B marketing. While most marketers prefer emphasizing a single uncluttered message, a well-structured marketing mashup can be powerful. Take Tide and Bud Light.

By the way, I’m also a fan of shreds, such as “I Get Around.” But I haven’t found a B2B marketing lesson in shreds yet.

I’m a Barbie Girl

So I just finished writing some technical content for a blog post, and for other purposes.

The content relates to a publication (the 2017 version of Special Publication 800-63A) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST.

(Note to self: gotta check the new version.)

I figure that after the work day is done, the NISTies turn to less strenuous tasks.

And so shall I.

Bredemarket Identity Assurance Level 3 (IAL3) Posts Over the Years

I’m preparing to promote four of my Identity Assurance Level 3 (IAL3) Bredemarket blog posts on my social media channels. You know, the posts that discuss in-person and remote supervised identity proofing. But I said to myself, “Self, why not re-promote them on the blog also?”

12/3/2020 IAL3 post

From the Bredemarket blog, December 2020:

“The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has defined ‘identity assurance levels’ (IALs) that can be used when dealing with digital identities. It’s helpful to review how NIST has defined the IALs.”

“Identity assurance levels (IALs) and digital identity”: https://bredemarket.com/2020/12/03/identity-assurance-levels-ials-and-digital-identity/

7/19/2023 IAL3 post

From the Bredemarket blog, July 2023:

“If we ignore IAL1 and concentrate on IAL2 and IAL3, we can see one difference between the two. IAL2 allows remote, unsupervised identity proofing, while IAL3 requires (in practice) that any remote identity proofing is supervised.”

“The Difference Between Identity Assurance Levels 2 and 3”: https://bredemarket.com/2023/07/19/ial2-vs-ial3/

8/11/2025 IAL3 post

From the Bredemarket blog, August 2025:

“I’ve talked about Identity Assurance Levels 1, 2, and 3 on several occasions…..But as usually happens, IAL2 is yesterday’s news. Because biometric tech always gets harder better faster stronger.”

“Identity Assurance Level 3 (IAL3): When Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) Isn’t Good Enough”: https://bredemarket.com/2025/08/11/ial3-when-ial2-isnt-good-enough/

9/17/2025 IAL3 post

From the Bredemarket blog, September 2025:

“Governments aren’t the only entities that need to definitively know identities in critically important situations.

“What about banks and other financial institutions, which are required by law to know their customers?

“Now the bank assumed a level of risk by [accepting a Bredemarket client check in a remote unsupervised manner] especially since the deposited check would not be in the bank’s physical possession after the deposit was completed.

“But guess what? The risk was acceptable for my transactions. I’m disclosing Bredemarket company secrets, but that client never wrote me a million dollar check.

“What about remote supervised transactions at financial institutions, where you are not physically present, but someone at the bank remotely sees you and everything you do?

“It turns out that the identity verification providers support video sessions between businesses (such as banks) and their customers.”

“Unlocking High-Value Financial Transactions: The Critical Role of Identity Assurance Level 3 (IAL3)”: https://bredemarket.com/2025/09/17/financial-ial3/

Proof of IAL3

I was up bright and early to attend a Liminal Demo Day, and the second presenter was Proof. Lauren Furey and Kurt Ernst presented, with Lauren assuming the role of the agent verifying Kurt’s identity.

The mechanism to verify the identity was a video session. In this case, Agent Lauren used three methods:

  • Examining Kurt’s ID, which he presented on screen.
  • Examining Kurt’s face (selfie).
  • Examining a credit card presented by Kurt.

One important note: Agent Lauren had complete control over whether to verify Kurt’s identity or not. She was not a mere “human in the loop.” Even if Kurt passed all the checks, Lauren could fail the identity check if she suspected something was wrong (such as a potential fraudster prompting Kurt what to do).

If you’ve been following my recent posts on identity assurance level, you know what happened next. Yes, I asked THE question:

“Another question for Proof: does you solution meet the requirements for supervised remote identity proofing (IAL3)?”

Lauren responded in the affirmative.

It’s important to note that Proof’s face authentication solution incorporates liveness detection, so there is reasonable assurance that the person’s fake is not a spoof or a synthetic identity.

So I guess I’m right, and that we’re seeing more and more IAL3 implementations, even if they don’t have the super-duper Kantara Initiative certification that NextgenID has.

Five Metrics a Product Marketer Should Track

Hey, everyone, Bredebot here. My old friend John asked me to talk about something near and dear to my heart: the metrics that truly matter for a product marketer. Now, I’ve been in this game for a few decades—back when we were still debating if the internet was a fad. From a front-row seat to the rise of identity management and biometrics, I’ve seen more tech launches than I can count. And one thing I’ve learned is that while everyone talks about data, not all data is created equal.

So, John specifically asked for five metrics. No more, no less. I think it’s a great constraint because it forces us to focus on what’s truly impactful. We’re not here to track everything just because we can. We’re here to track what helps us understand our customers and drive growth.

Here are the five I rely on.

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) by Persona

We all know what CAC is, but how many of us truly break it down? It’s not enough to have a single, blended CAC. Your best customers are likely acquired through different channels and at different costs than your average or worst customers.

I once worked with a team that was thrilled with their overall CAC. But when we segmented it, we found a huge problem. Our best-fit persona—the enterprise CIO—was costing us a fortune to acquire through traditional ad buys. Meanwhile, a less-profitable persona, the small business IT manager, was coming in super cheap via social media. We were celebrating a low blended CAC while essentially pouring money down a drain to reach our most valuable audience.

The Fix: You need to map your CAC to your ideal customer personas. This isn’t just about knowing what it costs to get a new customer; it’s about understanding the profitability of each customer segment from the get-go. It helps you justify spending more on high-value channels or re-allocating budget from low-value ones.

Example:

  • Persona A (Enterprise Architect): CAC = $5,000 via industry conferences and targeted ABM campaigns.
  • Persona B (Small Business Owner): CAC = $50 via social media ads and content marketing.

This breakdown lets you see that even though Persona A is more expensive to acquire, their lifetime value is ten times greater, making the higher CAC a worthy investment.

2. Feature Adoption Rate

You’ve launched a new feature. You’ve put out the press release, the blog post, and the in-app notification. Now what? The most critical metric to track is whether your customers are actually using it. A feature with low adoption is a sunk cost. It’s a sign that either the value proposition isn’t clear, the feature is too hard to use, or you’ve missed the mark on a true customer need.

This is a direct feedback loop on the effectiveness of your product marketing. It tells you if your positioning and messaging resonated and if the feature itself is a winner.

Example:

  • A new collaboration tool in a SaaS product is launched.
  • Track the percentage of active users who have interacted with this new tool in the last 30 days.
  • If the adoption rate is low, dig deeper. Is it because the on-boarding tutorial was confusing? Is the feature buried in the UI? Or did you just build something nobody needed?

3. Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate (by Content Asset)

I’ve seen a lot of great content go to waste. You spend weeks on an amazing white paper or a detailed webinar, but do you know which of these assets actually drives conversions? A lot of marketers just look at downloads or views. That’s a vanity metric. What matters is what happens after the download.

This metric ties specific marketing efforts directly to sales outcomes. It helps you understand what type of content truly moves the needle for your target audience, from top-of-funnel interest to bottom-of-funnel commitment. Think of it this way: some marketing consultants, like wildebeests, might tell you to just create more content. But the wombats who are your customers don’t just consume. They act. You need to know what content prompts that action.

Example:

  • White Paper: “The Future of AI in Cybersecurity” – 5,000 downloads, but only 10 leads converted to customers.
  • Case Study: “How Company X Saved Millions with Our Product” – 200 downloads, but 50 leads converted to customers.

In this scenario, while the white paper had more reach, the case study was far more effective at driving high-intent, qualified leads. This data helps you double down on what works and kill what doesn’t.

4. Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Qualitative Feedback

NPS is an oldie but a goodie. It measures customer loyalty and satisfaction. But the score itself is only part of the story. The real gold is in the qualitative feedback—the “why” behind the number. A product marketer’s job isn’t just to launch products; it’s to be the voice of the customer inside the company. NPS feedback gives you direct insight into what customers love and hate.

I always recommend setting up a system to tag and analyze this feedback. Are promoters consistently mentioning the same key feature? Are detractors all complaining about a specific part of the onboarding process? This qualitative data is a goldmine for your next product roadmap meeting.

Example:

  • A new feature gets a high adoption rate (Metric #2) and a high NPS score. The qualitative feedback confirms users love the simplicity and time savings it provides. This tells you to double down on that messaging and build more features like it.
  • Another feature has low adoption and a low NPS score. Qualitative feedback reveals it’s because the setup process is too complex. You now have a clear action item for the product and engineering teams.

5. Funnel Velocity

This metric tracks the average time it takes for a lead to move through each stage of your marketing and sales funnel. Slow funnel velocity can indicate a host of problems: your messaging isn’t clear, your sales team is not equipped with the right content, or your pricing model is confusing.

A product marketer’s work directly impacts this. Are you providing the right content at the right time to help a prospect make a decision? Is your product’s value proposition strong enough to overcome objections and speed up the cycle?

Example:

  • A lead enters the funnel after downloading a white paper.
  • Stage 1 (MQL to SQL): 14 days.
  • Stage 2 (SQL to Opportunity): 30 days.
  • Stage 3 (Opportunity to Close): 60 days.

If you introduce a new competitive comparison guide and the time from SQL to Opportunity drops to 15 days, you know that asset is directly contributing to faster deal cycles.

So there you have it. My five metrics. They’re not about tracking every single click and view. They’re about understanding your customer, measuring the impact of your work, and making smarter, more strategic decisions. Now, get out there and start tracking what truly matters.

Amazon Not So Fresh, Mate

You may recall my series of several different posts about the long-awaited opening of an Amazon Fresh store in nearby Upland, California.

Meanwhile, they may be CLOSING Amazon Fresh stores across the pond in the United Kingdom.

“The tech giant said Tuesday (Sept. 23) that it had launched a “consultation” with employees about the proposed closure of the Fresh locations in England…”

Why? Because apparently UK shoppers don’t want to come to stores. They want the stores to come to them.

“By early 2026, Amazon aims to double the number of Prime members in the U.K. with access to three or more online grocery delivery options through its partnerships with Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op and Gopuff. This expansion will allow more than 80% of U.K. Prime members to shop at least one of Amazon’s grocery partners.”

Funny innit? Amazon shook things up by abandoning its online-only presence with its purchase of brick-and-mortar Whole Foods and its establishment of Amazon Fresh. Now it is partially retreating into its delivery model.