How to Create a Category When You're Already the Market Leader (with Melton Littlepage, CMO at 1Password)

32 snips

Apr 20, 2026

Melton Littlepage, CMO at 1Password with two decades in B2B SaaS marketing, explains why 1Password is creating a new category called Extended Access Management (XAM). He discusses choosing category creation over competing, tactics like lightning strikes and analyst relations, embedding a former CISO in marketing, and using sports sponsorship to build brand visibility.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Remote Work Created An Access Security Gap

COVID accelerated permanent distributed work and created an access gap security tools weren't built for.
Employees brought SaaS apps and personal devices into work, creating shadow IT and unknown data exposure risks.

ADVICE

Market The Category Before The Product

Market the category first, not just your product, to make the problem a priority for buyers.
Melton emphasizes shifting buyers to view the new problem as above other projects so the category leader emerges.

ANECDOTE

They Named The Category Extended Access Management

1Password named the new category Extended Access Management with abbreviation XAM.
The name connects to legacy IAM while signalling a second-generation capability and is deliberately catchy.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

#348 | Dave sits down with Melton Littlepage, CMO at 1Password, to talk about what category creation actually looks like inside a company that's already won. Melton breaks down why 1Password is betting on an entirely new category called Extended Access Management, how they chose it over competing in an existing one, and the tactics behind it: lightning strike events, analyst relations, and embedding a former CISO on the marketing team to agitate the problem from the inside. He also makes the case for sports sponsorship as a B2B play, and why the President's Cup was an easy yes.

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Melton's background: 20 years building SaaS before it was called SaaS
(07:45) - - What changes after multiple CMO roles
(11:25) - - You can't attribute your way to being hot
(12:29) - - The CMO's real job: be the chief markets officer
(14:43) - - 1Password today and the market shift that created a new category
(22:03) - - The three acts of 1Password's business
(22:56) - - Naming the category: Extended Access Management (XAM)
(23:58) - - How the decision to create a new category got made
(29:18) - - The tactics: category point of view, lightning strikes, analyst relations
(33:23) - - How the marketing org is structured
(37:55) - - 1Password's three go-to-market motions
(41:20) - - Why 1Password is betting on sports marketing

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

Knak - A no-code, campaign creation platform that lets you go from idea to on-brand email and landing pages in minutes, using AI where it actually matters. Learn more at knak.com/exitfive, or check out the MCP server by clicking this link.

Vector - A contact-level ads platform that lets you build audiences from actual people on your site, clicking your ads, and checking out your competitors. Learn more at vector.co, and get on the waitlist for their new MCP server by clicking here.

Compound Growth Marketing - A full-funnel demand generation agency that helps high-growth cybersecurity, DevOps, and enterprise software companies drive more pipeline through AI SEO, paid media, and go-to-market engineering. Visit compoundgrowthmarketing.com and tell them Dave sent you.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more