In this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, Michelle Riband, Head of Product Marketing at Proton, breaks down what it really takes to market privacy-first products in a world dominated by Big Tech.

She shares her journey from Meta to Mozilla to Proton, and how those experiences shaped her approach to building trust, staying consistent, and growing responsibly. We explore why privacy is such a hard thing to market, how cultural differences impact global strategies, and what brands need to do to stay visible in an AI-driven search landscape.

Michelle also dives into how product marketing and brand storytelling work hand in hand to build credibility, drive adoption, and create long-term growth, even without massive budgets.

If you're a founder, marketer, or SEO leader navigating AI disruption, global expansion, and changing consumer expectations, there’s plenty here you can put into action right away.

In this conversation, we explore:

- How to position privacy in a way people actually understand

- What it takes to grow as a challenger brand

- How AI search is changing visibility and discovery

- Why localisation matters more than translation

- Building trust through community and consistency

- Practical advice for marketers starting their careers

Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings

In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - 00:30: Introduction

00:30 - 02:10: Michelle’s journey into marketing

02:10 - 03:15: Experience at Meta during major challenges

03:15 - 04:20: Moving to Mozilla and privacy focus

04:20 - 05:00: Why she joined Proton

05:00 - 06:10: Marketing with trust and consistency

06:10 - 07:30: Making privacy easy to understand

07:30 - 08:50: Adapting marketing for different countries

08:50 - 10:00: Features vs benefits in messaging

10:00 - 11:20: Building trust through community and reviews

11:20 - 12:20: Competing with Big Tech as a challenger

12:20 - 13:40: AI search and brand visibility

13:40 - 15:00: Thoughts on AI tools and privacy

15:00 - 17:00: Product marketing and brand storytelling

17:00 - 19:20: Advice for young marketers

19:20 - 20:23: Final thoughts

 Connect with Michelle Riband

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-riband123/

 http://protonvpn.com/

 FOLLOW US

Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./