Today we’re joined by our newest Senior Product Manager, Alysa Rowlands. Alysa recently joined the product team in New York City.
Welcome, Alysa! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I moved to NYC from Chicago 8 years ago, and have been in Ad Tech for over 10 years. I was in sales early in my career, and got into digital advertising by doing affiliate marketing while I was in grad school. Putting up my own money to run affiliate search campaigns forced me to understand the workflow from digital ad to website visitor to conversion event to ROI very quickly!
After I finished my MBA in Brand Management, I moved into SaaS agency relationship management, then into search ad ops and strategy, landing in Product Management. Coming from that background gives me insight into the needs of the Demand side of Smaato.
What did your journey to ad tech look like?
I went to Art School and have a BFA in painting, so transitioning to ad tech initially and then into Product Management was a process. I took interactive marketing classes while I was doing my MBA, then did a certificate in Digital Marketing, then a Certificate in Product Management. There are a lot of options now for high-quality free or low- cost classes, such as Coursera. While I was in Ad Ops and Strategy, I did competitive and market analysis and submitted ideas for products and features that could help grow the business –- that led me moving into Product.
What brought you to Smaato?
The opportunity to work on a truly end- to- end, cross- channel ad tech platform, with a fantastic group of industry leaders and a globally based team. Verve Group has brought together great companies, including Smaato, and there’s the opportunity for me to both learn a lot, and to contribute to a next generation ad stack.
What is one of the current ad tech trends you find most interesting?
Mobile Gaming! Users of mobile games include every possible demographic bucket, and they’re very engaged.
What is the number one thing you’d recommend to someone who is interested in being a product manager?
Being curious about how things work in a general sense is probably one of the biggest criteria for being in product, along with being adaptable, and not being afraid to try new things. If there’s one constant in Ad Tech, it’s that the ecosystem will keep changing and evolving!
What do you like to do outside of ad tech? Favorite things about New York?
I paint and create art in my free time, and the city is a huge inspiration for me. My favorite thing about NY is the culture, which is everywhere –- galleries, the theater, opera and there’s no better place on earth to people watch!
Verve Group’s Product Team hails from across the globe, each team member bringing their unique journey to ad tech and product development. In fact, Smaato’s VP of Product Management fights fires on the side! Read about Maciek’s journey here.
