Brand Men & the History of Product Management

Every May 13th, we celebrate Product Management Day, honoring the origins of the product manager role that began with a memo in 1931. This blog traces the full history of product management—from the revolutionary “Brand Man” memo to the rise of Agile, SCRUM, and modern frameworks used by tech giants today.

TL;DR: Key Milestones in Product Management

• 1931: Neil McElroy introduces the “Brand Man” memo at Procter & Gamble
• 1940s-50s: Hewlett-Packard pioneers the formal product manager role
• 1950s-70s: Toyota revolutionizes operations with Lean Manufacturing & Kanban
• 1970s: Waterfall development model gains traction
• 1986: SCRUM concept introduced in Harvard Business Review
• 1990s-2000s: The Web boom fuels product management demand
• 2001: Agile Manifesto formalized by software leaders
• Today: Product managers lead cross-functional teams to deliver customer-centric solutions

The Brand Man Memo That Started It All (1931)

It all started in Cincinnati, Ohio, when Neil H. McElroy, a junior exec at Procter & Gamble, was frustrated by internal competition between Camay and Ivory Soap. In an 800-word memo, he proposed a new role: “Brand Man.”

Rather than focusing purely on advertising, this role involved:

• Deep understanding of the customer
• Market research and first-hand discovery
• Iterating on packaging and strategy

This memo became the blueprint for modern product management.

How HP Evolved Product Management (1940s–1960s)

McElroy’s memo didn’t just improve P&G—it influenced Stanford students Bill Hewlett and David Packard, who adapted the Brand Man philosophy into engineering-focused product management at Hewlett-Packard (HP).

Product managers at HP:

• Served as customer advocates
• Worked directly with engineers
• Built a culture known as “The HP Way”

Their focus on problem-solving, not just selling, laid a critical foundation.

Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing and Kanban (1950s)

Facing post-WWII economic hardship, Toyota had to innovate or die. Engineer Taiichi Ohno created the:

• Just-in-time manufacturing system
• Kanban (visual task tracking) method

These systems:

• Reduced waste
• Encouraged cross-team communication
• Directly influenced today’s Agile & DevOps practices

Waterfall Development and Its Flaws (1970s)

Dr. Winston Royce formalized the Waterfall model: a step-by-step, sequential approach to software development.

While organized, Waterfall:

• Was inflexible
• Created team silos
• Slowed down innovation

It soon became clear that better, more iterative methods were needed.

The Birth of SCRUM (1986–1993)

In 1986, Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka introduced SCRUM in Harvard Business Review as an agile, rugby-like approach to team collaboration.

SCRUM emphasizes:

• Overlapping development phases
• Team unity and speed
• Continuous delivery of value

Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber refined it into the SCRUM framework we know today.

Agile Manifesto Changes the Game (2001)

As the internet scaled, so did the need for speed. In 2001, 17 developers met at Snowbird Resort and created the Agile Manifesto, which promoted:

• Individuals over processes
• Working software over documentation
• Customer collaboration
• Flexibility and responsiveness

Agile borrowed from Toyota, HP, and SCRUM—and it worked.

Product Management in the Modern Era

Agile principles have now become the backbone of how product managers operate across industries. Whether using:

• Kanban boards
• User stories
• Sprint planning

…today’s product managers remain focused on solving user problems, just like McElroy envisioned.

Conclusion: From Brand Men to Agile Leaders

Neil McElroy’s memo wasn’t just an internal document—it was a defining moment in business history. From HP to Toyota, SCRUM to Agile, the core goal has remained the same:

Know your customer. Solve their problem. Deliver value.

So this Product Management Day, take a moment to thank the visionaries who brought us from brand differentiation to building digital products that change lives.