// GROWTH_STRATEGY
The Two Functions You Definitely Don't Have
There are 8 functions in growth marketing. Most startups are missing the same two. And it's killing everything else they're trying to build.
Tina Chu
Founder & Growth Strategist
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Part 2 of 3: In Part 1, we explained why expecting one Head of Growth to master 8 functions is setting them up to fail. Now let's talk about which two are almost always missing.
// MISSING_FOUNDATION
The Invisible Foundations
When I audit growth teams, I almost always find the same two gaps: Product Marketing and Marketing Technology & Operations.
These aren't glamorous. They don't produce viral campaigns. They don't have impressive vanity metrics. But without them, everything else you're building is on sand.
// PRODUCT_MARKETING
1. Product Marketing: The Context Engineer
Product Marketing is the most misunderstood function in growth. Most startups think it's "product + marketing" - someone who can do both. It's not. It's an entirely distinct discipline.
Product Marketing owns:
- Positioning: How you're different from competitors
- Messaging: How you communicate that difference
- Competitive Intelligence: What the market is doing
- Go-to-Market: How you launch and sell
The "4 People, 4 Answers" Test
Here's a diagnostic I use with founders: Ask your Head of Product, CEO, Head of Marketing, and a salesperson to describe your positioning. Do you get the same answer?
If not, you don't have Product Marketing. You have four people making it up as they go.
The cost of no PMM:
- Sales creates their own decks (inconsistent messaging)
- Content writes to no strategy (wasted effort)
- Ads target the wrong audiences (burned budget)
- Engineering builds features nobody asked for (product drift)
PMM Is the Context Engineer
This matters even more in the age of AI. Product Marketing is the context engineer for your entire marketing operation.
When you use AI tools to write content, run campaigns, or analyze competitors - what context are you giving them? Without Product Marketing, there's no single source of truth about positioning, ICP, competitive differentiation, or messaging hierarchy.
No context = garbage output. This is why companies buy AI tools and get disappointing results. The AI isn't broken. The inputs are.
// MARTECH_OPS
2. MarTech Ops: The Hidden Complexity Crisis
The average company now has 62 marketing tools in their stack. Only 49% are actually being used. The rest are zombie subscriptions burning money.
32% of CMOs cite finding talent as their #1 barrier to using marketing technology effectively. They have the tools. They don't have anyone who can make them work together.
MarTech Ops handles:
- Tool Integration: Making sure data flows between systems
- Data Quality: Ensuring metrics are accurate and consistent
- Automation: Building workflows that actually work
- Attribution: Figuring out what's driving results
- Reporting: Creating dashboards people trust
The Data Problem
Without MarTech Ops, you don't actually know what's working. Your Google Analytics says one thing. Your CRM says another. Your attribution platform says a third. Nobody trusts any of them.
I've seen companies spend $500K on paid acquisition only to realize their tracking was broken for 6 months. No MarTech Ops, no one noticed.
// BUILD_VS_OUTSOURCE
Build vs. Outsource: A Framework
Not every function needs to be in-house. Here's how to think about it:
Applying the Framework
Product Marketing: If positioning is your competitive edge (most B2B SaaS), build in-house. If you're in a commoditized market, fractional PMM can establish foundations.
MarTech Ops: Unless you have truly proprietary data requirements, this is often better outsourced or handled through a fractional partner. The expertise required is high, but it's rarely a differentiator.
// NEXT_IN_SERIES
Why "Marketing OS" Won't Save You
Every AI tool is promising to be your "marketing operating system." Here's why that's not working - and what actually does. In Part 3, we'll explain the difference between marketing automation, AI tools, and agentic workflows.
Read Part 3// FAQ
FAQ
Product Marketing owns positioning, messaging, competitive intelligence, and go-to-market strategy. They translate what the product does into why customers should care. Without PMM, every team creates their own version of the story.
MarTech Ops manages the integration, data flow, and automation across your marketing technology stack. The average company has 62 marketing tools. Without someone managing them, you get data silos, broken integrations, and unreliable reporting.
It depends on whether these functions are core differentiators or commodity operations for your business. If positioning is your competitive edge, build PMM in-house. If you need MarTech execution without proprietary requirements, outsourcing or fractional resources often make more sense.
Want to Know Which Functions You're Missing?
A 30-minute audit can identify your biggest growth gaps and whether to build or outsource.