The Strategic Edge: How Product Marketing Connects Market Trends, Product Capabilities, and Customer Needs
- Alex Gammelgard, Head of Product Marketing at Ikigai
- Customer Experience (CX), Digital Transformation, Other Martech, Strategy and Trends
What’s the difference between companies that consistently nail their positioning and those that struggle to stand out? According to Alex Gammelgard, Head of Product Marketing at Ikigai, it’s not better products or bigger budgets—it’s understanding the “glue role” that most marketing teams completely overlook.
We interviewed Alex, and we’re honored to bring you her thoughts on product marketing philosophy. With experience at companies like Rollworks, ActiveCampaign, SoftBank Robotics, and Ikigai, Alex has developed a deep understanding of what makes product marketing tick and how it connects to broader marketing strategies.
Product marketing as a strategic core
For Alex, product marketing stands apart from other marketing disciplines. “I think product marketing is… the most strategic kind of marketing that you can do,” she explains.
What makes it so strategic? It’s all about connections: “I think it’s a glue role for an organization,” she said.
This perspective positions product marketing at a critical intersection where market intelligence, product capabilities, and customer needs converge. It’s not just about promoting features or benefits, but about synthesizing information from multiple sources to create a cohesive narrative.
What makes it so strategic? It’s all about connections: “I think it’s a glue role for an organization,” she said.
This perspective positions product marketing at a critical intersection where market intelligence, product capabilities, and customer needs converge. It’s not just about promoting features or benefits, but about synthesizing information from multiple sources to create a cohesive narrative.
The three pillars of effective product marketing
Alex breaks down product marketing into three essential components:
1. The input process: Gathering information from the market, competitors, and internal product teams
2. Synthesis and understanding: Making sense of this information and finding the patterns and opportunities
3. Teaching and enablement: Communicating insights to sales, marketing, and customer success teams
“I think being able to do all of those things is what makes someone an excellent product marketer,” Alex notes. “There are plenty of people who are good at one of those things, or maybe they like launches, but they’re not really interested in what’s going on in the market. You kind of have to have it all to be really effective.”
1. The input process: Gathering information from the market, competitors, and internal product teams
2. Synthesis and understanding: Making sense of this information and finding the patterns and opportunities
3. Teaching and enablement: Communicating insights to sales, marketing, and customer success teams
“I think being able to do all of those things is what makes someone an excellent product marketer,” Alex notes. “There are plenty of people who are good at one of those things, or maybe they like launches, but they’re not really interested in what’s going on in the market. You kind of have to have it all to be really effective.”
Creating unique narratives
One of the most fascinating aspects of product marketing is crafting narratives that align with a company’s unique strengths and position in the market. Alex shared an example of how competing companies in the same market can take completely different approaches:
“Some solutions [are] an all-in-one. Then you’ll go to a competitor that is doing one part of that really, really well. They’re best of breed.”
These competing narratives aren’t just marketing spins—they reflect fundamental differences in how companies approach their markets and build their products. A good product marketer understands this and crafts messaging that authentically reflects the company’s strengths.
“Some solutions [are] an all-in-one. Then you’ll go to a competitor that is doing one part of that really, really well. They’re best of breed.”
These competing narratives aren’t just marketing spins—they reflect fundamental differences in how companies approach their markets and build their products. A good product marketer understands this and crafts messaging that authentically reflects the company’s strengths.
The rock band analogy
This concept of authentic positioning is like how successful rock bands position themselves. Just as The Beatles were marketed as clean-cut boys with mop tops while The Rolling Stones were positioned as the bad boys of rock, companies need to find their authentic voice and positioning.
Alex agreed with this analogy, adding: “And making sure that aligns with what you’re trying to do. Like if the Rolling Stones were playing soft rock, you know, or yacht rock or like smooth jazz, but they looked like that and they acted that like, like it wouldn’t make sense…”
This alignment between image and substance is critical. Your messaging needs to match what your product actually does and who you are as a company.
Alex agreed with this analogy, adding: “And making sure that aligns with what you’re trying to do. Like if the Rolling Stones were playing soft rock, you know, or yacht rock or like smooth jazz, but they looked like that and they acted that like, like it wouldn’t make sense…”
This alignment between image and substance is critical. Your messaging needs to match what your product actually does and who you are as a company.
When positioning goes wrong
Alex shared a powerful example of misalignment in positioning when a recruitment company wanted to go upmarket:
“They had all their messaging and their branding and everything for the CTO. It was very masculine, heavy, everything black. And when they wanted to go up market, they didn’t understand that their up market buyer is HR—a 40-year-old woman in the Midwest who’s running the HR team. She’s gonna hate that aggressive tone… it was extremely off putting to that segment.”
The solution? Alex conducted win-loss analysis by interviewing lost customers and discovered that what the company thought was their winning value proposition was actually driving customers away. This insight led to a complete repositioning of the company’s messaging.
“They had all their messaging and their branding and everything for the CTO. It was very masculine, heavy, everything black. And when they wanted to go up market, they didn’t understand that their up market buyer is HR—a 40-year-old woman in the Midwest who’s running the HR team. She’s gonna hate that aggressive tone… it was extremely off putting to that segment.”
The solution? Alex conducted win-loss analysis by interviewing lost customers and discovered that what the company thought was their winning value proposition was actually driving customers away. This insight led to a complete repositioning of the company’s messaging.
Category creation versus innovation
One of the hottest topics in product marketing today is category design. However, Alex offers a nuanced perspective:
“I think there’s a lot of companies that think they need a new category, and actually they are just presenting a kind of revolutionary approach to an existing category, which can be equally powerful.”
She explains that a true new category typically combines existing elements where “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” By contrast, many companies are simply taking innovative approaches to existing categories—which can be just as effective when positioned correctly.
For instance, a company might claim they’re creating a new category because they’ve added AI to contract management, but at the end of the day, they’re still doing contract management, just in a more innovative way.
This pragmatic view helps marketers focus on what matters: Clearly communicating their unique value rather than forcing a category creation narrative that doesn’t fit.
“I think there’s a lot of companies that think they need a new category, and actually they are just presenting a kind of revolutionary approach to an existing category, which can be equally powerful.”
She explains that a true new category typically combines existing elements where “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” By contrast, many companies are simply taking innovative approaches to existing categories—which can be just as effective when positioned correctly.
For instance, a company might claim they’re creating a new category because they’ve added AI to contract management, but at the end of the day, they’re still doing contract management, just in a more innovative way.
This pragmatic view helps marketers focus on what matters: Clearly communicating their unique value rather than forcing a category creation narrative that doesn’t fit.
The intersection with martech
Product marketing doesn’t exist in isolation from marketing technology. Alex believes product marketers need to stay current with martech capabilities: “I think you can’t be an effective marketer if you don’t know how things are going to be actioned… you know, what is possible, and so I think you need to stay up on top of what are the things that are possible, because that’s going to inform maybe the formats that you put content out in.”
Her advice on martech implementation is particularly valuable for smaller companies: “For a lot of early companies, just get something out-of-the box, something standard so you can at least be self-sufficient.”
She warns against custom solutions that create marketing teams that “can’t do anything without engineering,” a common pitfall for growing companies.
Her advice on martech implementation is particularly valuable for smaller companies: “For a lot of early companies, just get something out-of-the box, something standard so you can at least be self-sufficient.”
She warns against custom solutions that create marketing teams that “can’t do anything without engineering,” a common pitfall for growing companies.
AI's influence on product marketing
The rise of AI has significantly impacted how product marketers approach their work. Alex shares how AI can help with:
— ICP validation: Using AI to develop initial hypotheses about ideal customer profiles
— Website audits: Having AI review website pages for conversion optimization
— Enablement materials: Creating comprehensive, searchable resources for sales teams
One particularly interesting technique Alex shared is how to get useful feedback from AI:
“If you ask it ‘What do you think of this?’ It’s designed to be very supportive. So you have to write prompts that are like, you’re this person in this company, right? Please tell me what you hate about this.”
By asking AI to role-play as a competitor or a skeptical customer, product marketers can get much more valuable insights than they would from standard prompts.
— ICP validation: Using AI to develop initial hypotheses about ideal customer profiles
— Website audits: Having AI review website pages for conversion optimization
— Enablement materials: Creating comprehensive, searchable resources for sales teams
One particularly interesting technique Alex shared is how to get useful feedback from AI:
“If you ask it ‘What do you think of this?’ It’s designed to be very supportive. So you have to write prompts that are like, you’re this person in this company, right? Please tell me what you hate about this.”
By asking AI to role-play as a competitor or a skeptical customer, product marketers can get much more valuable insights than they would from standard prompts.
The future of product marketing
As our conversation concluded, Alex highlighted an emerging concern that will shape product marketing in the coming years: trust in an AI-saturated environment.
“The biggest thing for brands to establish in terms of what they’re doing is trust. We are gonna get into an era where trust is harder to prove and more important than ever because of all the AI slop.”
With AI-generated content flooding every channel from LinkedIn comments to product reviews, establishing authentic connections with customers will become increasingly valuable. Product marketers will need to find ways to demonstrate authenticity while still leveraging AI tools where appropriate.
“The biggest thing for brands to establish in terms of what they’re doing is trust. We are gonna get into an era where trust is harder to prove and more important than ever because of all the AI slop.”
With AI-generated content flooding every channel from LinkedIn comments to product reviews, establishing authentic connections with customers will become increasingly valuable. Product marketers will need to find ways to demonstrate authenticity while still leveraging AI tools where appropriate.
Conclusion
Product marketing sits at a critical intersection in modern organizations. Done well, it connects market insights with product capabilities and customer needs to create compelling narratives that drive business growth.
As Alex’s experience shows, success in product marketing requires a unique blend of analytical thinking, creative messaging, and practical enablement. By understanding your market, crafting authentic narratives, and effectively enabling your customer-facing teams, you can position your product for success in even the most competitive markets.
As marketing outputs are increasingly influenced by AI and martech innovations, the human element of product marketing—understanding your customers’ real needs and challenges—remains as important as ever.
As Alex’s experience shows, success in product marketing requires a unique blend of analytical thinking, creative messaging, and practical enablement. By understanding your market, crafting authentic narratives, and effectively enabling your customer-facing teams, you can position your product for success in even the most competitive markets.
As marketing outputs are increasingly influenced by AI and martech innovations, the human element of product marketing—understanding your customers’ real needs and challenges—remains as important as ever.
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