Product managers work within the parameters of the product itself – it’s a case of tweaking and modifying within that for the UK market.

It depends what the product is and who the competitors are and part of the challenge for Blundell is second-guessing where the market will be in two or three years.

“While we have to specify the products correctly for the UK market, we need to balance that with the group objectives, always with one eye on future proofing and watching market trends,” he says.

For example, Peugeot will have alloy wheels available at a lower trim level in the UK compared to other countries because visual appeal is important to UK buyers.

A key part of Blundell’s role is to make the product as desirable as possible within the constraints of the pricing and positioning of that product.

Another feature demanded by the UK market is DAB radio, something Blundell is conscious of when planning the launch of a new product.

Communicating the right messages

Effective communication is a crucial part of a product manager’s role, ensuring the right product messages are filtering down to all the departments within Peugeot, whether that be the fleet teams, marketing or dealer staff.

“Making sure we get clear messages across for each product is a key challenge, as is making sure there is a consistency of messages within all the departments through to the dealerships, and we go to great lengths to define what the product credentials are,” says Blundell. 

Blundell also needs to ensure the right messages come across for the fleet market, concentrating on the areas important to fleet managers – CO2 emissions, fuel economy and other more practical messages that may not resonate as much with retail.