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Blame it on Marketing ™
Blame it on Marketing ™
Author: Emma Davies and Ruta Sudmantaite
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© 2026 Blame it on Marketing ™
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Do you ever feel like it's always marketing at fault? We know the feeling. We can't afford more therapy so we decided to collect all the ridiculous things that marketers hear and invite our friends to chat about them. If you want to hear us (Emma and Ruta) rant about sometimes funny sometimes serious topics this is the place for you.
105 Episodes
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Why is marketing the one industry where you can be “too young” and “too old” at the same time? 🤯 In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, we’re talking ageism in marketing (and yes… the sexism that comes with it). We’re joined by a mother-daughter duo: Justine, Marketing Director at The L Factor, and Lena, award-winning business mentor and professional “nosy parker” (her words, not ours). We get real about what ageism actually looks like in marketing, why it’s so baked into the industry, and...
Ah yes. The three words that have launched a thousand unnecessary redesigns. In this episode of Blame It On Marketing, we’re joined by the brilliant Juliana Germinio from Yellow Zest to unpack the most vague, infuriating, soul-crushing piece of feedback marketers hear on repeat: “Can you just… make it pop?” Pop how? Pop why? Pop for whom?? WHAT IS POP?! From rogue email links sending restaurant guests to skincare masks (we’ve all been baptised) to websites 80% complete before someone decides ...
Why does “ABM” so often become a logo-swap landing page and a prayer? In this episode, Emma and Ruta sit down with Marta George (ex-Head of ABM, now Field & Channel Marketing) to get brutally honest about what real ABM takes—and when you shouldn’t do it at all. We get into: ✅ Why “ABM Lite” isn’t real (and why it keeps getting sold anyway) ✅ The village ABM needs: sales, SDRs, CS, product marketing, brand, design ✅ Account selection done right (data > opinions, relati...
Why do smart companies still treat marketing like the “content machine” or sales’ on-call design team? In this episode, Ruta and Emma sit down with Margaux Grasso and Sarah Mardle to unpack marketing’s perception problem—and how to fix it with influence, data, and better internal storytelling. Expect practical playbooks for building credibility, aligning with sales, and pushing back on bad habits without starting a turf war. We get into: ✅ Why marketers accidentally fuel the “make...
Why do tiny marketing budgets come with sky-high expectations? 💸 In this episode, we’re joined by Lucy Blenkinsopp, marketing lead at Version 1, to talk about how to do more with less—without burning out or BS-ing the board. From choosing fewer, higher-ROI channels to proving marginal gains and building a real case for budget, we get practical about what actually moves the needle when cash is tight. We get into: ✅ Fewer channels, done better: double down on what works and drop the FOMO ...
Why do leaders still want to “be on LinkedIn”… even when the content makes buyers cringe? 🤳 In this episode, we’re joined by Brad Zomick—executive content coach and host of LinkedIn Famous—to get real about getting senior leaders to create content that actually helps the business (and doesn’t read like buzzword soup). We dig into when a CEO should be the face, what they should post, and how to build an idea flywheel that never runs dry. We get into: ✅ Should every exec post? How to dec...
Why do the same marketing headaches keep coming back every year? 🤯 Three years in, 100 episodes later, and we’re still hearing “can you make it go viral?” like it’s a brief. In this special 100th-episode live show, Ruta and Emma look back at the biggest themes from Blame It On Marketing so far—and the stubborn problems that refuse to die. From CROs who are just Head of Sales with a shinier title, to “pipeline” being treated like a strategy, to AI hype outrunning reality, we get honest about w...
Why are marketers still arguing about ROI in 2025? 🤯 “ROI is reductive!” “You can’t measure brand!” Meanwhile…budgets are getting slashed and CFOs are sharpening their scissors. In this episode, we’re joined by Jordan Stachini—founder of Co & Co and proud member of the “least-fluffy marketers” club—to cut through the noise. We get real about what ROI actually is (and isn’t), how to report it without strangling creativity, and how to keep your budget safe when the money people come calling...
Why does every second LinkedIn post promise an “AI system” that will fix your marketing overnight? 🤖✨ If you’ve been told to “just automate everything,” this episode is your antidote. In this episode, we’re joined by Fiona Sherwood (fractional CMO & AI marketing trainer) and Joanna Edwards (events leader behind a GenAI-for-marketers summit) to get practical about what an AI strategy actually is—and why tools come last, not first. We get into: ✅ Why “automate everything” isn’t ...
Why do so many great marketing plans get kneecapped by…ego? 🤯 You know the drill: a founder who “already knows” the playbook, a swoop-and-poop exec, or a client who hires you for your expertise—then ignores it. In this episode, we’re joined by marketing strategist and consultant Rissy La Touche (Dimple Studio; ex-Square) to unpack how ego shows up at the top, how to spot it early, and how to navigate it without losing your mind—or your results. We get into: ✅ Red flags on discovery call...
Why do so many teams grab a shiny rebrand when the real problem is strategy? 🤔 We’ve avoided this topic for ages… but today we go there—with brand strategist Beatrice Gutknecht, whose mission is, ahem, “F*** rebrands.” She breaks down why visual-first overhauls flop, how to get brand + marketing actually working together, and what to measure so brand work shows up in revenue—not just mood boards. In this episode, we unpack when you need a rebrand (rarely), when you need repositioning (u...
Why is it still harder for women to be seen, heard, and safe in B2B marketing? 🤔 We work in female-heavy teams, but the mics, panels, and power seats still skew the other way—and it shows up in our careers, our DMs, and even at conferences. In this episode, we’re joined by Jane Serra, host of Women in B2B Marketing, to dig into what actually moves the needle: women-only spaces, real allyship, and building the support systems that carry you further than any “hustle harder” mantra ever will. We...
Think events are all free prosecco and LinkedIn photos? 🤔 Behind every smooth show is a sleep-deprived team juggling power sockets, panic emails, and a thousand tiny fires—often at the same time. In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Tully (Group Event Director, eCommerce Expo & Technology for Marketing), Laura Dazon (Marketing Manager), and Phoebe Dunsmore (Marketing Executive) from CloserStill Media to pull back the curtain on event season—what really breaks, what actually matters, and...
Why does B2B influencer marketing feel so chaotic right now? 🤔 LinkedIn reach is down, creators are charging enterprise prices, and everyone’s asking how to prove ROI without waiting nine months for a deal to close. In this episode, we’re joined by Hector Forwood, co-founder & CEO of Flooencer, to demystify what’s working (and what’s broken) in B2B influencer marketing—how to pick the right creators, what to pay, and how to measure impact the C-suite will actually buy. We get into:  ...
Why does marketing feel… weird right now? 😵💫 Budgets are tight, algorithms won’t sit still, AI is everywhere, and juniors are somehow expected to be CMOs. So how are marketers actually coping—and still shipping great work? In this episode, we’re joined by Dan & Alice, co-hosts of Work Is Weird Now, for a brutally honest chat about staying sane, creative, and effective when the ground keeps moving. We get into: ✅ Boundaries > burnout: muting, blocking, and setting “rules for scro...
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 podcast, to explain why SEO isn’t dying—it’s just evolving. Sam shares the unconventional, revenue...
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 Trigger Bingo—naming the marketing pet peeves that make us want to quit our own jobs. Then they vote o...
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 Ash Turner, ex-LinkedIn creator manager to bust myths and reveal what really moves the feed. We ge...
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-shot, few-shot, meta-prompts & when to use “reasoning” ✅ Building your own Custo...
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 singing your praises blame-it-on-marketing_f…. We get into: ✅ Why only commercially minded ma...



