Blame it on Marketing ™

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 playing it safe, and the ethical dilemmas that come with marketing today. Bottom line? Creativity beats imitation every time.

Takeaways

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 sharing metrics across teams, and why getting leadership to buy into metrics is easier said than done.

The discussion doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff—like the...

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 leadership, proving ROI, and making the most of lean budgets.

This episode tackles why tight budgets make for tight-lipped marketers and how better communication and alignment with sales...

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 understand how marketing influences customer journeys. Their takeaway? Embrace the imperfections—attribution is rarely straightforward.

Key Takeaways:

- Attribution is often oversimplified and can mislead marketing decisions.
- The pressure to measure everything can stifle cr...

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 iconic guests like Timi and Talya, alongside a passionate plea for marketers to stop settling for 35K manager roles and to demand better buying experiences. Plus, Ruta reveals her unfiltered LinkedIn comment philosophy, while Emma dreams up Lin...

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 into the delicate dance between performance marketing and brand building, why sales and marketing are like peanut butter and jelly (yes, they belong together), and how ignoring your customer’s needs is a...

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 collateral damage of BS metrics. Spoiler: it’s costing you revenue and sanity. Plus, we dive into the role of AI in sales (and how it’s failing at inclusivity) and call out the el...

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 they’re a lean team), and shows how to get buy-in from skeptical bosses. From using ChatGPT to kill off mundane tasks to automating Slack reminders, this episode serves as a wake-up ca...

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 essential for marketing to actually do its job.

The conversation highlights the struggle marketers face in getting proper investment, battling unrealistic expectations, and setting boundaries with the C-suite. They call out fake engagement on social media and why...

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 the chaos of translating customer comms for international markets and gives her two cents on the nonstop online “advice” around product marketing. Spoiler: not all of it is worth your time.

They...

In this episode, Emma, Ruta, and Greg Landon take on the rollercoaster that is global marketing. Think juggling time zones, dodging cultural landmines, and realizing pretty quickly that a one-size-fits-all strategy is a no-go. They chat about how to tailor your messaging for different markets, why just translating your English tagline won’t cut it, and the massive importance of local market research (hint: you can’t just wing it). Greg spills some behind-the-scenes stories, like how Starbucks tiptoed into Italy’s hardcore coffee culture and actually made it work. If you're ready to take your brand worldwide (without fallin...

In this episode, Emma, Ruta, and Olga Karanikos tackle the wild ride that is building a career in marketing. Spoiler: there’s no neat, defined path here. They dive into why being a jack-of-all-trades (aka a Renaissance marketer) can be your secret weapon, how to show leadership without a fancy title, and why your stack of certifications might not matter as much as you think. Plus, they share tips on managing bad bosses, the shift from marketing as a cost center to revenue driver, and the cringe-worthy trend of marketers jumping on outdated bandwagons.

Takeaways:

In this episode, Emma and Ruta are joined by the brilliant Shana Pearlman, a seasoned content and brand leader with a journalism background. Shana spills her marketing confession about an expensive mishap with a video vendor (oops!) and then dives into why interviewing is a skill every marketer needs in their toolkit. Whether it’s talking to customers or getting the scoop from subject matter experts, the art of interviewing is all about breaking through the fear and tapping into stories that matter. Expect real talk on how to actually listen, ask the right questions, and use interviewing to st...

In this episode, Emma and Ruta team up with the marketing team from the Technology for Marketing and eCommerce Expo London, to spill all the dirty secrets of conference and event marketing. They’re calling out the most common mistakes vendors make—like thinking it’s enough to just show up and pitch products. Spoiler: It’s not.

This episode is packed with tips on how to actually engage with your audience, work hand-in-hand with the event’s marketing team, and turn your boring booth into the talk of the expo. Personalization, interactive experiences, and valuable content are the na...

In this episode, Emma and Ruta get real about how Blame it on Marketing went from an idea to a podcast that’s actually, somehow, is working out. This episode serves as their complete playbook, laying out everything they’ve done so far—from costs and time investment to mistakes, tech stack, and all the hard-earned lessons along the way.

They talk about how they built a community and how those in-person events have been more than just an excuse to hang out. There’s a lot of talk about perseverance—because, let’s be honest, we’ve all thought...

In this episode, Maddie and Megan talk to us about guerrilla marketing and its punchy impact on B2B brands. They’re talking about why playing it safe won’t cut it anymore, and why bold, creative, and downright unconventional tactics are the way forward. From branded beers to cheeky merch, they break down some of their campaigns that made waves and sparked serious buzz. They also dig into the fears that come with going guerrilla, like ticking off your audience or getting pushback from the higher-ups. The key takeaway? You need a safe space to experiment if you want...

Emma and Ruta get real about what it's like to be a woman in the marketing industry. Joined by their guest, Beth Crowe, they tackle everything from gender bias and the motherhood penalty to the glaring lack of women in leadership. They’re spilling the tea on the double standards, sharing personal war stories, and shining a light on why diversity and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords—they’re necessities. The conversation doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff, like the self-doubt and competition that can trip women up, and the boys' club mentality that’s still hanging around. But...

In this episode, Emma and Ruta dive into the world of marketing generalists with their guest, Michelle Boland. They kick things off by defining what it means to be a generalist and how it stacks up against being a specialist. Spoiler alert: specialists aren’t always the top dogs!

Michelle dishes out her top 10 must-have skills for generalists, including everything from learning agility and marketing planning to data analysis and brand governance. The trio chats about the unique challenges generalists face, especially when juggling a bit of everything.

They also tackle the myth that generalists ar...

We're diving into why learning and development aren't just nice-to-haves for marketers—they're our responsibility. Our fabulous guests, Robyn Hartley and Tom Blake dish on why staying sharp isn’t just for your boss's benefit but for your personal growth too. We chat about making learning intentional, carving out time for it (yes, even in your busy schedule), and focusing on what truly sparks your interest.

We’re balancing the art of playing to your strengths while also stretching that skillset to keep pace with the ever-evolving marketing landscape. Spoiler alert: it's up to YOU to take charge...

In this episode, we tackle the monumental shift towards video marketing and why business are still struggling to make video in 2024. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have exploded in popularity, and Jess shares her expert insights on the hurdles businesses face in creating video content. We're talking about the fear of imperfection, the misalignment between senior leadership and marketing teams, and how brands like Duolingo and Ryanair are nailing it. Video is no longer a nice-to-have; it's a must-have, and we’re here to help you embrace it with open arms.

Finally, we dive into the nitty-gritty of...

Emma and Ruta discuss why marketing isn't just about vibes with guest Jane Stecyk, the SVP of Marketing at Mighty Networks. They explore the challenges marketers face in articulating the value of their ideas and the importance of data-driven decision-making. They emphasise the need to move beyond subjective opinions and focus on measurable outcomes. The conversation also touches on the significance of asking the right questions, conveying messages effectively to stakeholders, and aligning marketing efforts with the wider business goals. Building relationships and effective communication are crucial in remote work.

Takeaways

- Marketing is not...

Ruta and Emma discuss common marketing cliches and unpack their true meanings. 
They explore phrases like 'Can we just...' and 'Content is king' and provide ideas on how to handle these situations. They also discuss the phrase 'It depends' and why it is important for marketers to use it. The conversation highlights the need for marketers to be honest, realistic, and focused on providing value to their audience.  This is a live recording with additional points added in by the lovely audience.

Takeaways:

Ruta and Emma, alongside the Advocitude team discuss the importance of campaigns in marketing and the challenges that come with them. The conversation highlights the key elements of a successful campaign, including a clear message, targeted audience, and measurement metrics. Creating great campaigns comes with the benefits of consistent messaging, brand awareness, and providing valuable information to potential customers. The conversation explores the value of consistency and credibility in marketing campaigns. There's also a little Harry Potter thrown in for good measure.

Takeaways

- Campaigns are essential in marketing as they allow for a consistent...

Emma and Ruta are joined by Liam Currie, Content Creator, Actor and Writer to discuss the importance of injecting personality into company social media pages. They explore why many companies are hesitant to push the boundaries and showcase their true voice. The fear of getting canceled, jeopardising reputation, and dividing the audience are some of the concerns that hold companies back. The conversation highlights the benefits of building trust, engaging with the audience, and creating a unique brand identity through social media.

Takeaways

- Injecting personality into company social media pages can help differentiate the...

Emma, Ruta, and guest Jade Faulconbridge (Founder of Attributed Marketing) discuss the importance of marketing tech stack and marketing operations. They highlight the need for a holistic approach to marketing technology, including data, technology, processes, and people. They also discuss the challenges of disconnected tech solutions and the importance of marketing and sales alignment. Jade shares her insights on how to prioritise and improve marketing operations within a business.

Takeaways

- Marketing tech stack and marketing operations are crucial for effective and efficient marketing.
- A holistic approach is needed, including data, technology, processes...

Ruta and Emma discuss the challenges of doing more marketing with less resources with Sam, CMO of Dealfront and Stephen, Partnerships Manager at Dealfront. Whilst marketing budgets are shrinking expectations of growth are not. We also highlight the dangers of cutting back on marketing and the importance of balancing long-term and short-term marketing strategies. As well as the value of partnerships in tough times and provide insights on how marketers can maintain calm and set realistic expectations.

Takeaways

- Regular meetings with different teams help align partnerships with business goals.
- There is a...

Emma and Ruta are joined by Matthew Wahlrab, CEO of RapidAlpha, to discuss intellectual property for marketers and the trademark 'drama' that went down over the last 12 months in regards to Blame it on Marketing itself.  They discuss what marketers should know when it comes to IP and use the BIOM trademark experience to give specific pointers and actions.

Takeaways:

- Intellectual property is crucial for marketers and should be given more attention.
- Freelancers should clarify ownership of content through contracts.
- Evidence is essential in IP disputes to establish credibility and p...

In this episode, Jessica and Gina from MEDDICC Media discuss their roles as Chief Media Officer and Head of Media, respectively, and how they have built a media empire within their startup. They explain that media is a core part of their strategy and that they see media as an umbrella term that encompasses all aspects of their business. They emphasise the importance of providing value first and focusing on revenue as the main metric. They also discuss the balance between marketing and media, the role of freelancers, and the importance of data and metrics in their work.
<...

Emma and Ruta are joined by Tyler Lessard, ex-VP of Marketing at Vidyard, and Will Aitken, ex-Vidyard & ex-Lavender B2B Sales Influencer, to talk about brands building themselves on the backs of B2B influencers.

They talk about the change of influencers from thought leaders and the risks and rewards of hiring in-house influencers and the delicate balance between personal and corporate brand as well as the challenges influencers staying relevant.

Tyler and Will will share their views on compensating influencers and internal creators and how to ensure you set up right from the get...

Timi Olotu, the Chief Revenue Officer at Charlie HR, joins Emma and Ruta to discuss the role of a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). They explore the common misconception that CROs are solely focused on sales and neglect other functions. Timi emphasises the importance of collaboration between sales, marketing, customer success, and product teams to drive revenue growth. He also highlights the need for CROs to focus on creating value for customers and understanding market dynamics. The conversation concludes with insights on metrics and accountability for CROs and the potential for CEOs to excel in the CRO role.

<...

Emma and Ruta discuss the importance of buyer experience in B2B marketing. They highlight the challenges in prioritising buyer experience, such as the self-centered B2B sales approach and the focus on the wrong conversion rate levers. 

The conversation also explores the disconnect between company messaging and customer needs, as well as the lack of collaboration between marketing and product teams. Ruta and Emma highlight the need for companies to focus on buyer experience in order to stay competitive and avoid potential business failure. 

Takeaways

In this episode Emma and Ruta are joined by the '2 Pizza Marketing' Podcast hosts Ashley McGovern and Melissa Moody. We discuss efficient small marketing teams and the importance of balancing workload and priorities. Ashley and Melissa share tips on how to manage time and tasks effectively, including using systems and processes, setting boundaries, and getting agreements from team members. 

Takeaways

- Learn how to say no
- Find ways to work collaboratively
- Create systems that allow you to prioritise what you need to work on
- Take great i...

Ruta and Emma are joined, again, by Brian Fraser to discuss the difficulty of landing a first marketing job and provide tips for success. We emphasise the importance of doing research, networking, and tailoring CVs to stand out in a competitive market. We also highlight the value of portfolios and side hustles in showcasing marketing skills and experience. The hosts acknowledge that marketing is a broad field with diverse opportunities, and they encourage job seekers to market themselves effectively and demonstrate their passion for the industry. 

Takeaways

In this episode, Emma and Ruta are joined by Rob Boyle and Jonny Kenyon from the Marketing Dribble Podcast to discuss the difference between in-house marketers and external marketers. 

They explore the reasons for conflict between the two groups, including differences in perspective and goals, also the pros and cons of both in-house and external marketers. Ultimately, the effectiveness of in-house or external marketers depends on the specific situation and industry. 

Takeaways

Emma and Ruta discuss conversion rate optimisation (CRO) with Greg Landon, Head of Marketing at Leadoo. They explore the importance of CRO in 2023 and why it is often overlooked by marketers. They also discuss the tension between SEO and CRO and how they can work together. Greg highlights the role of personalisation, ease, and interactivity in CRO and shares practical examples. 

Takeaways

Emma and Ruta are joined by guest Clark Barron, Founder of Demand Gen Therapy, to tackle the issues around marketing becoming sales. They try to decipher what marketers are really selling and the importance of the 'why' in marketing.

The conversation emphasizes the need for marketers to demand a seat at the table and advocate for themselves, ensuring clear lines of communication and the ability to speak the language of different stakeholders. The key takeaway is to take action and have the confidence to do what is necessary to be effective in the role of a marketer. <...

Ruta and Emma welcome Lea Turner, a LinkedIn expert and trainer with over 160k followers. Lea shares her unique journey, evolving from a small business owner to a LinkedIn marketing specialist. The discussion centers around the significance of niching down in marketing and the balance between being a generalist and a specialist.

Lea emphasises the importance of specialisation, particularly for self-employed individuals, and shares her experience transitioning to LinkedIn training during the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about maintaining authenticity on LinkedIn, dealing with inappropriate messages, and the power of personal branding in attracting diverse clients and talent.<...

Join us for a rollercoaster of revelations as we dive deep into the world of sales and marketing pipelines! Marisa Kacary, Global CMO in the proffesional services industry and Ollie Shape, VP of Sales at Abicum, help us explore the tension between quantity and quality in pipeline building. Say goodbye to the notion of a 5x pipeline.

We'll also shine a spotlight on the often-overlooked misalignment between revenue and profitability, the feat of scaling your pipeline, and the alignement needed to have an understanding between sales and marketing teams.

Our experts will share their golden...

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People (IIP) joins Emma and Ruta to talk about brand. Although both Emma and Ruta find it a hard topic to stomach, Paul shares his experience of being a very well known brand and why that wasn't enough to make Investors in People the success it is today! This is an interesting episode since most brands have the opposite problem, but Paul and Emma talk us though how they are tackling this. Paul also shares his best tips as a CEO on how to make your marketing team thrive.
 
Join the B...

Ruta and Emma go through many confessions that B2B marketers left on their stand during the two day B2B Marketing Expo at the Excel. They include PPC mistakes, sales annoyances and also wrong email to wrong people. They also pick a winner to recieve a podcast headphone and microphone!

Join the Blame it on Marketing community!

Get in touch for sponsorship at ruta@sudmant.com or emma@advocitude.com

Nina Müller, Director at Ethical Commerce Alliance (and podcast host) joins Emma and Ruta for a meta episode about making podcasts. They discuss some of the stats around podcasts and that it takes to be in the 1% of podcast publishers, as well as all the tips and tricks you should consider before diving in. Whether you want to start a podcast for yourself or for your organisation, this is a great listen.
 
Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

Alice Edwards, Director of Customer Success and Klenda Martinez-Gasbarro,
Customer Marketing Manager joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk everything customers! They discuss why companies are so reluctant to invest in customer marketing, even though its proven to be a great source of revenue, why customer marketing goes wrong and why there's fear and tension between Customer Success and Marketing (of any sort). 
 
Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or...

Courtney Glymph, PR Legend and Founder of YourStoryPR joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk the realities of PR in B2B businesses. We discuss what makes for interesting PR and how that can be achieved in B2B, where ego fits in or gets in the way of good work, and how to work together with a PR agency to get the most out of your investment.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in...

Tom Boston, Brand Awareness Manager at Salesloft joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about social selling from a sales persons perspective. We discuss what the future of working in sales is, what you can do to start social selling, how marketing should be involved (and be useful) and most importantly the leadership and accountability support that will make your employees flourish at social selling.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

Come join us at B2B Marketing Expo on the 29-30th of November in Excel London. We will be at stand L76 ready with snacks, port, stickers and would love to chat and share some marketing confessions. We will also be interviewing the Founder of Girls in Marketing, Olivia Hanlon.

The tickets are free! Grab them here!
https://www.b2bmarketingexpo.co.uk/

Stuart Hearn, Founder of Clear Review joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about what happens when a CEO gets marketing. Stuart shares his experience with marketing in his previous business and why he knew starting early at Clear Review was the right call. He also shares his tips on leadership when it comes to working with other functions.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looki...

Lottie Unwin, Founder of Up World & Brand Hackers joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about marketing foundations, specifically when it comes to startups. They discuss two scenarios where this happens, typically right at the beginning of a marketing effort and then once expansion starts. There's lots of personal tips for marketers to ensure you drive the right behaviour in your startup as well as information for founders on how to hire and lead strategically for the best outcomes.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the ma...

Dan Lubetsky, Product Marketing, GTM, and AI Consultant at Sky Strategies , joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about AI! The scary scary world of AI in marketing. Just jesting we actually talk about how to utilise AI in your marketing teams to do more of the right things and new things that you were previously unable to do. Whilst we don't go into any platforms specifically we do talk about policy and leadership management when it comes to starting to use AI at work.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

Jonathan Bland, Co-founder of Omni Lab Consulting, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about the world of PPC advertising specifically in the B2B space. We talk about the expectations senior leaders often have when it comes to PPC performance, proper measurement and what are some of the common mistakes marketers make.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drive...

Ruta and Emma take turns in triggering each other with marketing scenarios – based on real life events.  We talk about TAM, not being able to do your job, bad sales and marketing alignment and more. All this accompanied by some light drinking. This is a really fun and light episode if you need a good giggle.

Join the Blame it on Marketing community!

Matthew Feenan, Sales Development Director at Revcelerate, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about the wonderful world of outbound sales, specifically to meeting booking function that SDR's play. We talk about the importance of both outbound and marketing collaborating for optimal results, what happens when one or the other is dropped and the expectations one should have when setting up outbound teams.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or pr...

Amira Kohler, Performance and Change Management Expert, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about the conflict that arose when they worked together at Clear Review due to the different expectations and experiences between marketers and SME's. Ruta and Amira candidly speak about their fall out during their time working together and what they did to resolve the conflict and build a very successful working relationship, not only between them but also the whole marketing department.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Bl...

Justin Rowe, Founder and CMO at Impactable, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about why some marketing projects, jobs or initiatives are just doomed to fail. Emma and Justin share their experiences and what they have done to mitigate risks both from a marketer and a senior leader perspective. We touch on marketing specialisation, skills, comms and budget.

Join the Blame it on Marketing Community (FREE)

Follow Justin on LinkedIn

Brian Fraser, Head of Marketing and Digital Recruitment at Nine Twenty Recruitment, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about red flags when looking for a new marketing role or hiring a new marketer. He tells us more about the current hiring market as well as sharing his tips on what to look out for and do if you're looking for a new job. In the second half of the podcast, we dig into interview questions, talking about vulnerability and asking financials questions in order to understand a business as well as you can before accepting a...

Liam Bartholomew, VP of Marketing at Cognism, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode to talk about how we get marketing and sales aligned. Liam shares all the work they did at Cognism to ensure that the sales and marketing team are working on the same goals and for the same team. The answer to much of this is Revenue. If you ever felt the need to improve your alignment (hence the dentistry joke) this is the one for you.

Dana Alvarenga , VP of CX at SlapFive, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode that is really just one big advocacy session for customer advocacy. It's sometimes known as customer marketing or potentially 'the people who can give us a reference' but it's so much more than that. Dana together with Emma really focus on how to start a great customer advocacy programme, how to measure it and make sure it aligns to your companies strategy and who should be involved.

Alina Vandenberghe, Co-founder and CMO at Chili Piper, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode that explores the 'new' world of product led growth and marketing. Alina breaks down the ways they have been implementing product led growth in Chili Piper and her best advice on how to take back that elusive Product 'P' (4Ps of marketing). Watch this if you are curious to know what you can do to push your organisation in this direction.

Kiran Mehta, VC Investor at Mercia Asset Management, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode that digs into what the board and investors want to see from marketing and why senior marketing positions are often short lived in SaaS startups. Kiran shares his tips and experiences on how to impress your board members as well as some things for both marketers and founders to think about before they spend any marketing budget.

Vladimir Blagojević, Co-Founder of FullFunnel.io, joins Emma and Ruta for an episode that might seem to most marketers like 'old news' and that's because it's on the topic of Demand Generation. BUT most companies are still not doing demand generation and are stuck in lead generation programmes so we must be missing something. Vlad shares his best practical tips on how to start a successful demand gen programme, how to sell in, test and also get sales on your side.

Here are some posts that Vlad has written which also helps understand the points made in t...

Emma and Ruta celebrate their birthdays with 'marketing presents' and also talk about the notion of marketing being a 'fun squad' and what that means when it comes to events. They share their stories on great and horrible event experiences and give some perspective into 'why does marketing get stuck with all the events'. 

We also share some tips on how to make business and internal events run smoother and ensure that your marketers are feeling appreciated.

Lucie Ilbury, occupational psychologist, joins Emma and Ruta for a meta episode of 'Blame it on Marketing' to talk about why is it that marketing get blamed. We talk about psychological safety, if there is something innately wrong with marketers and whether we are actually getting blamed? 

If you are interested in becoming better leaders, improving your teams creativity and phycological safety this is THE episode for you.

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional servic...

Peter Benei, Founder of Leadership Anywhere, joins Ruta and Emma to talk about personal brand, specifically in the B2B space. We discuss the ethics of 'expertise', the challenges of building your own brand but more importantly the challenges of getting your CEO's and Founders to commit to building their brand. Peter shares his expertise from working with Start-ups and Scale-ups and how he has seen the power of personal branding develop.

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and l...

Chris Walker (the OG one), Director at JoeMule, an animation studio, join Ruta and Emma to talk all things B2B video. We chat about why everyone wants to create more video in B2B and why making a demo video and putting paid ads behind it probably won't be the silver bullet you wanted. Chris shares with us his experience of good and bad video outcomes and his top tips to making sure you get the right outcomes when working with an animation or video agency!

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it...

Steffen Hedebrandt Co-founder and CMO of DreamData join Ruta and Emma to talk about leads! We talk about where the 'we need more leads' panic comes from and how sometimes it can be misleading to go after volume. We also dig into ICP and ABM as well as sales and marketing relationships. This is a fab episode for those wanting to learn more about how to generate leads that close!

Blog from DreamData that shares tips on Marketing and Sales alignment:
https://dreamdata.io/blog/10-ways-to-align-sales-and-marketing

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants be...

In this episode of the Blame it on Marketing podcast Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant and Emma Davies of Advocitude talk about how to look after yourself as a marketer or your marketers in order to prevent it. They also cover why marketing is prone to burn out and the externally motivated nature of marketers and the work they do. 

Ettie Holland of HR Tech Copy and Emily Wood of Words by Emily join Ruta and Emma to talk all things content. Ettie represents the B2B and Emily the B2C side of content and we discuss: what is content marketing, what mistakes companies make and how to get the most out of your content.

Connect with Ettie and Emily using the links below:
Ettie Holland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ettieholland/
Emily Wood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywood89/

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Ma...

Tim Cameron-Kitchen, Owner and SEO Expert at ExposureNinja joins Ruta and Emma again to discuss why so many companies have had negative experiences with marketing agencies. He gives tips on how to find an agency that is right for you and the questions you should be asking yourself and them. 

Connect with Tim here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timcameronkitchen/

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional services and looking to do marketing that actually drives...

Ben Goodey of 'How the F*ck', an SEO community joins hosts Emma Davies of Advocitude and Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant to discuss the topic of community building for B2B business.  Most B2B business pine for 'communities' but don't necessarily have the understanding, patience or resource to build them. We discuss what makes good and bad communities, what it takes to get the right type of engagement and of course the need for leads and quick results.

Check out 'How the F*uck' if you want to learn about incredible SEO growth stories.

W...

Ade Risidore  joins hosts Emma Davies of Advocitude and Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant to discuss the topic of sign off. Most marketers in their career have bumped heads with bad sign-off situations and it often leads to vanilla marketing efforts and lots of frustration. We dig into stakeholder management, micromanagers and ways to set up editing and ideation processes that work!

Dan Montagu, PPC/ Performance Marketer at Unmind with Tim Cameron-Kitchen, Owner and SEO Expert at ExposureNinja and Courtney Glymph, Founder and PR Expert at YourStory PR join Ruta and Emma in an all out war of an episode. They ask each other all the spicy questions that they have heard before and dig into the value of each of their specialisms. 

*No marketers were harmed in the making of this episode*

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS or professional servic...

Timi Olotu, Director of Revenue at CharlieHR and Founder of òtító joins hosts Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant and Emma Davies of Advocitude to discuss the topic of virtue signaling that can be expected of marketing teams. They talk about the recent World Cup controversy, greenwashing, and the neuro-diversity hiring trends. Why are marketing teams expected to comment on these issues or even make them the center of their campaigns and most importantly is it even appropriate?

We’re Ruta and Emma, the marketing consultants behind Blame it on Marketing. 

If you’re in B2B SaaS o...

Lewis Staples, Senior Sales Director at StaffCircle joins hosts Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant and Emma Davies of Advocitude to discuss the topic of relying on marketing interns to run marketing teams. They discuss why this can be detrimental to a company and the intern themselves and when and how you should be recruiting interns for the best chances of success.

In this episode of the Blame it on Marketing podcast Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant and Emma Davies of Advocitude give you a proper introduction to themselves and their experience and discuss their New Year marketing and personal resolutions. 

Also check out this blog with lots of other marketers: https://budget.sudmant.com/2022/12/19/5-marketing-predictions-and-resolutions-for-2023-from-the-people-who-actually-do-marketing/

Ian MacRae, Workplace Psychologist and Author of 'Dark Social', 'Myths of Social Media', and 'High Potential' joins hosts Ruta Sudmantaite of Sudmant and Emma Davies of Advocitude to discuss the topic of toxic thought leadership online. They talk about the difference between Influencers and Thought Leaders and push for founders and senior leaders to be seen as 'thought leaders' in the industry and why that can be ethically questionable.