Week 46 - 💥 Is product management going away? Why Airbnb got rid of its PMs ⁉️
Quote
“Actually, we got rid of the classic product management function. Apple didn’t have it either.”
Poll
The backstory
Figma co-founder Dylan Field facilitated an enlightening discussion with Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb. The dialogue focused on the unique blend of product management and product marketing in their business models.
In the course of their conversation, Brian Chesky articulated his philosophy in these words: "The designers are equal to product managers. Actually, we got rid of the classic product management function. Apple didn’t have it either."
He went on to explain how they approached product management at Airbnb, stating: "We have product marketers. We combined product management with product marketing and we said you can’t develop products unless you know how to talk about the products. We made the team much smaller and we elevated design."
The conversation was subsequently repackaged into a series of tweets, one of which ignited an extensive chain of discussions
Following this, the technology community was divided into numerous factions, each presenting a broad range of diverse viewpoints
Let's delve into the implications of this perspective for a product manager
Merging Visions for a Better Experience 🚀
In the heart of Airbnb, the game-changing disruptor of the hospitality industry, you'll find a rich spirit of innovation 💡. Notably, Airbnb's decision to blend product management and product marketing stands out as a pioneering step that not many firms dare to take. This bold fusion is driven by an unwavering commitment to their customers ❤️. Let’s unravel Airbnb's story, delve into the roles of product management and marketing, and explore the harmonious magic they create when they meld 🔗.
Product Management – The Company’s Compass 🧭
Product management is like the lighthouse that illuminates the path for the company. The product manager acts as a conduit, bridging the gap between the design, engineering, marketing teams, and most importantly, the customers themselves 🌉. Jonathan Golden, Airbnb's Director of Product, embodies this role with a simple yet profound philosophy: teams should be built around outcomes rather than mere features. This belief cultivates an outcome-centric approach, shaping a lucid vision that guides the company’s destiny and product evolution 🚀.
Product Marketing – The Bridge to the World 🌍
Product marketing focuses on the world outside the company walls. It’s all about gaining a deep understanding of market dynamics: customer behaviors, competitor moves, and trending waves 🌊. The responsibility lies in creating compelling strategies that successfully launch the product into the market, narrating its unique story, and confirming its victorious mark in the industry 🎯. The product marketer is the translator, ensuring the vision of the product manager is shared with the world, resonating with and captivating customers 📣.
Lets loot at focus areas for each role and their shared areas here
Product Managers 🎯
Product managers are truly the jack-of-all-trades in a company, managing numerous tasks simultaneously. Here's an look into some of their responsibilities
1️⃣ Product Strategy: Creating a clear vision and strategic direction for the product, based on company goals and customer needs.
2️⃣ Customer Engagement: Interacting with customers to understand their needs and preferences.
3️⃣ Product Development: Overseeing the process of product development, ensuring that it aligns with the product strategy.
4️⃣ Product Launch: Managing the launch of new products, often in collaboration with marketing, sales, and customer support teams.
5️⃣ Discovery: Talking to customers, stakeholders, and partners to understand needs, pain points, and opportunities.
6️⃣ Product Roadmaps: Developing and communicating the product roadmap, a strategic document that outlines the product's vision and direction over time.
7️⃣ Planning: Handling detailed planning of product features, release timelines, resources, and risk management.
8️⃣ Measuring Adoption: Monitoring user engagement and product adoption rates post-launch.
9️⃣ Engagement and Retention: Analyzing user behavior and implementing strategies to improve user engagement and retention.
Product Marketing Managers 🚀
Product marketing managers also handle a wide range of tasks, bridging the gap between the product and its potential customers
1️⃣ Market Research: Understanding the market, customers, and competitors to identify opportunities and challenges.
2️⃣ Product Messaging: Developing clear and compelling messages about the product's features and benefits.
3️⃣ Sales Enablement: Providing the sales team with information and tools that help them sell the product.
4️⃣ Customer Advocacy: Creating case studies, testimonials, and other materials that showcase the success of customers using the product.
5️⃣ Market Sizing: Performing market sizing to understand the potential demand for a product.
6️⃣ Go-to-Market Strategy: Designing and executing go-to-market strategies.
The Overlap: Shared Responsibilities 🤝
While the roles of product managers and product marketers are distinct, there is significant overlap
Shared Responsibilities
1️⃣ Product Positioning: Defining how to present the product to the market and to customers, so that its value is clear.
2️⃣ Customer Feedback: Both roles often interact with customers to understand their needs and feedback.
3️⃣ Pricing: Working together to set the product's price, taking into account product development costs, market demand, competitor pricing, and customer willingness to pay.
4️⃣ Differentiation: Identifying and communicating the product's unique selling proposition (USP) and differentiation points.
5️⃣ Competitive Analysis: Undertaking competitive analysis to understand market positioning and devise marketing strategies.
6️⃣ Persona Development: Creating and refining user personas to represent different customer segments and their characteristics.
7️⃣ Discovery: Conducting joint discovery efforts to uncover customer needs, pain points, and opportunities for product improvement.
The relationship between Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers can vary based on the company and specific product, but these are the general tasks and responsibilities that define their roles. Both roles are vital for ensuring the product's success in the market.
Airbnb’s Power Blend – Creating a Symphony 🎼
Airbnb stirred the corporate landscape by merging product management and marketing. This blending boosts flexibility, creates a lively work environment, and enables quick adaptations to changing business and market needs 🎭. Rather than operating in distinct silos, Combined role keeps the company nimble, ensuring the startup spirit is preserved, even as the company grows 🌱.
The Three Archetypes: Pioneers, Settlers, and Town Planners 🛠️
The blending of product management and marketing at Airbnb gave birth to a fascinating trio of product manager archetypes: the pioneers, settlers, and town planners. Pioneers are the daredevils who revel in crafting new products 👨🔬. Settlers are the savvy scalers who take these prototypes to the wider market 🚀. Town planners are the pragmatic builders who erect the necessary infrastructure to sustain the scaled products 🏗️.
These distinct yet complementary archetypes ensure the product’s journey isn’t just about innovation (pioneers), but also about market viability (settlers) and scalability (town planners). By merging the two roles, Airbnb created a holistic team that can navigate every stage of a product's lifecycle 🔄.
The Iterative Culture – Airbnb’s Secret Ingredient 🎩
Embracing an iterative culture, where failures are stepping stones to learning, is the secret ingredient in Airbnb's successful merging of product management and marketing. This approach allows the company to constantly evaluate, learn, and improve, fostering an environment where new ideas are welcomed, tested, and refined, creating a loop of continual evolution 🔄.
The Future is Collaborative 🤝
Airbnb's fusion of product management and marketing is a visionary move that offers profound lessons for the industry. As Airbnb continues to revolutionize the hospitality industry, its bold move reminds us that the future of work is not siloed. It's a dynamic, interdisciplinary, collaborative dance between various roles and functions, orchestrated towards creating transformative customer experiences 🎇.
In the end, it's not just about products or services; it's about creating experiences that resonate deeply with people, bringing them together, and fostering a sense of belonging. That's the essence of Airbnb’s power blend, a compelling blend of product management and marketing, a blend that bridges worlds and enriches lives.
🎧 Podcast - Leading through uncertainty: A design-led company - Brian Chesky
😎 Meme
Product Vision & Strategy
🎨 Week 37 - The Art of Value Creation: Unlocking the Potential of Your Product 💡🚀
🌐 Week 23 - How to Write and Communicate an Effective Product Vision
🎯 Week 2 - Week in Product Series - Product Strategy, Vision and Roadmap
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Great post Sid. It will be interesting how things work out with Airbnb.
I wrote a bit about some of the ways product managers can improve in the product marketing space some of your readers might find interesting - here's a link:
https://www.productparty.us/p/mastering-product-marketing-change