As NextRoll’s business units grow and expand their dynamic and unique product offerings, they both need equally dynamic marketing teams to help amplify our innovative technology!
Today we’re spotlighting AdRoll’s Product Marketing team, which promotes the accessible platform to ambitious direct-to-consumer marketers across the globe.
The team’s leader Todd Alsup, AdRoll’s VP of Product Marketing, hasn’t always been a Product Marketer but found his way to the role after running his own business and finding passion in the entrepreneurial spirit that comes with the job.
“I’ve been a storyteller from childhood – just ask my parents about my half-hour-long stories I’d tell on car rides – and I was a marketer from Minute 1 of my career, cutting my teeth at a digital marketing agency for six years,” he said. “To me, Product Marketing is a perfect marriage of marketing and entrepreneurship. You have the skills of a marketer, the mind of a business owner, and sit at the cross-functional center of the org, responsible for ensuring people love your today-products and want your tomorrow-products.”
Learn more about his growing team and the challenges they face and conquer every day!
Tell us a little bit about the team.
We’re a small but aggressively growing team, as the organization evolves from being a media-only company into a full SaaS-based marketing platform. We’re in a situation unlike any I’ve seen in my career, in that: we’re building and launching new products and features at the rate of an innovative and exciting startup; but with the financial stability, established customer base, killer brand, and career peace of mind that comes working for a well-established company.
We get to take risks, move fast and move slow where needed, and even stump our toes some as we explore new territory – but all with a safety net. It's truly the best of both worlds.
What are some exciting future projects in store for your team?
With the right pieces now in place, we’re hitting our stride to build and launch meaningful new products and features essentially every quarter. Core PMM fundamentals are at the heart of what’s coming up; particularly GTM planning, positioning and messaging, packaging, and pricing. At the same time, we focus on delivering new capabilities to our customers, we’re also engaging in key VoC work, to ensure what we build and deliver ‘tomorrow’ resonates with our customers and solves their problems. In no uncertain terms, we’re engaging daily in resume-building projects.
How would you describe your management style?
Hard to encompass a complete answer concisely. Let me give four tenants I try daily to live by:
Start with trust. To me it's not earned, it's given from the start and validated or eroded over time. Others may operate successfully doling out earned trust over time; my way works for me. This translates to my daily management. I trust my people to do their job – and they trust I’m always a call/text/Slack away from being a sounding board, coach, cheerleader, barrier remover, or air cover provider.
Human beings first. Especially in the covid era where so many Rollers work remotely, it's easy to interact with people as their title or collection of responsibilities. It takes active management to treat people as human beings first. Everyone’s someone outside of work, and it’s important to know and nurture that person too.
Extend grace. The best A-players have off days or meetings or work product. Assume noble intentions and stay attuned to the person. The person and the work are different – it's a manager’s job to elevate both.
Have fun. Corny and overplayed, but so be it. We spend a third of our lives at work, and it feels like work without us helping it. Bring humor, levity, joy, and dogs wherever possible. My nine-month-old golden retriever mix Elvis likes to help with this one.
How do you set your team up for success?
Lots of ways hopefully. A few big ones that come to mind:
Clear expectations.
Decisive answers and action from me.
Meaningful and career-fulfilling projects.
Zero drama and politics.
Autonomy and trust to move with speed. Fear of missteps kills.
On-demand support to balance speed with confidence and air cover.
An almost joyous approach to removing barriers and simplifying work life.
Our Product Marketing team is growing fast, and we’re looking for marketers who resonate with the above to join us! Check out our Job Board and see if we have a role that aligns with your career journey.
by
Alyssa Dowdalls on February 9th, 2022