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

Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose
  • 4.7 (169)
  • Marketing
  • Weekly

Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose, two of the most well-known experts in the content marketing space, talk about the latest content marketing trends and discuss how businesses can use content to attract and retain customers. Each podcast show features a discussion of content marketing headlines, rants from Joe and Robert on what's going on in the industry, and a "This Old Marketing" example from the past (that we can learn from). Always useful, entertaining and never more than 60 minutes.

  1. 2d ago

    Is the Open Web Closing? plus Midterm Marketing Trends

    The internet is changing, and not necessarily for the better. Reddit is preparing to put more of its content behind a login wall. Meanwhile, two new studies reveal something surprising about the midterm elections. Americans are increasingly turning to content creators for election information, but very few are asking AI chatbots. Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose discuss what these changes mean for marketers, publishers, creators, and anyone trying to build an audience they can actually reach. Creators Are Winning the News Battle Nearly two-thirds of American adults say they get information about the 2026 midterms from online creators, while just 8% report using AI chatbots for election information. Joe and Robert examine what this means for traditional news organizations, the creator economy, and the future of audience trust. Reddit Is Closing the Doors Reddit plans to experiment with requiring users to log in as Google search referrals decline. More than one million weekly search referrals have disappeared, and Reddit's CEO is questioning whether AI-powered search delivers traffic to anyone. Is this the beginning of the end for the open web? Robert's Loser: Instagram's Creator Payment Strategy Instagram is reportedly offering select YouTube creators as much as $500,000 to bring long-form videos to its platform. Meanwhile, Instagram leadership maintains that broadly paying creators doesn't deliver a positive return. Robert examines the contradiction between attracting established stars and creating a sustainable business model for everyday creators. Joe's Winner: Prof G Turns Election Coverage Into a Subscription Opportunity Scott Galloway and the Prof G team are offering five days of free live election coverage, along with a special 26% discount on Prof G+ subscriptions. Joe explains why this is a smart example of connecting timely content, community, and a paid subscription business. Robert's Rant: Where Are All the AI Shopping Agents? DoorDash reports receiving only several hundred orders through third-party AI agents, despite handling millions of deliveries each day. Is agentic commerce the next great shopping revolution, or are marketers confusing future potential with present reality? Joe's Rave: Denmark's Message to America A Facebook page called Denmark has attracted attention with its humorous, pointed message to American voters about democracy and the importance of participating in elections. Joe discusses the power of personality, humor, and a distinctive point of view to communicate something meaningful. ---- Want to start building something that matters? Joe's free 21-Day Challenge gives you 21 simple ideas to help you take action, create consistently, and make progress toward something important. Get started at thetilt.com/21. Main Stories Creators Become a Major Source of Midterm Election Information Pew Research: Few Americans Use AI Chatbots for Election Information Axios: Reddit Moves Toward a Logged-In Experience Winners and Losers Instagram Offers YouTube Creators Up to $500,000 Colin and Samir Interview Raises Creator Payment Questions Prof G: Midterms and Live Election Coverage Rants and Raves TechCrunch: DoorDash's AI Shopping Agent Numbers Denmark Facebook Page ------- 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

  2. Oct 30

    The AI Numbers Are Getting Ridiculous

    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

  3. Oct 23

    When Marketing Goes Too Far [Elon, Vivek and Forrester]

    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

  4. Oct 16

    Is ChatGPT Becoming Google? (554)

    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

  5. Oct 9

    The Biggest Changes in Marketing: AMA Special Episode

    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

  6. Oct 2

    The Marketing of AI Acceptance: The Different Paths of OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta

    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

  7. Sep 25

    The State of Content Marketing 2027: What Comes Next

    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

  8. Sep 18

    Is Blogging Dead or Mostly Dead?

    Joe and Robert kick off the show with a question that's getting harder to ignore: when the CEOs building the world's most powerful AI systems start saying development may need to slow down, how concerned should everyone else be? New warnings from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman bring the AI safety debate back to the forefront. Then the guys dig into some troubling new content marketing research from Andy Crestodina and Orbit Media. Of 1,042 marketers surveyed, just 14% say their blogs deliver strong results. AI may be making content faster and easier to produce, but the strategies most closely associated with strong performance, including original research, expert collaboration and human editing, are actually being used less often. Meanwhile, Perplexity is going big on creators, working with hundreds of influencers and running campaigns involving more than 100 creators and multi-million-dollar budgets. Is this further proof that as AI makes content creation cheaper, trusted human voices become even more valuable? Joe's marketing winner is Meta and its work showing how Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can help blind and low-vision users gain more independence. Robert's marketing loser is Nike, which is being removed from the S&P 100 after 18 years as the company struggles with a dramatic decline in market value. Robert raves about HBO's new DC series Lanterns, while Joe recommends Harlan Coben's new book, Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft, part memoir and part practical look at the realities of the writing process. Episode Links: AI CEOs revive debate over risks to humanity Andy Crestodina's content marketing research Perplexity is betting big on creators Meta AI glasses for blind veterans Nike's S&P 100 removal and Dow concerns Lanterns on HBO Harlan Coben's Plot Twist Subscribe and Follow: Follow Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose on LinkedIn for insights, hot takes, and weekly updates from the world of content and 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.joepulizzi.com/signup/. 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

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4.7
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Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose, two of the most well-known experts in the content marketing space, talk about the latest content marketing trends and discuss how businesses can use content to attract and retain customers. Each podcast show features a discussion of content marketing headlines, rants from Joe and Robert on what's going on in the industry, and a "This Old Marketing" example from the past (that we can learn from). Always useful, entertaining and never more than 60 minutes.

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