A Product Journey #12 with Jana Frejova, Head of Product Marketing at Spendesk

Jana, can you walk us through your career journey and how it led you to become the Head of Product Marketing at Spendesk?

Like most of my colleagues, I fell into product marketing by accident. In fact, I didn’t even know this role existed until a few years into my career. Originally from a legal background with a focus on climate change and international law in the UK, I moved into EU environmental policy work in Brussels. However, I soon realized that policy work, while impactful, lacked the immediacy and tangibility I craved in a career. My pivot to product marketing came when I was constantly checking the careers page of Opower, an American software startup aligned with my interests in energy efficiency. They posted a product marketing position, which I had never heard of before but perfectly described the kind of role I was looking for. I applied, got the job, and it involved moving to London and frequently traveling to the US. This role was my gateway into product marketing, and after several exciting projects and years of growth, I found myself in France with Spendesk.

How do you define the role of product marketer?

Product marketing is a relatively new discipline that remains widely misunderstood, particularly within tech-focused companies. A Product Marketing Alliance survey reveals that approximately 75% of product marketers feel their role is not well understood within their own organizations. This issue is even more pronounced across different countries, such as France compared to the UK or the US, where the gap in understanding can be even wider.

However, at its core, product marketing is highly strategic. Research conducted by McKinsey has demonstrated a direct correlation between well-developed product marketing functions and substantial revenue growth. Notable technology leaders, like Airbnb under Brian Chesky, have underscored its importance by integrating product marketing with product management, signaling its critical role in strategic development.

Product marketing is the process of introducing a new offering to a specific market of buyers. I would break it into three key pillars:

• Deep understanding of the market at large, competitors and buyers, which then forms the company’s Go-to-Market strategy and informs product roadmap;

• Driving product launches and product adoption, which includes a broad range of activities, from product positioning, pricing & packaging, to developing marketing campaigns;

• Internal alignment and enablement involve aligning the company on business goals to be achieved from launches, acting as the glue between product and revenue organization, and enabling the company—i.e., ensuring everyone is speaking the same language.

In essence, product marketing not only shapes how products are perceived and sold but also plays a pivotal role in aligning and enabling the entire organization to achieve market success.

How do you expect to see this role evolve?

The evolution of product marketing can be viewed from several perspectives. Across the broader software industry, there is a noticeable trend towards standardization. Today, the scope and strategic depth of product marketing vary significantly across companies. Some organizations have developed robust, strategic functions, while others maintain a more basic form, still trying to find their core purpose. As the function becomes better understood and its impact more recognizable, I anticipate a greater uniformity in how product marketing is implemented across different companies.

Internally, within each company, as the comprehension of product marketing's role deepens, I expect it to become increasingly integrated into key business decisions and processes. The goal is for product marketing to not just offer insights but to have those insights lead to actionable strategies that are routinely executed, underlining its critical role.

Furthermore, several emerging trends are reshaping product marketing significantly. The rise of product-led growth, for instance, requires product marketers to be adept in a range of business models, including direct sales and self-service strategies. This shift necessitates a deeper understanding of the customer journey and the ability to adapt marketing strategies accordingly.

Lastly, advancements in AI are set to revolutionize the speed and efficiency with which product marketing functions operate. AI technologies enable us to automate routine tasks, enhance analytical capabilities, and ultimately deliver more impactful marketing strategies faster than ever before.

With the digital transformation ongoing and the rise of AI and automation, what new technologies or trends do you foresee having the most significant impact on product marketing in the next five years?

AI is developing so fast I wouldn’t want to speculate what may happen in five years! In the short term, though, I see four major areas where AI can transform product marketing: First, automating manual tasks that consume unnecessary time, like data collection and analysis or content generation. This doesn't mean replacing the strategic element of our jobs but enhancing speed and efficiency in execution. Second, the ability to hyper-customize messaging at scale will be revolutionary. We can tailor communications so specifically across various personas and touchpoints without manual overhead. Third, improved data processing capabilities will allow for stronger and quicker insights, leading to better-informed business decisions. Finally, the continued rise of product-led growth strategies will demand that product marketers not only understand traditional marketing tactics but also become adept at interpreting and leveraging user interaction data within the product itself.

Thank you Jana! :)