Meet the Blackbirdies: Allison Russell, Account Associate

Welcome to our new series giving you a peek into the big marketing brains of our award-winning team! In the first edition of 2026, we’ll meet an Account Associate who has made leaps and bounds since joining the team in 2024: Allison Russell.

When did you join Blackbird PPC?

I joined Blackbird as an intern in March 2024, and I transitioned to the team full-time in August 2024.

When did you get started in digital marketing (and in what role)?

I got my start in digital marketing during my senior year at Cal Poly SLO, where I completed my senior project on the digital marketing practices of Guide Dogs for the Blind. What I thought I knew about digital marketing changed significantly once I began working at Blackbird, especially on the strategy and execution side.

What do you like most about digital marketing?

What I enjoy most about digital marketing is the constant opportunity to learn and grow. From day one at Blackbird, I’ve learned something new every day. With frequent platform updates and the rapid integration of AI across the industry, the space is always evolving. Being so immersed in the industry has helped me grow as a marketer.

What do you like most about working at Blackbird?

My favorite part about working at Blackbird is the team. Despite being fully remote, we’re incredibly collaborative and always connected. Blackbird has provided me with fantastic mentors and supportive colleagues, and I love how driven everyone is. It creates a positive, motivating environment to grow in.

What’s your favorite accomplishment as a digital marketer?

My favorite moments are when a new strategy starts to perform well. When my team proposes a new campaign structure and we see performance improve, it’s incredibly rewarding. Wins like those reinforce the value of thoughtful strategy and collaboration.

What are you most proud of in your marketing career?

I’m most proud of how much I’ve developed as a marketer since joining Blackbird in March 2024. I’ve come a long way since day one, growing from high-level thinking to a stronger ability to diagnose what’s working and what needs refinement, develop thoughtful strategies, and execute effectively across my clients. That growth has been incredibly rewarding and has given me much more confidence in my work.

What do you think is a common misconception in advertising?

One common misconception in advertising is that the most clever ideas will automatically perform the best. We have seen ideas we thought would be our strongest fail to gain traction, while more unexpected or “moonshot” ideas end up performing extremely well. That’s why testing and iterating on ads is so important: the next unexpected idea could be a winner.

What makes for a good agency culture?

A strong agency culture is built on collaboration and genuine personal connection. Our team starts each week by sharing what we did over the weekend and ends by talking about plans for the upcoming one. We even have a fantasy football league that keeps us chatting in Slack. These moments create a welcoming environment that carries through to how we work with clients, often leading to strong, lasting relationships.

What’s one crazy prediction you have for marketing channels, features, or functionality for the next 12 months?

This prediction might not sound especially crazy, but I think we will start seeing it more and more. Right now, AI is heavily marketed as a differentiator, but I believe that emphasis will begin to fade. AI will still be deeply integrated into marketing tools and workflows, but it will become more table stakes than a differentiator. As it becomes the norm across industries, I expect marketers to shift their focus toward new ways of standing out beyond simply saying they use AI.

When you’re not growing clients, how are you spending your time? 

In my free time, I spend a lot of it being a dog and cat mom. I raise Guide Dogs for the Blind puppies, and my current pup is named Sweden. I often take him to stores, restaurants, hikes, and lakes (his favorite). I’m also a fairly new cat mom, so I spend a lot of time obsessing over my cat, Moose. Outside of that, I go snowboarding every weekend I can and am always crossing my fingers for extra snowy winters ahead!