# Nontraditional marketers can differentiate similar products

Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/s/nontraditional-marketers-can-differentiate-similar-products/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy.

- Speaker: [Alli Pope](https://realalpha.app/builders/alli-pope/) · Alli Pope is VP of New Media and Startups Marketing at Factory. · Built Vercel’s startup program and spearheaded its media across video, social, and creator-led content.
- Host: [Theo Jaffee](https://realalpha.app/people/theo-jaffee/) · Co-founder & host, MTS · One of the first members of a16z's new media team; earlier hosted the Emergent Ventures-backed Theo Jaffee Podcast.
- Host: [Sophia Dew](https://realalpha.app/people/sophia-dew/) · Host, MTS
- Show: MTS
- Episode: [Non-Engineers Are Now Shipping Code With Agents | Alli Pope](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/), Oct 29, 2026
- Moment: 3:56 to 6:27 of the episode (3 min), playing on https://realalpha.app/s/nontraditional-marketers-can-differentiate-similar-products/; the episode from there: https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=236

## Quote

> “a lot of what will actually **differentiate companies** as we all kind of, you know, merge towards building a lot of similar products is the marketing”
> — [Alli Pope](https://realalpha.app/builders/alli-pope/) at [4:53](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=293) · MTS

## Takeaways

1. AI is changing the marketing playbook, not just engineering.
2. Marketing can become closer to company strategy.
3. Community and developer love can distinguish similar products.

## About this segment

Alli Pope argues that AI is changing marketing and opening the field to people with nontraditional backgrounds. As products converge, she sees marketing, community and developer love as key ways to stand out.

From “Non-Engineers Are Now Shipping Code With Agents | Alli Pope”, Oct 29, 2026. [Watch the full episode](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/)

## Transcript

Transcribed by machine (Whisper) from the episode’s audio, so a word may be off here and there.

[3:59](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=239) your operational thesis, why do you do more than just the typical marketing role within your scope? Yeah, I think marketing is really interesting. And when I was making the pivot, I was like, you know, I'm a product person, like I'm not a marketer. And I had some really great mentors and managers who were like, no, you have a lot of skill sets that are actually becoming very valuable in this new wave of marketing, right? I think historically, we've had a marketing playbook and we've known how to do things.

[4:27](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=267) And as AI has kind of proliferated across the ecosystem, it's changed many things on the engineering and the product side, but it's also changed a lot of things on the marketing side. And so I think more and more folks, not only me, but several folks with like non quote unquote traditional backgrounds are coming over to marketing and they're able to find success and kind of test out new things and be creative.

[4:50](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=290) And it's kind of becoming like close to like strategy, I would say, because as we continue to move forward, a lot of what will actually differentiate companies as we all kind of, you know, merge towards building a lot of similar products is the marketing and is the developer love and the founder love and things along those lines, the community. And so, yeah, I'm excited to build that. It's pretty interesting because, you know, the role of marketing has evolved so much.

[5:17](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=317) I mean, some people argue that it's almost a CFO in a trench coat because you have to decide. Don't put me in charge of the marketing. But there's a lot of things in this role. It's almost like ecosystem awareness and growth, especially when it's a developer-first product, right? So anything you can hint towards about what you think the next few months might look like for you? I mean, I'm very excited.

[5:40](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=340) Obviously, part of the role is new media, which you are very familiar with. Yes, shout out A16Z New Media. So I'm excited to just kind of run with a lot of creative ideas around new forms of content that we can do, new programs that we can create for developers. I think we did an event last night for women in AI that my colleague Ashley ran, and it was phenomenal. We had a great turnout, and we did a hands-on workshop as part of that. And so everyone can be on the lookout for many more events that are targeting developers, that are targeting founders, to really show them how to get hands-on with Factory's product and make sure that they can really see the true value of how it can help them.

[6:21](https://realalpha.app/v/WGmjmPtJTOo/?t=381) Very exciting. Okay, one thing I wanted to ask about it too. I know Francesca also started on