Product Evangelism and Canva with Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki from Canva shares the secret sauce of how product evangelism works.
Fresh from the studio, we had an enlightening conversation with Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva, who delved into the essence of product evangelism and revealed how the power of positive messaging propels Canva forward. Guy also dissected the transformative role of generative AI in democratizing design, explaining how it amplifies productivity and sparks greater creativity among users. To cap it off, he offered a glimpse into what great would look like for Canva's future trajectory.
"Evangelism comes from a Greek term, meaning bringing the good news. So fundamentally, what an evangelist does is bring the good news. And so with Macintosh, the good news was that this personal computer can increase your creativity and productivity. The good news with Canva was that this product, it can increase your ability to communicate by a democratizing design. That's the good news. My podcast can help you become a remarkable person because you listen to what other remarkable people have done and how they did it. That's the good news of my podcast. So what an evangelist does is bring the good news of his or her product. Now, this assumes that your product is good news. So if you don't have a product that is good news, it's very hard to use evangelism to make it successful." - Guy Kawasaki
Introduction
- Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist, Canva (LinkedIn, @GuyKawasaki, main site) and host of Remarkable People Podcast and well-known author of several books: The Art of the Start 2.0 and Wise Guy.
- For our listeners who may not know you, can you briefly introduce yourself and the journey to becoming the Chief Product Evangelist at Canva?
- Over the years, you've held a variety of roles, from being at Apple to writing books and now at Canva. What drives you to continue evolving and learning in the tech space?
- What are the lessons that you can share with my audience about your career journey?
Product Evangelism & Canva
- Can you introduce Canva briefly to my audience and share a brief history, mission and vision of the company with my audience?
- What are your perspectives on the recent generative AI hype and how it will accelerate Canva’s mission moving forward?
- Is there a danger that generative AI might take over the jobs of the creators and developers?
- Many might be unfamiliar with the role of a "Product Evangelist." Could you explain what you do and why it's crucial for Canva?
- How does one avoid being customer blind instead of being customer-centric?
- What is the one thing you know about being a product evangelist that not many know?
- Canva’s mission is to "empower the world to design.” How do you see this mission intersecting with the rise of digital economies in Asia?
- Canva has had immense success globally, but what has been its growth trajectory globally, specifically in Asia?
- How has the company adapted its product or marketing strategies to cater to the diverse market globally?
- Canva offers an extensive array of design templates and tools. How does Canva decide which new features to add or areas to expand into?
- How does Canva work to bolster its ecosystem, for example, creators and developers?
- Our traditional closing question: What does great look like for Canva moving forward in the next few years?
Closing
- As you will be speaking at SXSW Sydney 2023, what will be the things that you will be looking forward to?
- Any recommendations that have inspired you recently? Guy's recommendation: Remarkable People Podcast with Jane Goodall
- A short discussion on Threads
- How can my audience find you?