Marketing Spark (The B2B Marketing Podcast)

Mark Evans interviews Oren Greenberg, founder of Kurve, about his pivot from growth marketing to AI-native go-to-market systems. Greenberg explains how he now helps B2B companies—typically CEOs at smaller firms and CMOs/CROs at larger ones—implement custom AI projects (like ICP modelling and programmatic AEO engines), run growth audits across paid, SEO, analytics, and team capability, build workfl...

Mark Evans hosts Dan Levy, founder of Storyline, to discuss what storytelling really means in B2B and why companies need an overarching “storyline” to align marketing, sales, success, and product. Levy defines storyline as what you do, how you’re different, and why it matters to the right people right now, positioning it as the bridge between brand and product positioning and practical messaging....

Ad fraud is one of the biggest invisible threats facing marketers, advertisers, and growth teams. In this episode of Marketing Spark , Rich Kahn, CEO of Anura, joins the show to explain how ad fraud quietly drains budgets, distorts performance data, and makes it harder for companies to know what is actually working. Rich shares why fraudulent traffic remains such a persistent problem, how B2B SaaS...

You can build faster than ever with AI. That does not mean users will adopt what you build. In this episode of Marketing Spark , I talk with Karel Papik, co-founder and CEO of ProductFruits, about one of the biggest challenges facing SaaS companies today: the growing disconnect between product velocity and user adoption. We explore why companies are shipping more features while users feel increasi...

Tom Rudnai's research at Demand Genius reveals a structural flaw in how SaaS companies approach AI Engine Optimization: they're measuring citations, but AI generates zero retrieval at the awareness and consideration stages—the phases where buying criteria are actually set. By the time a citation appears, the buyer's frame is already locked. This means the entire content playbook built around keywo...

How do nonprofits compete for attention, donations, and impact in a noisy digital world? In this episode of the Marketing Spark podcast, host Mark Evans speaks with Javan Van Gronigen , co-founder of Donate.ly , a fundraising platform that has helped nonprofits raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Javan shares the story behind Donate.ly and how his experience working with nonprofits revealed a m...

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Evans sits down with Caren Cioffi, co-founder and CEO of Agenda Hero, an AI-powered platform designed to eliminate manual calendar work and save billions of hours. After more than a decade at Brightcove, where she helped scale the company from startup to global public enterprise, Caren made the leap into entrepreneurship to solve a problem she experienced f...

Many companies are rushing to adopt AI tools hoping to unlock new levels of productivity and innovation — and failing. Why? According to Sarah Jeannault, former FinTech founder and now VP Marketing at ProcedureFlow, it’s because they skipped a crucial step: building a strong operational and knowledge foundation. In this episode, Sarah dives into why AI initiatives fall flat, how to fix broken know...

In this episode of Marketing Spark , Mark Evans sits down with Dan Sanchez, a former podcasting leader turned AI marketing consultant, to explore his incredible transition into the world of artificial intelligence. From feeling behind the curve with ChatGPT to becoming a trusted voice in AI for marketers, Dan shares the pivotal moments and painful lessons that led him to reinvent himself. You’ll l...

David Usher has sold over 1.4 million albums, won five Junos, and performed around the world. Today, he’s just as focused on algorithms as he is on melodies. In this conversation, David talks about the shift from turning emotion into music to building products that preserve memory, support healing, and explore how technology can actually make us more human. We dig into: Why creativity is a transfe...

Marketers spend countless hours optimizing for Google, LinkedIn, and Reddit—but what about Wikipedia? In this episode of Marketing Spark , host Mark Evans talks with Bill Beutler , one of the world’s leading experts on Wikipedia strategy.  Bill explains why brands can’t afford to ignore the platform that powers both Google search and AI tools like ChatGPT, and how companies can ethically and effec...

Cold outreach has a bad reputation—spammy emails, pushy SDRs, endless noise in the inbox.  But Michael Maximoff, co-founder of Belkins, believes it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, Michael breaks down why most outbound strategies fail, how to rethink outreach as a marketing function (not just sales), and why relevance beats personalization every time.  He shares lessons from scaling B...

What does it take to disrupt a $500 hockey stick market dominated by global giants?  At just 22 years old, Zechariah Thomas is rewriting the rules with Swift Hockey—an elite stick brand that's affordable, player-first, and unapologetically bold.  In this episode, Zechariah shares how he turned a personal frustration into a fast-growing startup, his roots in drop shipping, and what it takes to stan...

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Evans sits down with Vahagn Sargsyan, VP of Marketing at Krisp, a pioneering voice AI company.  Vahagn shares his unique journey from full-stack developer to marketing leader and dives into the strategies behind Krisp's emergence as a category-defining brand. He explains how Krisp went from a simple noise-cancellation tool to a comprehensive AI-powered comm...

AI isn’t coming for the future of work—it’s already transforming it. In this episode, Mark Evans sits down with Mitch Joel, entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Thinkers One, to unpack the seismic shifts AI is driving in knowledge work.  From content creation to strategic decision-making, Mitch explains why the question isn’t if AI will take our jobs, but what we’re doing in case it does.  This...

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about hustle, funding rounds, or scaling fast. It’s also about the inner game—mastering your mindset, aligning your purpose, and creating a business that doesn’t consume your life. In this episode of Marketing Spark , Zaheer Merali—founder, investor, and executive coach—shares what he’s learned from two decades of advising entrepreneurs and navigating his own personal r...

Is your B2B podcast ready for YouTube? In this episode of Marketing Spark , I’m joined by Sergey Ross and Joe Newton from Sway One, who created a report that analyzed 75+ B2B video podcasts to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and what the best shows are doing differently. We talk about why YouTube has become the top discovery platform for podcasts, the essential strategies to optimize for engag...

After a decade building Sendoso into a category-defining platform for B2B gifting and direct mail, Braydan Young is back with a new venture—Slash Experts—that’s taking on one of SaaS marketing’s biggest challenges: converting traffic without relying on the tired “Book a Demo” CTA. In this episode, Braydan joins Mark Evans to talk about the evolution of personalization in B2B, how Sendoso capitaliz...

In this episode of Marketing Spark , host Mark Evans sits down with Chris Silvestri, a conversion copywriting expert, to explore the art and science of crafting high-converting messages. They discuss the psychology behind effective copy, how to blend storytelling with data, and practical strategies B2B marketers can use to drive engagement and sales.  Tune in to gain actionable insights that will...

CMOs are under immense pressure to deliver fast results, prove ROI, and navigate an increasingly complex marketing landscape. In this episode of Marketing Spark , Mark Evans sits down with Jenny Sagstrom, founder and CEO of B2B creative agency Skona, to discuss the evolving role of the CMO, the rising importance of brand marketing, and how marketing leaders can stay relevant in a world obsessed wi...

Pricing in the world of Generative AI is still an open debate, with companies struggling to balance cost, value, and customer expectations. In this episode of Marketing Spark , pricing expert James Wilton , founder of Monevate and former McKinsey consultant, breaks down the challenges of monetizing AI-driven products.  We discuss why traditional SaaS pricing models fall short, the mistakes compani...

In this episode of Marketing Spark , I sit down with Yael Morris to discuss why truly understanding your customers is the key to effective marketing and sales. We explore how deep customer insights drive better messaging, positioning, and product decisions—and why so many companies get it wrong. Yael shares real-world examples of brands that excel at customer intelligence and offers practical stra...

In this episode of the Marketing Spark Podcast, content marketing strategist and founder of Haus of Bold, Erin Balsa, takes us behind the scenes of her journey from early marketing days to becoming a freelance powerhouse.  We dive into the evolving role of AI in content creation, uncover strategies to break through the digital clutter, and talk about the importance of consistency—without sacrifici...

In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Evans talks to MagicPace's Nick D'Urbano about his expertise on navigating the challenges and opportunities of helping hiring international technology talent.  From identifying the best markets for recruitment to overcoming legal and cultural hurdles, Nick provides actionable insights for businesses looking to build diverse, high-performing teams across bor...

In this episode of Marketing Spark , Mark Evans chats with Michael Houlihan, co-founder of Barefoot Wine, about the accidental journey that led to one of the most recognizable wine brands in the world.  Michael shares how creative grassroots marketing, a commitment to listening to customers, and a unique positioning strategy helped Barefoot thrive in an industry dominated by high-end, elitist bran...