This Old Marketing - News Podcast Weekly with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose

The business of content is changing, and the numbers are getting ridiculous. In this episode of This Old Marketing, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose break down Anthropic's eye-popping IPO filing and what it tells us about the future of AI. Next, Instagram is testing videos up to 90 minutes long. Is every social platform trying to become YouTube? Finally, the U.S. Small Business Administration officially recognizes content creators within its small-business classification system. What does this mean for the future of creator entrepreneurship? In winners and losers, Joe celebrates Pauly Shore's viral horror short Remain Calm, and what it teaches us about reinvention, creative risks, and finding an audience. Meanwhile, Robert applauds Apple Music for showcasing the human creativity behind its new brand identity. In rants and raves, Robert tackles the growing confusion between citations and brand mentions in AI search. Meanwhile, Joe raves about Noah Smith's fascinating look at how AI could usher in a golden age of scientific discovery. Plus: Joe introduces The Tilt's free 21-day challenge, featuring 21 ideas to help you think differently, take action, and make meaningful changes in your life and work. Get started at thetilt.com/21. Links from the show Main stories Anthropic's S-1 Is Wild: The New York Times Instagram Tests Feature Film-Length Videos: The Hollywood Reporter SBA Officially Recognizes Content Creators: U.S. Small Business Administration Winners, rants and raves Joe's Winner: Pauly Shore's Viral Horror Short Remain Calm, iHorror Robert's Winner: How Apple Music Created Its New Brand Mark, Marketing Brew Joe's Rave: A Golden Age of Science Is Coming, Noah Smith Robert's Rant: Citations vs. Mentions in AI Search The Tilt 21-Day Challenge 21 Ideas in 21 Days ------- This week's sponsor:Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their AEO and customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.thetilt.com/join-tilt-newsletter Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

Is Elon Musk a marketing genius, or has Tesla officially crossed the line from hype into overpromising? Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose kick off the episode with Tesla's latest flying-car demonstration and talk about the real reason for Elon's stunt and what he could have done differently. Next, the duo digs into two fascinating research reports from Anthropic. Why do the people building AI have such radically different expectations for the future than the general public? And what is AI already doing to jobs inside Anthropic itself? Joe and Robert explore what these findings mean for marketers, employees, and the future of business. It's a heated debate. In winners and losers, Robert names Braze his winner and Salesforce his loser following Salesforce's multibillion-dollar acquisition announcement. Joe examines the controversial political advertisement from Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio gubernatorial campaign, asking an important question: Just because you can do something in advertising, does that mean you should? Finally, in rants and raves, Robert takes aim at Forrester's latest agency predictions, including its forecast that 20% of independent agencies will face acquisition, downsizing, or closure in 2027. Joe celebrates his friend Matt Wilkinson's new academic research exploring the Trust Portfolio concept and the growing importance of human relationships in marketing. Another can't-miss episode of This Old Marketing! News Stories Elon Musk's Flying Car (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/15/business/tesla-unveils-what-it-says-is-a-flying-car Anthropic: Expectations for the Future: https://www.anthropic.com/research/expectations-for-the-future Anthropic: Employment at Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/research/employment-at-anthropic Winners and Losers Salesforce Announces Braze Acquisition: https://investor.salesforce.com/news/news-details/2026/Salesforce-Signs-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-Braze/default.aspx Ramaswamy Campaign's Controversial Ohio Ad (New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/us/politics/ramaswamy-acton-ad-ohio.html Rants and Raves Robert's Rant: Forrester Predicts Independent Agency Sector Will Shrink 20% (MediaPost): https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/418896/forrester-predicts-that-indie-agency-sector-will-s.html Joe's Rave: Matt Wilkinson's Trust Portfolio Academic Research: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/16/10/520 ------- This week's sponsor:Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their AEO and customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.thetilt.com/join-tilt-newsletter Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

Three stories about platforms, advertising, and control. Are tech companies doing anything surprising, or are marketers simply expecting these platforms to act against their own interests? 1. ChatGPT Expands Advertising Angle: Are we making too big a deal about AI advertising? Google already mixes AI recommendations with advertising. Consumers seem comfortable with it. Why should ChatGPT be different? Do people see ChatGPT as a trusted adviser or simply another search engine? The YouTube strategy: Could advertising intentionally make the free experience less attractive so more people upgrade? Question: Is ChatGPT advertising a threat to trust, or just the next version of Google Search? 2. Google Changes Its Content Guidance Angle: Visibility is the new traffic. Marketers are realizing that appearing in Google doesn't necessarily mean getting a click. Content discovery is becoming a brand play, not just a traffic play. The challenge is measurement. How do we demonstrate value when people see our brand but never visit our website? Question: If nobody clicks, how do we know our content marketing is working? And does it matter? 3. Meta Bans TikTok Advertising Angle: Why should Meta promote its competition? Meta is a private company. Why should it help TikTok grow? Isn't it perfectly reasonable to protect your own platform? The wrinkle: What about third-party brands trying to promote their own TikTok content? Question: Is this starting the banning war of 2027? Marketing Winners and Losers Robert's Winner/Loser: Publicis The Day the CEO Stopped Being Scared. Publicis is bypassing traditional agency pitches and selling AI transformation directly to anxious CEOs. Robert says this is a long-term loss and no way to sell trust. Joe's Loser: Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian has talented onboard performers but isn't doing enough to build them into creators and influencers. A missed opportunity to grow audiences, build loyalty, and attract talent. Rants and Raves Robert's Rant: AI Cute-Washing Cute is the worst way to sell long-term trust. Joe's Rave: Sylvester Stallone's Memoir Stallone's life, career, persistence, and creative journey. Article Links ChatGPT Expands Advertising | Mashable Google Changes Its Content Guidance | MarTech Meta Bans TikTok Ads in Seven Countries | TechRepublic Publicis Is Selling Directly to AI-Anxious CEOs | Digiday Big Tech Is Cutewashing Its AI Agents | Fast Company ------- This week's sponsor:Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their AEO and customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.thetilt.com/join-tilt-newsletter Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

In this special Ask Me Anything episode of This Old Marketing, Robert and Joe put each other in the hot seat with questions about marketing, business, and how they ended up here. They cover what's changed in marketing over the years, the biggest business decisions of their lives, why Robert does consulting at all, and how Joe started Content Marketing Institute. Along the way, they get a little personal and share some stories you might not have heard before. Stick around until the end. A few of the best questions, and most unexpected answers, have nothing to do with marketing. ------- This week's sponsor:Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their AEO and customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.thetilt.com/join-tilt-newsletter Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

AI is getting more powerful, publishers want their communities back, and marketers are apparently becoming engineers. In this episode of This Old Marketing, Joe and Robert start with OpenAI and the growing concerns around increasingly capable AI systems.  Is it marketing...or theater...or real concerns? The boys lean toward marketing. Then, OpenWeb launches Reddit-style forums that publishers can build directly into their own sites. For years, publishers watched conversations move from their comment sections to platforms like Reddit and Facebook. With search traffic under pressure, could community once again become one of the most important assets publishers own? Marketing Winners and Rants & Raves Joe's Marketing Winner: Meta and Muse Joe gives Meta the win for understanding that AI adoption isn't only a technology problem. It's an emotional one. By associating its AI with a cute, friendly character, Meta is making the technology feel less intimidating and more approachable. Is it brilliant positioning, or the AI equivalent of putting a cartoon character on a cereal box? Robert's Marketing Winner: Visit Sweden Robert gives the win to Visit Sweden and its "Introvert Travel Agency," a campaign built specifically around travelers who would rather avoid crowds, forced social interaction and the traditional tourist experience. Joe's Commentary: Anthropic, Religion and the Marketing of AI Acceptance Joe looks at The New York Times report on Anthropic's private meetings with theologians, philosophers and religious thinkers about Claude, morality and the possibility of AI consciousness. Robert's Rant: The Marketing Engineer The Wall Street Journal looks at the rise of the "marketing engineer," a title for marketers combining AI, automation and traditional marketing judgment. Links OpenAI / Astra safety https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/technology/openai-astra-safety.html OpenWeb launches forums for publishers https://www.axios.com/2026/09/30/openweb-forums-publishers-reddit Joe's Marketing Winner: Meta Muse https://www.theverge.com/column/999999/optimizer-meta-muse-ai-cute Joe's Commentary: Anthropic, Claude and Religion https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/us/anthropic-claude-morals-ai.html Robert's Marketing Winner: Visit Sweden's Introvert Travel Agency https://adage.com/creativity/work/aa-visit-sweden-introvert-travel-agency/ Robert's Rant: Marketers Are Rebranding as Engineers to Survive the AI Era https://www.wsj.com/cmo-today/marketers-are-rebranding-as-engineers-to-survive-the-ai-era-2938574b ------- This week's sponsor:Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their AEO and customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts.  All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more. Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better. ------- Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/ Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/ Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.thetilt.com/join-tilt-newsletter Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/  Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/ ------- This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork