In this special Thanksgiving edition of This Old Marketing, Joe and Robert dive into the future of AI and what it really means for marketers, creators, and anyone trying to build an audience in the next few years. The boys explore how long traditional marketing roles will remain intact and why we may be much closer to a tipping point than most people want to believe.

Joe and Robert revisit a theme they've both been writing about lately: the shrinking window of time before AI reshapes content, distribution, and discoverability. They break down what creators and marketers can still do right now to secure their position before the landscape shifts for good.

Their take: you have a few years. Maybe less. And waiting is not a strategy.

In a world where AI generates nearly everything instantly, Joe and Robert ask the big question: what will the actual marketing job look like five or ten years from now?

The answer isn't another technical role. It isn't prompt engineering. It isn't "AI operations."

The position of the future is rooted in skills AI can't replicate:

• Being known personally by real people

• Building in-person trust

• Hosting gatherings, leading communities, and showing up in the real world

• Connecting human beings to human beings

If AI floods the world with infinite content, the new scarcity becomes physical presence.

The boys outline the shift every marketer and content entrepreneur must make: from chasing reach to cultivating real connections. From relying on platforms to building owned audiences. From algorithmic exposure to human relationships that cannot be automated.

This special episode is a wake-up call and a roadmap rolled into one.

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, and the episode closes with Joe and Robert reminding listeners that the next few years are arguably the most important years in the history of marketing.

AI will change everything. But it won't replace the marketers who understand what actually makes people move, trust, and gather.

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 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.

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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/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

This week, Joe and Robert cover three major AI stories shaping the creative and marketing landscape.

First, the guys break down the debut of Xania Monet, the first AI-powered artist to land on a Billboard chart. Is this the start of a new music era...or the beginning of the end for human creativity?

Next, they unwrap Coca-Cola's second annual holiday AI ad. But this year, it's not just Coke. Expect a wave of AI-generated holiday campaigns across brands. Joe and Robert debate what this means for creative differentiation and audience connection.

Finally, they analyze Bloomberry's massive study of 180 million jobs, revealing how AI is reshaping the global workplace faster than anyone imagined. Who's safe, who's not, and what can marketers learn from the data?

Winners and Losers:

• Robert's Winner: Gannett's bold rebrand to USA Today—a move that simplifies identity and aligns with its strongest brand equity.

• Joe's Winner: Print media. Joe points out the surprising long-term resilience of print and why physical media might be the next big comeback.

Rants and Raves:

• A new journalism collective forms to sell sponsorships - Robert shares his take on why collaboration is an important way forward for small creators.

• More college students are choosing double majors - Joe digs into what that says about the next generation of marketers.

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 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.

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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/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

It's another wild week in the world of marketing, media, and tech.

First up: Amazon announced yet another round of layoffs, and Joe and Robert dive into the growing trend among the Magnificent 10 companies. Are these just normal business cycles? The result of AI-driven productivity? Or signs of something deeper happening in the global economy?

Then: OpenAI is restructuring to look more like a traditional for-profit company. With Microsoft now owning 27%, the boys debate what this means for control, innovation, and the company's future. Could OpenAI become the world's first trillion-dollar IPO?

Next: Morning Brew acquires a YouTube show about the news — and Joe explains why this is another major example of individual creators getting their work acquired and then integrating themselves into larger organizations.

In Marketing Winners & Losers, Robert dives into K-Pop Demon Hunters, while Joe highlights Elon Musk's Grokipedia.

And in Rants & Raves, Joe shares how email newsletters can literally get you hired, while Robert takes aim at the new WPP–Google AI partnership.

Listen to the full episode for all the analysis, tangents, and laughs you expect from Joe and Robert on This Old 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 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/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

In this episode, Joe and Robert break down the latest moves in the ongoing battle between lawmakers and social media giants. California is leading the charge with new AI and social media legislation — plus, Instagram is testing a "rating system" for content. Is this meaningful progress or just more political theater?

The guys also cover how OpenAI and Anthropic are stepping into the marketing world. OpenAI's first ad sparks debate (is it a miss?), while Anthropic's experiential push might have us all saying "Oh Claude."

Winners and Losers:

• Winner: Buc-ee's - proving that a gas station can be a brand powerhouse.

• Loser: Deloitte Australia - struggling to recover from credibility issues.

Rants and Raves:

• Rant: The rise of rage bait - how outrage is driving engagement for all the wrong reasons.

• Rave: Personal videos on LinkedIn - authentic storytelling that actually connects.

Tune in for another week of marketing madness, strategic insights, and questionable football takes.

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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 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/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

After celebrating 500 weeks of podcasting, Joe and Robert are back to regular programming. And this week… things get weird.

OpenAI and Meta both dropped major updates to their AI apps—releases that could either spark the next great social network or bring about the end of the internet as we know it. The guys break down what these announcements mean for creators, advertisers, and the future of "artificial content."

In other news, Anthropic settles a $1.5 billion lawsuit that could mean payouts for authors everywhere (and a big precedent for copyright in AI).

Plus, Call Her Daddy's Alex Cooper launches a new marketing agency that might just be the new business model for content entrepreneurs.

And YouTube rolls out auto dubbing for creators and marketers. Joe and Robert debate whether that's a blessing or a curse.

This week's winner: CMI's new B2B Research Report.
This week's loser: China's growing propaganda machine.

Rants and Raves: A look at ABBA Voyage and MrBeast, two very different but equally fascinating examples of what happens when creativity, technology, and obsession collide.

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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 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/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork