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

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

Content marketing is changing, and Joe and Robert believe the traditional model may finally be reaching the end of the road.
In this special episode of This Old Marketing, the guys look ahead to the state of content marketing in 2027 and present two different, but complementary, models for what comes next.
Joe goes deep on the Trust Portfolio, a strategy for organizations to build a diversified collection of trusted human voices instead of relying almost entirely on the corporate brand. He walks through how companies can identify the audiences where trust matters most, find the right people to serve them and build human-led content franchises designed to create ongoing audience relationships.
Robert introduces The Plural Brand, his framework for a world where AI makes every company capable of producing polished, professional and increasingly similar content. Instead of trying to manufacture one perfectly consistent brand voice, Robert argues that organizations need distinctiveness, multiple credible human voices and the ability to earn trust one audience at a time.
Two frameworks. Two perspectives. One big question: What does content marketing become when creating more content is no longer the answer?
Resources from the episode
Joe Pulizzi: How to Build a Trust Portfolio
Includes the full article, the free Trust Portfolio Field Guide and the companion Trust Portfolio Worksheet.
https://www.thetilt.com/marketing/how-to-build-a-trust-portfolio
Robert Rose: The Plural Brand
Includes Robert's free Plural Brand eBook.
https://www.seventhbear.com/the-plural-brand/
-------
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