Joe and Robert kick off their annual predictions episode by grading last year’s forecasts using ChatGPT. They revisit what hit, what missed, and why context often ruins otherwise solid predictions. Along the way, they discuss AI’s uneven progress, platform power shifts, crypto hype, nostalgia marketing, podcast attrition, and the growing tension between tech optimism and cultural fatigue.

The episode closes with fresh predictions spanning marketing, media, sports, and culture.

Key Topics and Takeaways

2025 Predictions Reviewed (with AI grading)

• BlueSky stalls while X stabilizes and improves monetization

• TikTok avoids a ban and continues to grow despite regulatory pressure

• AI image tools (including early Sora) underwhelm initially

• Bitcoin fails to hit $200K despite strong institutional momentum

• Generative AI stumbles, but without a single catastrophic “AI Chernobyl”

• Online sports gambling faces increased scrutiny and structural pullbacks

• Podcast attrition accelerates quietly (“pod fading”)

• Major brands lean hard into nostalgia as a hedge against AI sameness

• One major political prediction completely misses

2026 Prediction Overview

Joe goes deep into the importance of email as an indication of humanity and states that the reply rate will be the key KPI for email moving forward. In addition, he makes big bets on:
- Famous creators stopping their channels
- Elon Musk's net worth at the end of the year
- Apple buying Disney

Robert believes that AI strategy will no longer be in vogue, and marketers will stop using it altogether because AI will be integrated into everything. Robert also discusses "the Mamdani effect" and how it will take over the election process.

Tune in to the episode to get all the predictions right up to the very last minute. 

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. 

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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.

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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 on This Old Marketing, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose unpack two seemingly separate Wall Street Journal stories that are actually deeply connected.

First, they dig into the WSJ article declaring that companies are now “desperately seeking storytellers.” The irony is not lost on Joe and Robert. Storytelling in business is nothing new. Brands have been building audiences, publishing content, and creating narratives for decades. So is this really a new trend, or is the Wall Street Journal simply waking up to what marketers and creators have known all along?

They explore why the term “storyteller” is suddenly everywhere on LinkedIn, what companies really mean when they use it, and whether this shift represents real change or just a shiny new label for old work.

Next, the conversation turns to another WSJ piece highlighting the growing anxiety among white-collar workers. Layoffs, AI fears, fewer job openings, and slower hiring cycles are reshaping how knowledge workers feel about stability and career growth. Joe and Robert break down the data and argue that the real risk is not losing a job, but tying your identity to a single role or employer. Flexibility, curiosity, and the ability to adapt are becoming the most valuable skills in the modern economy.

In news, the co-founder of DraftKings launches a creator-led systems company designed to capitalize on the window of opportunity before AI-generated content floods the market. Joe and Robert discuss why productizing creators and building owned systems may be the smartest move right now in the creator economy.

Winners, Losers, Rants, and Raves

• Marketing Loser: In-N-Out, for taking “Order 67” off the menu rotation and confusing loyal fans everywhere.

• Joe’s Winner: Tom Scott, for building a smart, thoughtful web presence that directly addresses AI scrapers and the future of content ownership.

• Joe’s Rant: The growing push to integrate prediction markets into the mainstream financial system and why this could have serious unintended consequences.

• Robert’s Rave: A tradition unlike any other. Robert closes the show with his annual holiday poem.

As always, Joe and Robert bring perspective, skepticism, and a little holiday spirit to wrap up the year.

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.

-------

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

Joe and Robert open the episode with major breaking news: Disney is reportedly finalizing a $1 billion investment in OpenAI along with a licensing deal that would allow creators to use select Disney IP inside OpenAI tools.

The boys unpack what this actually means—

• Why Disney is making this move now

• How this could transform creator workflows

• What Disney gets strategically vs. what OpenAI gains

• Whether this is the first domino in a wave of entertainment–AI partnerships

The $100 Billion Battle for Warner Bros. Discovery

Next, Joe and Robert dig into the increasingly chaotic race for Warner Bros., as Paramount, Skydance, and Netflix position themselves for what could be a $100B mega-deal.
They discuss:

• Who really has the leverage

• Which bidder makes the most strategic sense

• Potential antitrust concerns

• Who stands to win (and who almost certainly loses) if this deal happens

Australia Moves to Ban Social Media for Kids Under 16

The conversation shifts to Australia’s new legislation banning social media access for children under 16. Joe and Robert debate:

• Will it work?

• How would it even be enforced?

• Are governments finally becoming serious—or is this political theater?

• What responsibility platforms have in the mental-health crisis

Special Segment: Robert’s AI Music Persona, Lyla Rae Hightower

A highlight of the episode, Robert takes listeners behind the scenes of creating his AI-powered music persona.

He details:

• The creative spark behind the character

• Tools and workflows he used to bring the music to life

• Unexpected challenges in the process

• How he’s distributing and promoting the project

• Why this experiment signals a new frontier for creators

Winners & Losers

• Marketing Loser of the Week: Salesforce — Joe walks through the company’s confusing decision to consider a name change and what it signals about the brand’s broader struggles.

• Rants & Raves: Joe ends with commentary on Kara Swisher’s reporting around Apple possibly buying Disney—and whether such a deal is even remotely plausible.

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.

-------

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

The boys kick things off with a Black Friday breakdown and what it tells us about the K-shaped economy we now live in. Joe and Robert dig into spending trends, why some consumers are thriving while others are cutting back, and what this split means for marketers heading into 2026. They look at whether this year’s patterns are temporary or structural, and what smart brands should prepare for next.

From there, they turn to YouTube. Advertisers continue to shift budgets to the platform, and the data shows that YouTube is both the present and the future of television. Joe and Robert talk about how ultra-niche creators might be the biggest hidden opportunity for small and mid-sized brands looking to win in the influencer economy.

The final story covers X and the platform’s new “About Your Account” settings. Is it meaningful, helpful, or even newsworthy? The boys debate whether this is a real improvement or just another attempt to show activity without fixing the core issues.

Winners and Losers

Winner: Time
Joe highlights Time as an example of a legacy brand doing things right, with a renewed focus on email subscribers and a strong commitment to in-person events. A modern media model built on direct relationships, not algorithms.

Loser: Omnicom and the PR industry
Robert takes the gloves off with a critique of Omnicom and the state of PR. He questions whether the industry is adapting fast enough to the shifts in trust, media fragmentation, and brand storytelling.

Rants and Raves

Robert’s Rant
Robert digs into a recent IPG study and why he believes it misses the mark. He breaks down the assumptions behind the research and what marketers should actually pay attention to.

Joe’s Rave
Joe shares new research on gratitude and why it matters far more than most marketers realize. A positive scientific reminder that appreciation is a performance advantage, not just a personal virtue.

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.

-------

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