Product management is required in companies with multiple products and brands, where it is necessary to manage various products. As a result, these organizations must create the position of product manager, who will assist them in managing the end-to-end product development process in a seamless and efficient manner.
For these firms, a product manager’s value resides in his or her ability to take a holistic view of the product lifecycle and ensure that products and brands are produced and sold with the company’s best interests in mind. It becomes vital to have a product manager for each of the items, especially in firms with several product lines and brands, so that the emphasis on the individual product or brand is not lost in the jumble of the various brands that the organization maintains.
Product managers for each product and brand ensure that the bottom line emphasis on the product and brand is not lost in the larger push to get as many brands into the marketplace as possible.
In companies like P&G and Unilever, the value of a product manager lies in their ability to coordinate with other product managers across the company and ensure that marketing and advertising reinforce the company’s central message without losing sight of the need to emphasize individual differences.