Recently, there's been quite a buzz about Brian Chesky's latest interview in Lenny’s newsletter. They covered a myriad of topics, but one, in particular, resonated with me the most. Chesky's approach to integrating product management with marketing at Airbnb focuses on blending the creative and strategic aspects of both domains. He believes that understanding a product and marketing it are intrinsically linked—a product manager must be adept not only at creating the product but also in communicating its value to the market.
This integrated approach ensures that the product is not only well-designed but also effectively positioned and marketed, aligning with Airbnb's mission of creating unique and reliable customer experiences. Chesky's strategy represents a shift from traditional siloed roles, emphasizing a more holistic and collaborative approach to product development and marketing.
This resonated with me because, before switching to Product Management, I was a Marketeer. I can intimately feel the connection between these two worlds.
Although there is debate about this approach, I agree with it. That's why I decided to write this post, highlighting what a competent Performance Marketeer can bring to the Product Management table.
Before going deeper, let's consider this enlightening graph from Seth Godin’s blog about the circles of Marketing. Can you guess which circle lies at the very core?
Read more here
The main and most important skill valuable for both PMs and Marketeers is deeply understanding the intent of the user. User intent refers to the goal or purpose a user has in mind when typing a query into a search engine or when interacting with a product or service.
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Marketing strategy 101: The right message, on the right users, on the right time.
Understanding user intent is crucial for the following reasons:
Different intents require varied communication channels and concepts. As a PM, you might work with product personas based on product usage (e.g., a power user of feature X) and customer segmentation (e.g., a churned user). However, as a Marketeer, utilizing marketing channels to match customer intents is key.
For instance, your power user might be active on TikTok or LinkedIn—platforms that demand completely different communication approaches. Developing holistic personas enables efficient and resonant communication, which is invaluable for any company.
Consider the difference between searching for “souvlakia halandri” and “souvlakia halandri efood.” The intent behind these queries differs significantly. The first query suggests a general interest in souvlaki in Halandri, while the second implies a preference for ordering souvlaki via efood.
This distinction impacts several aspects: