CASE STUDY Airship Product Marketing Executive Search
Airship Product Marketing Executive Search Case Study
MarketSearch Places Two Senior Product Marketing Leaders to Help Airship Build a Unified Global Platform Story
Airship was moving beyond selling individual products. The company was bringing its capabilities together into a broader customer experience platform—and needed the product marketing leadership to make that story clear, differentiated and easy for enterprise buyers to understand.
This was not a standard product marketing search.
Airship needed someone who could understand complex enterprise technology, translate it into a strong market position and bring product, sales and executive leadership together around one global go-to-market story.
MarketSearch was retained to find that leader.
The search was so successful that Airship hired not one, but two senior product marketing executives from the talent pool we built.
The Challenge
Airship helps major global brands create personalized customer experiences across push notifications, SMS, email, mobile wallet, in-app messaging, web and other digital touchpoints.
The company had built a wide range of powerful products and capabilities. The next challenge was presenting them as one unified strategic platform.
The technology was strong. The opportunity was significant. But the market story needed to catch up.
The messaging had become too technical and too focused on individual features. Product and sales were not always telling the same story, and Airship needed a clearer portfolio-level narrative that would resonate with enterprise buyers around the world.
The company needed a senior product marketing leader who could connect the pieces.
Search Requirements
This person needed to be much more than a strong messaging executive.
Airship needed a product marketing leader who could:
- Build a unified narrative across an expanding enterprise software platform.
- Turn highly technical capabilities into clear, compelling business value.
- Position Airship against well-funded competitors and adjacent technology platforms.
- Bring product, sales, marketing and executive leadership into alignment.
- Develop enterprise positioning, messaging, sales enablement and launch strategy.
- Work across international markets and understand the needs of global brands.
- Operate strategically while remaining hands-on with content and execution.
- Help lead the transition from individual product selling to platform-level selling.
- Support new product launches and future product innovation.
The combination was very specific. Airship needed enterprise SaaS experience, global perspective, technical credibility, strong storytelling and the ability to influence multiple teams without creating more complexity.
Why the Talent Pool Was Difficult
There are plenty of people with product marketing titles. There are far fewer who have actually repositioned a complex enterprise software company around a unified platform.
That distinction mattered.
We were not looking for someone who had simply managed product launches or produced sales materials. Airship needed someone who had helped shape an enterprise category, developed a portfolio-wide narrative and aligned technical product teams with the people responsible for revenue.
The right candidates also had to understand customer engagement, mobile technology, messaging, data, AI-driven orchestration and the broader enterprise software landscape.
Once every requirement was applied, the obvious candidate pool became very small.
That is exactly where MarketSearch delivers.
The MarketSearch Process
We worked closely with Airship to understand the business strategy behind the hire—not just the responsibilities listed in the job description.
We looked at where the company was headed, how its product portfolio was evolving and what sales and product leadership needed from the new product marketing function.
From there, we built a focused target market across:
- Direct competitors.
- Customer engagement platforms.
- Marketing technology companies.
- Mobile and messaging technology businesses.
- Enterprise SaaS companies that had successfully shifted to platform selling.
- Adjacent technology categories with similarly complex product stories.
We then conducted proactive, confidential outreach to senior product marketing leaders who were not actively looking for a new position.
Our conversations focused on what each candidate had actually built:
- Had they unified multiple products under one market narrative?
- Could they translate technical capabilities into business outcomes?
- Had they helped sales teams compete more effectively?
- Could they influence product direction?
- Had they supported international growth?
- Were they still willing to get into the work?
That process gave Airship access to a highly specific group of candidates that a broad recruiting effort would have been unlikely to reach.
The Placement
The search produced such a strong talent pool that Airship hired two senior product marketing executives during the same engagement.
Both brought the enterprise software experience, competitive positioning skills and hands-on product marketing expertise the company needed.
Finding one exceptional match would have made the search successful.
Placing two demonstrated the depth and accuracy of the market we were able to build.
Time to Placement
Both product marketing executives were identified and placed within the same retained executive search cycle.
Instead of launching a second search or starting the recruiting process again, Airship was able to make two strategic hires from one carefully developed talent pool.
The Business Result
The two placements helped Airship sharpen its competitive differentiation and build a more unified story around its expanding customer experience platform.
Their impact included:
- Clearer portfolio-level positioning.
- Stronger alignment between product, marketing and revenue teams.
- Better communication of Airship’s value to enterprise buyers.
- More effective support for new product launches.
- Stronger competitive messaging.
- Greater product marketing capacity across the organization.
- Continued advancement of Airship’s products and platform strategy.
We have followed the growth and impact of both placements, and it has been exceptional.
Their product marketing expertise has helped Airship move into major new product advancements and expand its product offerings. These were not simply two successful hires. They became important contributors to the company’s continued evolution.
Why This Search Matters
When a software company moves from individual products to a unified platform, product marketing becomes one of the most important functions in the business.
The right leader gives the company one clear story. The wrong hire creates more messaging, more internal disagreement and more confusion for the buyer.
Airship needed product marketing leaders who could see the entire business, understand the technology and turn complexity into a market advantage.
MarketSearch found two.
Looking for a Senior Product Marketing Leader?
When the product is complex and the search requirements are unusually specific, the best candidate is rarely sitting in an applicant database.
MarketSearch conducts retained executive searches exclusively within marketing. We find senior product marketing leaders who can clarify the story, align the organization and help enterprise software companies compete and grow.
If you are adding a Head of Product Marketing, VP of Product Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer or another senior marketing leader, let’s talk.
MarketSearch Executive Search
Retainer-Based Marketing Executive Search
https://marketsearchrecruiting.com/
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of executive did MarketSearch recruit for Airship?
MarketSearch recruited two senior product marketing executives for Airship. The leaders were selected for their enterprise software experience, positioning expertise, global perspective and ability to connect product strategy with sales and go-to-market execution.
Why did Airship need senior product marketing leadership?
Airship was expanding from individual products toward a more unified customer experience platform. The company needed senior product marketers who could simplify its technical story, differentiate the platform and align product, sales and executive leadership.
Why was the Airship talent pool difficult to build?
The search required an unusual combination of enterprise SaaS experience, global market knowledge, technical understanding, platform positioning and hands-on messaging ability. Few candidates had demonstrated strength across every part of that mandate.
How did MarketSearch find the candidates?
MarketSearch mapped direct competitors, customer engagement platforms, marketing technology companies and adjacent enterprise software markets. We then conducted targeted, confidential outreach to senior product marketing leaders, including candidates who were not actively looking.
How many executives did MarketSearch place at Airship?
MarketSearch placed two senior product marketing executives at Airship during the same retained search engagement.
What was the business impact of the placements?
The placements helped Airship strengthen its portfolio messaging, competitive differentiation, product launches and alignment between product and revenue teams. Their product marketing expertise also contributed to important product advancements and new offerings.
Does MarketSearch recruit Heads and VPs of Product Marketing?
Yes. MarketSearch specializes in retained searches for senior marketing leaders, including Heads of Product Marketing, VPs of Product Marketing, CMOs, growth marketing executives, demand generation leaders and other high-impact marketing positions.
When should a company use a retained product marketing search firm?
A retained search is especially valuable when the required experience is highly specific, the candidate pool is limited, confidentiality matters or the strongest candidates are unlikely to apply through traditional recruiting channels.