“We’re still trying to find our footing in product marketing — but the impact is undeniable.”
That’s how Bradley Shaw, Product Marketing Manager at Credit Karma, described the evolving nature of PMM during our episode of Product Marketing Genius at the Product Marketing Alliance Summit in New York.

Bradley’s journey from brand marketing to building the PMM function at Credit Karma offers a window into a larger trend: companies — especially in fintech — are waking up to the fact that product marketing isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a critical lever for differentiation, clarity, and customer resonance.

Why CEOs Should Pay Attention to Product Marketing

As a founder or CEO, you’ve probably felt the tension:

• Sales cycles dragging on
• Prospects not “getting” your value prop
• Competitors with weaker offerings still winning deals
• Internal confusion around messaging

Bradley’s insights are a reminder that these are exactly the problems product marketing is designed to solve.

He put it best: “Customers are expecting more from brands than ever before. Product marketing helps you meet them where they are — with the right message, the right strategy, and the right product-market fit.”

3 Skills Every PMM (and Startup) Needs to Win

When asked what separates great PMMs from the rest, Bradley broke it down into three essentials:

1. Data-driven insight — Great messaging starts with deep understanding. That means leaning into research — formal or scrappy — and using insights to drive every decision.
2. Cross-functional collaboration — PMMs often sit at the center of legal, product, design, sales, and growth. The best ones speak each team’s language and bring them into alignment.
3. Customer-first positioning — Messaging isn’t copywriting. It’s clarity, relevance, and differentiation rooted in real user behavior.

These aren’t just PMM skills. They’re the building blocks of scalable growth.

Budget-Conscious? You Can Still Get PMM Wins

Even if your scaleup isn’t ready for a full-fledged PMM team, Bradley’s advice applies:
There’s no monopoly on insight.

From free communities like PMA and LinkedIn to podcasts and social media trends, resourceful founders and early marketers can punch above their weight — if they stay plugged in.

Final Takeaway for CEOs: Don’t Wait to “Figure Out” Product Marketing

The most dangerous mindset for a startup is “We’ll invest in positioning once we scale.”
But the inverse is true: startups that win invest in positioning early so they can scale.

Bradley Shaw’s experience building Credit Karma’s PMM team from the ground up is a reminder: even large, successful companies didn’t always have a PMM function — but once they made the leap, the strategic impact was clear.

Product Marketing Genius is brought to you by Caribou Strategic — helping tech scaleups stand out and succeed.

📘 Get more insights like these — and a free eBook copy of my Amazon bestseller, Product Marketing Wisdom —HERE.