Product Manager

The life of a product manager...

Product managers draw on various marketing strategies

A product’s in-store success all depends on the marketing strategies product managers introduce. The main marketing strategies at play nowadays are how products are positioned in terms of price, how they’re promoted (with vouchers, discounts, etc.), how they’re advertised in the media (on television, in the press, on billboards, online, etc.), the extent to which they appear on shelves in stores (distribution) and even product innovation. Product managers therefore have to act as conductors of this great retail orchestra, becoming the single interface between R&D, sales staff, regulatory bodies, logistics and legal.

Market research and focus groups

In order to really understand how their products are performing, product managers often rely on quantified analyses using market research and focus groups. As a result, product managers are able to monitor their product’s market share, how effective their publicity campaigns have been and the extent to which consumers are noticing their products on the shelves. Depending on the results, product managers will alter their strategies accordingly.

2 key career paths: development and operations

Product managers sometimes have to be responsible for both product development (coming up with new ideas) and the operational management of their existing portfolio, but frequently nowadays these roles are separated into two distinct careers - product development managers and operational product managers.

Could this be a career for you? Give yourself the best chance and discover how to ace an interview to become a product manager at Danone in pictures.