When Adobe’s Jason Druss joins a conversation about product marketing, you pay attention. Not just because of the brands he represents, but because of how clearly he articulates the bridge between development and go-to-market that product marketing must become.
In our latest Product Marketing Genius episode, Jason breaks down how Adobe structures its product marketing function — and why that structure could be a game-changer for tech scaleups struggling with alignment, speed, or clarity.
Jason draws a clear distinction between inbound and outbound product marketing roles. At Adobe, inbound PMMs like him focus deeply on the product side — sitting with engineers, designers, and product managers, shaping MRDs (market requirements documents), and ensuring the product roadmap reflects real user problems.
Outbound PMMs, on the other hand, are responsible for telling the product story — creating campaigns, building assets, and activating the right channels.
The result? Focused execution, faster alignment, and deeper customer empathy on both ends.
For CEOs, the lesson is clear: don’t expect one PMM to do it all. If you’re scaling, consider the specialization that lets your team go deep rather than wide.
Product marketing isn’t just about messaging — it’s about advocacy and alignment.
Jason calls product marketers the ones who fill advocacy gaps and insight gaps across the org. They’re the people ensuring that what’s being built actually solves a real problem, and that the solution is communicated in the right way, through the right channels, to the right audience.
Without product marketers at the table from ideation through launch and beyond, you risk wasting time and money building great features… that no one buys.
Perhaps Jason’s most overlooked but powerful insight is this: PMMs must be just as good at internal marketing as external.
Your product marketer might be the best at writing messaging docs — but if they can’t convince execs or engineers why it matters, they won’t get a seat at the table. And without that seat, the customer’s voice is absent from the decisions that count.
For scaleup CEOs, that’s a red flag. Consider investing in product marketers with strong communication and influence skills — people who can lead through alignment, not authority.
Jason recommends three critical skills for any PMM aiming to grow:
These aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re essential in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment where product marketing must function as a strategist, evangelist, and bridge-builder.
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