Bhavika Thakkar

AMA: Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Microsoft Copilot, Bhavika Thakkar on Product Marketing Career Path

January 20 @ 10:00AM PT
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Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
I've been a SaaS, Marketplace and now AI PMM so a PMM can represent multitude of things. At it's core, Product Marketing is taking 'something' and figuring out how to mak...
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1185 Views
1 request
What skills should a Group PMM focus on in order to set themselves up for VP roles?
skills or experience areas (e.g., profit&loss management, media budget responsibilities)
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
As PMMs grow from mid-level to senior-level, they are consistently expected to demonstrate these 3 areas- Strategy vs. Execution- Product Marketers start their career b...
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13966 Views
2 requests
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
The answer to this question is the same as what I responded to another question asking about difference between Group PMM and VP of Product Marketing. In short, it's stra...
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1112 Views
1 request
What tech companies do you feel like give product marketers the lead on owning a product and shaping it?
I know that Microsoft is more product marketing centric while Google has Product Managers at the lead. What other tech companies do you know of that put product marketers as the lead owner on products?
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
I love this question. I've personally always sought roles where Product Marketing is a strategic business leader vs. a marketer and a launch manager. Microsoft is definit...
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2072 Views
1 request
How do you typically go about finding new PMMs for your team? Is it mostly recruitment based or do you search within your network?
I'm trying to break into a PMM role after 5 years of performance marketing and branding (1 of which was in a MM role with a heavy product focus). I'm unsure if I should spend more time networking or cold applying here in the Bay Area.
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
Networking is key and even more important when leaders hire for mid-senior roles. I always start with people in my network. I don't think having exact experience matters ...
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1316 Views
1 request
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
Product Marketing is the most strategic and impactful marketing function but it's so mis-understood. Mainly, because the definition of product marketing varies by compani...
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895 Views
1 request
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
A lot of PMMs focus on the product they worked on vs. what impact they created on the product and business. For most part, PMM skills are transferrable and unless specifi...
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862 Views
1 request
Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
Someone from investment banking or finance industry would already have strong analytical chops. I think this is a huge advantage as data-oriented PMMs automatically have ...
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1248 Views
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Bhavika Thakkar
Microsoft Sr. Director of Product Marketing & Growth- Copilot | Formerly Adobe, GoDaddy, Xero3mo
I'd ask why are they doing that? I'm sure no one likes to do work that others can do for them so if they are creating their own messaging and positioning I'd sit down wit...
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3965 Views
1 request