One Promise, One Motion: How NetApp Built Strategic Demand

When B2B brands try to be everything to everyone, they end up with what Gabie Boko calls a “brand of commas.” NetApp chose focus instead: One clear promise the whole company could rally behind and a direct line to business growth.

In this episode, Drew sits down with Gabie Boko (NetApp) to unpack how NetApp rallied leadership around Intelligent Data Infrastructure, redefined strategic demand as a shared go-to-market motion, and built alignment from the CEO to sales. Gabie shares how focus, authenticity, and cross-functional trust helped modernize NetApp’s story.

In this episode: 

• Moving from a “brand of commas” to one durable narrative the company can stand behind for years 

• Choosing Intelligent Data Infrastructure to stay customer-tested and future-proof without falling into AI-washing 

• Defining strategic demand as a company-wide motion that unites marketing, sales, and partners

Plus: 

• How NetApp’s NFL partnerships built reach and brand lift without massive ad spend 

• How success is measured through share of voice, sentiment, pipeline, and revenue growth 

• How to avoid category-creation detours and free teams from over-branding every product 

• The CMO journey from hope to determination, and how to sequence wins without burning political capital

Tune in to learn how one promise and shared accountability reshaped NetApp’s story! 

Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 488 on YouTube

Resources Mentioned 

• CMO Huddles

Highlights 

• [2:03] Riding the trough of change 

• [3:51] The clash of marketing cultures 

• [9:34] The power of one clear promise 

• [14:59] Stop naming everything a category 

• [17:30] Tapping into brand roots 

• [20:19] From campaigns to strategic demand 

• [24:56] How NetApp activated its NFL sponsorship 

• [28:13] Metrics that move pipeline 

• [30:39] Shared goals, shared growth 

• [33:23] Turning influence into impact 

• [38:12] The toughest sell is inside 

• [40:11] Partnership or perish: The CEO–CMO test 

• [42:42] Leading through the AI learning curve 

• [46:39] Find your balance and your people

Highlighted Quotes  

"The most important thing to be able to facilitate demand was to change the narrative. On the side, when nobody noticed, I changed the fonts, I changed the colors, but I didn't make it a big deal."— Gabie Boko, NetApp

"Strategic demand is absolutely 100% connected to the entire company. Marketing now just becomes a contributor to demand, not the owner of demand."— Gabie Boko, NetApp 

"Every time you take your brand vision and try to turn it into a product, then you negate the ability for us to build a brand." — Gabie Boko, NetApp 

Full Transcript: Drew Neisser in conversation with Gabie Boko