AMA: MyFitnessPal VP of PMM, Katie Levinson on Consumer Product Marketing

I have found that people who come from a customer-facing role in the past, or roles that combine the analytical with the creative, make for good hires. Specifically, I look for: Consumer-centric mindset and empathy: when thinking about problems to solve, do you put your audience at the center? How does that come to life within your role today? Have you ever pushed for something on behalf of your target audience because you cared deeply about building or communicating something to them that would ...Read More

As someone who started in consumer brand, then went to B2B2C product marketing, then back to B2C product marketing, these are the areas of overlap I’ve seen between the two: Competitive landscape and audience insights: Deep understanding of both the competitive landscape and your target audience (in B2B that tends to be buyers/decision makers in certain verticals/industries, whereas in B2C it’s a broader psychographic/behavioral target) Cross-functional collaboration: Working cross-functionally, ...Read More

One of the things I love most about product marketing is the opportunity to help shape the consumer experience, both in product and through various marketing channels. It’s a true end-to-end lifecycle role, starting with research, developing positioning and messaging, and setting GTM strategy that all influence the success of your product and business. I also love that in order to be an excellent product marketer, you have to really understand and empathize with your target audience. A key part ...Read More

One: talk to as many different product marketers as you can across a wide variety of company sizes and industries. What you’ll hear from each of them is that product marketing means different things at different companies, and they aren’t kidding. It’s good to get a sense of what the role entails/will entail and see what resonates with you. This will also help you to identify any skills/experience gaps you might have. Two: Take on projects that allow you to develop and highlight these skills: Re ...Read More

Partnerships can have a great multiplier effect on your product marketing efforts, depending on how strategic the partnership is and also what you’re hoping to get out of it. But, your GTM strategy, your value propositions, messaging and overall marketing and product strategy have to be solid first - if those components aren’t strong, then a partnership isn’t going to help. There are lots of positives, with the caveat that the partnership makes sense strategically from a brand and product standp ...Read More