Is product killing marketing, or are marketers cleverly reinventing themselves?

The rise of product-led growth (PLG) is transforming the relationship between marketing and product teams. Marketing is not disappearing—it’s evolving. As PLG principles reshape strategies, marketers increasingly adopt roles and methodologies traditionally associated with product managers. This evolution highlights an opportunity for collaboration and innovation rather than competition.

From campaigns to customer-focused “products”

In the past, marketers primarily drove brand awareness and lead generation through campaigns. Today, digital transformation has turned many marketers into “acquisition-minded product managers.” Their “products” are now digital assets like websites, email campaigns, and landing pages, optimized through A/B testing and data-driven experimentation.

This shift has brought new role models. Growth-focused marketers once looked to figures like Sean Ellis. Now, product management leaders such as Marty Cagan are equally influential, reflecting the growing alignment of marketing with PLG principles.

PLG challenges traditional marketing

PLG emphasizes creating value through seamless product experiences to drive growth. Under this framework, products—not campaigns—lead acquisition and retention. As campaigns are often considered expenses (whereas products are investments), marketers must demonstrate ROI by adopting product-like strategies.

Rather than losing their relevance, marketers are rebranding themselves. Their core strengths—understanding customer needs and driving engagement—remain essential. What’s changed is the framework and tools they use, such as A/B testing platforms, to showcase their impact.

The rise of the experimentation mindset

This transition brings an experimentation-first approach. By treating marketing initiatives as iterative experiments, modern marketers closely align with product methodologies:

• Define a customer problem or opportunity.
• Break it into manageable experiments.
• Use data to evaluate results through tools like A/B testing.
• Continuously iterate.

This strategy, often called experiment-led growth, blends PLG and conversion rate optimization (CRO). Yet, challenges persist, particularly in unifying web experimentation with feature testing.

Bridging the gap: web experimentation and feature testing

Web experimentation, often powered by A/B testing, has long been the domain of marketing. It focuses on optimizing user engagement through tools like Google Analytics 4. In contrast, feature testing, favored by product teams, uses feature flags and advanced analytics to assess product changes.

These silos create friction—different tools, KPIs, and workflows limit cross-functional alignment. Attempts to integrate these approaches often burden developers with misaligned systems and duplicate efforts.

Creating a unified experimentation ecosystem

Leading companies address these challenges by adopting interconnected experimentation frameworks—or “flywheels.” Unlike isolated tests, flywheels optimize acquisition, retention, and growth in a virtuous cycle. For example, optimizing website engagement with A/B testing can directly enhance product adoption metrics.

Kameleoon’s unified platform enables teams to test and refine these interdependencies with shared tools, KPIs, and dashboards. Teams see not only their results but also how their efforts drive broader business objectives.

Lessons product teams can learn from marketing

Product teams can adopt marketing’s customer-centric lens. For example, insights from A/B testing campaigns can guide strategies to attract users most likely to engage. By aligning on shared goals, both teams amplify the growth flywheel.

The power of decentralized experimentation

Decentralized experimentation empowers teams to work independently while aligning with company-wide goals. Tools like Kameleoon cater to diverse team needs—marketers use visual editors for A/B testing, while developers leverage robust SDKs—without compromising collaboration or data integrity.

The convergence of marketing and product teams

Marketers aren’t being replaced—they’re evolving into roles that reflect the realities of PLG. Through A/B testing and experimentation, marketers prove their value as strategic partners in driving growth.

For companies, fostering this convergence means breaking silos, aligning goals, and accelerating growth. Platforms like Kameleoon empower all teams to experiment their way while contributing to shared success.

Kameleoon: empowering experimentation leaders

Kameleoon’s unified platform supports this transformation. By integrating with existing tech stacks and enabling all-team experimentation, it aligns marketing and product teams with measurable outcomes. 

Learn more about Kameleoon’s unified platform for web experimentation.