Tell us a little about yourself. What does your job at Telefónica involve?
I help the business lines of the Product Marketing Department for Large Companies to develop customer-focused communication initiatives. My responsibilities also include defining and executing the digital strategy for the Telefónica Empresas website for large customers, as well as preparing reports for management on the most relevant communication initiatives.
How important is product marketing?
In an environment where technology is advancing faster than ever, especially in the B2B environment, where we have a new customer profile with increasingly demanding business priorities, greater technological knowledge and constantly evolving organisations, it is necessary to have a team of professionals capable of anticipating their needs and adapting to the language/profile of each interlocutor in order to ensure that technology really improves their business.
It is no longer enough to have good services or the best technology (which we do have); we need our customers to understand, value and trust what we offer them. The product marketing team translates features into real benefits, connects with customer challenges and aligns product, sales and business.
What are its main functions?
Product marketing acts as a bridge between what we build and what the market really needs. In today’s environment, where speed is a competitive advantage, product marketing sets the pace: it helps prioritise launches, define clear messages and ensure that what is built responds to a real need. It translates technical complexity into tangible value for the customer.
In addition, it is a benchmark in market knowledge, not only trying to understand what the customer needs today, but also anticipating where they are going. From competition to trends, product marketing provides a strategic vision that guides the development and positioning of solutions.
Marketing colleagues are highly specialised and have the ability to provide strategic advice on how to adapt, implement and evolve solutions.
And the main strategies?
The main strategies of B2B product marketing focus on aligning the product with market needs, facilitating its adoption and maximising its commercial impact. These include:
- Researching the market, analysing the competition, identifying trends and, above all, listening to the customer. This information is the basis for making informed decisions about what to build, how to position it and when to launch it.
- Define a clear and differentiating value proposition. This involves translating technical features into tangible benefits for the customer and tailoring the message to the profile of the audience, from the technical decision-maker to the financial decision-maker or the end user.
- Go-to-market strategy: product marketing co-leads the launch plan, ensuring that all teams (sales, marketing, operations, etc.) are aligned. This includes everything from internal training to the creation of materials, as well as the definition of objectives and success metrics.
- Working closely with Sales, providing commercial tools, arguments and use cases that facilitate consultative selling, and, of course, gathering feedback to continue refining.
- Product marketing accompanies every stage of the P&S: from launch to maturity (or even the end of the P&S). This involves prioritising improvements, repositioning when necessary and ensuring that the product remains relevant in a changing market.
- Measuring the strategy: product marketing defines KPIs such as adoption, retention, win rate or NPS, and uses this data to improve and make evidence-based decisions.
What are some notable examples?
I would like to highlight one of the most ambitious projects I have been involved in, which has also been key to driving the digital strategy in the Large Accounts segment: the development of the Telefónica Empresas website for large customers.
This project was created with the aim of expanding the impact and digital reach of the GGCC segment by promoting new online channels for customer relations that support the commercial work of our sales force, open up new opportunities for customer contact and translate into commercial results.
The website is the meeting point for informing, advising and inspiring corporations and public administrations with a comprehensive offering of content based on the most disruptive technologies to help them meet their business priorities (how to increase their revenue, be relevant and retain their customers, be more efficient, more profitable, increase productivity among their employees, etc.).
For over a year, I had the opportunity to work closely with many areas of the company to define the objectives, structure and design of the website, build the content, and carry out validations with customers and sales representatives at different stages of the project. It took many hours of effort to achieve a great result: a unique website, a digital space where our customers can find:
- Content tailored to their needs by sector of activity
- Informative information, courses, news, a blog and many resources for our customers to discover how technology is their greatest ally.
- The calendar of events of interest and a repository with material from previous events
- Transformation stories and success stories from other customers
And since its launch, the challenge now is to keep it up to date with the latest news and developments from P&S and new technologies enabling digital transformation. For example, we are currently working on revamping the entire site to adapt to the new reality of AI, a real revolution for businesses.
And what role does communication play in product marketing?
Communication plays a fundamental role in product marketing. It’s not just about ‘saying’ that a product exists or talking about the technology that makes it possible, but about reaching the customer with a message that sparks interest, resonates and makes sense. Good communication doesn’t just talk about features, but about real benefits. What problem does it solve? How does it improve the customer’s business processes and those of their employees? What efficiencies does it bring to the business?
I don’t have a technical background — and to be honest, at first I thought that would be a barrier — but I’ve found that it’s just the opposite. I get along very well with my fellow engineers, and I’ve found that to be a kind of superpower. My role is to be that bridge between two worlds: translating the complex, the abstract, the technical into clear, simple and relevant language. Something that anyone on the customer side can read, understand… and feel.
In the B2B environment, where products can be complex and decision-making processes long, that translation is key. Because if the customer doesn’t understand the value, they don’t trust. And if there’s mistrust, there’s no purchase, no adoption, no change.
Which people working at Telefónica would you nominate for this interview who you consider to be excellent at their job?
I would nominate my colleague Ana Siles, who joined my unit a few months ago to drive the LinkedIn strategy for GGCC.
