My Journey to Become an AI Product Marketing Leader

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I still remember my first steps into Gallagher Hall on the UC Davis campus. 

The floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the building with natural light, illuminating groups of business students moving with purpose between classes, many in collared shirts, laptops tucked under their arms, coffee cups in hand. 

There was an energy in the air. It was ambitious, professional and forward-looking. Walking through those doors, I felt both inspired and slightly intimidated. Everyone seemed to be going somewhere important.

I was too, but in a different way.

Applied Learning in Real Time

I had deliberately chosen the Part-Time MBA program because I was already working full time as the sole marketer at a startup.

Getting an MBA was fuel for my career. Every lecture, framework and case study applied immediately. Often the very next morning.

One concept that became foundational came from a marketing course taught by Professor Prasad Naik, who holds the Robert W. Glock Endowed Chair. He introduced us to the Think-Feel-Do framework. It transformed how I approached messaging and positioning.

Instead of focusing on features or generic value propositions, I learned to anchor communication in customer psychology: What the audience should think, how they should feel and what action they should take. Applying this at the startup sharpened our storytelling and clarified how we connected with both customers and partners.

After graduating from UC Davis, I was recruited to Gartner as a market strategy consultant. Suddenly, my world shifted from startup execution to advising Fortune 500 technology and telecom companies.

The work was intellectually stimulating, but I found myself missing the creative side of marketing.

From Execution to Product Marketing Leadership

That realization led me to my first round at Cisco, where I stepped into a unique hybrid role that combined strategic partnership work with hands-on product marketing. From there, I leaned fully into product marketing leadership, later joining a legal tech startup.

As marketing leader at Cisco, I learned a critical lesson: Strong messaging requires proof. Customer insights, real-world context and evidence are what make storytelling credible and persuasive.

Later, while at Twilio, I led global marketing programs and grew into a leadership role. As I mentored junior marketers, I developed a coach-player leadership style. I used real examples to build skills quickly, turning case studies into practical accelerators.

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AI Enters the Product Marketing Field

After four incredible years at Twilio, I returned to Cisco to lead a multi-billion-dollar portfolio and an experienced product marketing team. Around this time, AI began reshaping how marketing work gets done. What started as a competitive advantage quickly became an expectation. Teams that were not incorporating AI tools into their workflows struggled to keep pace.

We approached AI pragmatically. Rather than chasing every new tool, we tested solutions that could accelerate research, synthesis, content development and analysis. When something worked, we integrated it into our workflows.

Turning AI Into a Practical Skillset at UC Davis

I returned to host a Graduate School of Management AI Series webinar, part of eos, a platform designed for both alumni and current students to continue learning beyond the classroom.

Through eos, the school brings together business courses, curated content and an engaged peer community, creating a space to stay connected and keep building skills as careers evolve.

In the session, I walked students and alumni through a mock product launch using AI, focusing on messaging, positioning, campaign development and day-to-day product marketing workflows. The goal was simple: Give attendees a practical playbook they could apply immediately.

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From Case Studies to AI Playbooks

That same focus on real-world application led me to launch the Product Marketing Adventures podcast, where I break down real case studies with experienced product marketers and turn them into practical playbooks.

Through those conversations, a clear pattern has emerged in how the most effective product marketers are using AI:

• The strongest product marketers don’t rely on AI blindly. They master markets, customers, positioning and strategy first, then use AI as a force multiplier.
• Context drives results. Marketers who understand their product, competitive landscape and customer environment ask better questions and produce stronger outputs.
• Top performers take an experimental approach. They test tools, measure impact and iterate. Small gains compound over time.

Looking back on my first walk through Gallagher Hall, the most valuable lesson was applied learning, taking ideas, testing them in real situations and refining based on results.

Technology will evolve. Markets will shift. The ability to learn continuously, think critically and adapt quickly remains a product marketer’s most durable advantage.

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Sacramento Part-Time MBA alumna Grossenbacher, a tech industry product marketing leader, shares real-world product marketing insights through her Product Marketing Adventures podcast.

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