Blame it on Marketing ™

Why have so many leaders written off SEO as “dead”? 🤔 Whether it’s the rise of AI search, fears of fierce competition, or painstaking boardroom battles over budget, the rumour mill keeps churning. But if your ideal buyers still Google for solutions—or even ask ChatGPT—you can’t afford to ignore it. In this episode, we’re joined by Sam Dunning, founder of Breaking B2B and host of the Breaking B2B...

Why do marketers lose their cool over slide decks, ChatGPT “feedback,” and CEOs who sign off every tweet? 🤯 We’ve all felt our blood boil when leadership “just wants it pretty,” when “my partner hates that ad,” or when they lob in a last-minute “get this done by tomorrow” bomb. In this crossover episode, Emma & Ruta team up with Marketing Dribble hosts Rob Boyle and Johnny Kenyon to play Trig...

Why do marketers blame shadow bans when their posts flatline? 🤔 If you’ve ever felt like LinkedIn’s algorithm is out to get you, you’re not alone. From engagement pods to Top Voice conspiracies, the platform’s quirks spark more theories than a late-night Reddit scroll. In this episode, Emma & Ruta play detective with two LinkedIn insiders—Corey Johnson, growth marketer (LinkedIn addict), and...

In this episode, we’re ditching the basic bitch prompts and going deep on real AI power for marketers. Emma and Ruta unpack everything from prompt engineering to custom GPTs to automated workflows—so you can stop treating AI like a toy and start using it like a pro. We get into:  ✅ The AI lingo you actually need: models vs. providers vs. platforms vs. benchmarks  ✅ Prompt engineering 101: zero-s...

Why do so many marketers break into a cold sweat at the mere mention of “board meeting”? 🤔 We’ve all been there—calendar invites arrive, you scramble through slide decks, and suddenly your palms are slick with nerves… In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Kelly, Head of Marketing, to unpack the marketer’s boardroom debut—how to earn that seat, craft the right story, and walk out with the board s...

Why do so many marketers build campaigns in a vacuum—then wonder why they flop? 🤔 We’ve all seen it: content calendars packed with guesswork, launch after launch… and still, crickets. In this episode, we’re joined by Helen Saxton, customer-experience advocate and Blame It On Marketing’s newest bestie, to unpack why customers must be at the heart of every business—and how to turn real-world feedba...

Why do so many B2B marketers treat YouTube like a dusty archive? 🤔 We’ve all seen it—upload a stale webinar, paste a podcast video, and then scratch your head when views don’t budge… with zero strategy behind it.  In this episode, we’re joined by Jake Kitchiner, co-founder of Channel Crawler and our new Blame It on Marketing YouTube guru, to unpack the B2B Tube trap—why companies dump content on...

Why do so many companies treat consultants like magic beans? 🤔 We’ve all seen it—bring in a “growth expert,” sprinkle them between teams, and pray they fix everything… without clear goals or accountability. In this episode, we’re joined by Loren Shumate, growth consultant and our new Blame It On Marketing bestie, to unpack the consultant conundrum—why leadership chases silver bullets, where it bl...

Why does email marketing often feel like shouting into the void? 🤔 We’ve all been there—campaigns get built, contacts pile up, and engagement flatlines… yet somehow “just send more emails” remains the rallying cry. In this episode, we’re joined by Beth O’Malley, self‑proclaimed Email Queen and 12‑year CRM veteran, to dismantle the biggest email myths—why your campaigns keep missing the mark, and...

What’s causing senior marketing leaders to burn out, feel isolated, and lose their edge? 🤔 In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, Emma and Ruta sit down with the insightful Fiona Jensen—a veteran with over 20 years of B2B marketing recruitment experience—to break down the hidden crisis in senior marketing. We get into:  ✅ The real reasons behind the burnout and isolation of senior marketers...

Why do CEOs sometimes go rogue on social media—and what does it mean for your brand? 🤔 In this episode, we’re joined by Amber to dig deep into the wild world of executive online antics. From LinkedIn mishaps to rogue posts that cross the line, we unpack how CEOs’ off-the-cuff behavior can affect everything from corporate culture to talent attraction. We get into:  ✅ The high-stakes world of CEOs...

How do you keep the spark alive with MQLs when everyone’s ready to call them dead? In this episode, Ruta and Emma sit down with Ross Howard, Product Marketing Director at Inbox Insight, to share a no-holds-barred conversation about the messy, hilarious, and sometimes maddening world of Marketing Qualified Leads. Rather than ditching MQLs altogether, our guest and hosts explore how a little relatio...

Why do so many senior marketers think a website rebuild will solve all their problems? 🤔 We’ve all seen it—new leadership comes in, declares the site outdated, and suddenly, it’s full steam ahead on a total overhaul… with zero strategy behind it. In this episode, we’re joined by Alice Walton , website expert and our new Blame It on Marketing bestie , to unpack the fresh start fallacy —why markete...

In this no-holds-barred episode of Blame It on Marketing , hosts Emma and Ruta team up with the ever-so-authentic Marie-Claire Silfer (MC) to spill the tea on everything LinkedIn. Tired of the endless parade of AI-generated spam, forced selfies, and “engagement pod” shenanigans? So are we. Join the trio as they dissect the art (and occasional disaster) of creating content that’s genuine, engaging,...

LinkedIn isn’t what it used to be, in this episode, we sit down with Andy Lambert to break down what’s actually working in social media marketing today. We get real about the mistakes marketers keep making, why engagement matters more than ever, and whether company pages are hard work. Oh, and AI? It’s changing the game—but let’s be clear: it’s a tool, not a replacement for actual strategy. We als...

In this episode of Blame It on Marketing , Ruta and Emma take on the obsession with chasing competitors in B2B marketing. They dig into why marketers fall into the copycat trap, share their own experiences of getting it wrong, and discuss how to break out of the cycle with a strategy that actually works. The conversation covers the importance of knowing your own product and audience, the risks of...

In this episode of Blame it on Marketing , Emma and Ruta are joined by Alex Vince-Myers, Head of Marketing, to tackle the big question: which marketing metrics actually matter? Together, they sort the fluff from the facts, breaking down the difference between vanity metrics and actionable ones that drive real results. The trio dives into personal confessions about marketing missteps, the perks of...

In this episode of Blame It on Marketing , Emma, Ruta, and guest Jamie Pagan dive into the gritty realities of marketing budgets. From the awkward dance of asking for money to the headaches caused by mismatched sales and marketing priorities, they unpack the budgeting struggles marketers face daily. Jamie shares practical advice from his years in B2B marketing, offering insights on educating leade...

In this episode of Blame It On Marketing , hosts Emma and Ruta explore the challenges of marketing attribution with Tara Robertson. They share their own experiences with attribution, unpack the complexities of measurement, and highlight the importance of collaboration between sales and marketing teams. The conversation tackles the messy reality of attribution, emphasizing the need to better unders...

Blame It On Marketing Turns Two! 🥳 In this special anniversary episode, Ruta and Emma reflect on two years of podcasting, marketing gossip, and relentless honesty about the industry we love (and sometimes love to hate). From the chaos of LinkedIn to outrageous sales commission stories, they revisit their favourite episodes, hard-earned lessons, and hilarious highlights. Expect shout-outs to iconi...

Marketing: the first budget cut and the last to get the credit. In this episode, your favorite co-hosts Ruta and Emma sit down with Angeley Mullins, Chief Commercial Officer at Resourceify, as she shares her no-nonsense perspective on why cutting back on marketing during tough times is the business equivalent of eating soup with a fork: messy, ineffective, and you’ll still be hungry. They dive int...

This episode gets real . Emma, Ruta, and special guest Cohan expose the madness of sales and marketing culture, from absurd pipeline expectations to commission nightmares. We tackle the age-old question: why do outdated sales tactics still exist—and who’s really to blame? Cohan, a seasoned sales leader, doesn’t hold back as he spills the tea on toxic company cultures, leadership fails, and the col...

In this episode, Emma and Ruta tackle the world of automation and AI with guest Tim Cakir, breaking down why marketers keep ignoring the tech that could save their sanity. The chat dives into how automation isn’t just about efficiency—it's a creative lifesaver that can make the daily grind a little less grindy. Tim pushes for marketers to get an “AI-first” mindset, experiment more (even if th...

In this episode, Emma, Ruta and Jennifer Macdonald dive into the all-too-common confusion between marketing strategy and business strategy—and why marketers shouldn’t be expected to magically fix business problems. They get into the mess that happens when there’s no clear business direction, how CEOs sometimes (okay, often) misunderstand marketing’s role, and why a solid business strategy is essen...

In this episode, Emma, Ruta, and Talya Heller G. Founder at 'Down to a T' tackle the misunderstood, often-overlooked world of product marketing. They dive into the real role of product marketing, share what it means to sit smack in the middle of marketing, product, and sales, and highlight why it’s one of the most misunderstood roles in the game. Talya drops a marketing confession about...