Leader Spotlight: Quantifying the impact of product marketing, with Arun Lal

Arun Lal, the VP of Product Marketing at Rippling, brings over two decades of experience in product marketing, product management, and entrepreneurship, including leadership roles at VMware and Microsoft and co-founding the startup Contiq. At Rippling, a late-stage startup specializing in HR, finance, and IT software for small and mid-market companies, Lal is focused on crafting complex messaging frameworks to accommodate the diverse product lines and customer segments. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and leveraging case studies to demonstrate product value, which in turn boosts adoption and sales. Lal values the rapid pace and impactful work environment of startups, where he can quickly implement strategies and see results, contrasting with the slower execution seen in larger companies. He employs a combination of leading and lagging indicators to measure the impact of product marketing efforts and advocates for direct customer engagement, such as roundtables, to gather high-quality feedback efficiently.