What Data and AI Truly Mean for Modern Marketing: Insights from Dawn Parzych

Data + AI are crucial elements of marketing success. Understanding how to leverage AI tools and qualitative insights can significantly impact your team’s effectiveness, strategy, and ultimately, revenue.

In our latest podcast episode, we spoke to Dawn Parzych—Director of Developer/Product Marketing at Cloudflare—about navigating the evolving landscape of marketing. From actionable data to creative content workflows, Dawn shares how blending technology with human creativity leads to smarter, more impactful marketing.

Balancing Data with the Human Element

Dawn: “I don’t want to live in an echo chamber... I want to talk to new people, people who aren’t aware of us. What data points are they going to give me that I didn’t have before?”

While marketing has become more data-driven, the real power comes from combining quantitative insights with authentic human connection. Parzych emphasizes that real conversations — whether at events, in feedback loops, or through customer calls — often uncover the most valuable insights that numbers alone can't provide.

Takeaway: Use data to guide decisions, but stay curious about the why behind customer behaviors. That's where qualitative intelligence comes in.

Content That Educates (Not Just Sells)

Dawn: “The best compliment I can get after a talk is someone saying, ‘You taught me something.’ Not that I sold to them.”

In an environment where 95% of your audience isn’t actively buying, content that educates builds long-term trust. Parzych’s approach is to lead with value—helping people learn, rather than pitch. This strategy not only builds credibility but ensures your brand stays top of mind when the buyer is ready.

Takeaway: Position your brand as a thought partner, not just a product vendor. Content should teach, not preach.

Actionable Data > Vanity Metrics

Dawn: “I love numbers. I despise vanity metrics. If you’re going to use data, make sure it’s actionable.”

Marketers often default to reporting on what’s easy to measure: clicks, impressions, and views. But Parzych calls for a sharper focus on metrics that matter — the kind that inform decisions and show real business impact. Think qualified leads, conversion rates, or influence on pipeline.

Takeaway: Ask yourself—does this metric help me change or improve something? If not, it's probably just noise.

Smarter Competitive Intelligence

Staying ahead of your competition requires more than monitoring press releases. Parzych points out a lesser-known tactic:

Dawn: “Career pages are often big indicators of what may be coming next. Job descriptions can reveal strategy shifts before anything’s officially announced.”

In addition to hiring patterns, other goldmines for competitive intel include customer case studies, speaker sessions, newsletters, and even YouTube videos.

Takeaway: Think like a journalist. Follow what your competitors do, not just what they say.

Content Workflows That Work

Enterprise marketing teams often face content bottlenecks due to complex review cycles. To navigate this, Parzych recommends packaging content creation in strategic batches:

Dawn: “We’ll focus on one motion or campaign and gather all the content we need for that at once — internal and external.”

This approach ensures cohesion across assets and improves speed to market. It also aligns cross-functional teams on one unified narrative.

Takeaway: Bundle content creation around campaigns, not channels. It saves time and keeps messaging aligned.

Using AI to Augment, Not Replace

AI is transforming how marketers operate — but not in the way you might think.

Dawn: “I see AI as a companion or sidekick… helping me get started, handle things I don’t enjoy, or move faster.”

From writing talk titles to refining copy tone, AI helps marketers brainstorm, edit, and scale more efficiently. However, Parzych cautions against treating AI as a “set-it-and-forget-it” tool.

Dawn: “I’m never going to take what AI spits out and not read it or tweak it. It still needs to sound like me.”

Takeaway: Use AI to break through blocks and accelerate tasks — but always apply your human judgment and brand voice.

Finally, Keep Marketing Human

AI can scale your efforts. Data can sharpen your focus. But only humans can build emotional connections and lasting trust with customers.

Want more insights from Dawn?

Watch the full episode of the “What’s Data and AI Got to Do With It?” podcast to hear how today’s product marketers are using AI and data without losing their human touch.