This week, Joe and Robert break down the latest signals in the economy, media, and marketing, from stabilizing job data and corporate tax incentives to AI’s growing influence on content, platforms, and creative work. They also dig into where responsibility lies in an AI-saturated world and which organizations are adapting well…or getting it wrong.

Key Topics Discussed

Economic Update: Jobs and Stability

Joe and Robert open the show with a look at recent U.S. economic data. After months of uncertainty, layoffs appear to have slowed, and job numbers are showing signs of stabilization. While not a return to boom times, the data suggests the labor market may be finding its footing heading into 2026.

Corporate Tax Incentives and 2026 Profits

The conversation turns to tax policy and its impact on business. Joe and Robert discuss how the permanent reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, along with other incentives, is setting mid-sized and enterprise companies up for significantly higher profits in 2026. They explore what this means for cash flow, reinvestment, and corporate behavior moving forward.

Instagram, AI, and the Burden on Creators

Next up, Joe and Robert analyze comments from Adam Mosseri and Instagram around AI-generated content. Mosseri makes it clear that Instagram does not intend to fully police AI content, instead emphasizing the importance of human creativity and authenticity. Joe and Robert question whether platforms are abdicating responsibility and placing the full burden on brands and creators to stand out in an increasingly cluttered, AI-driven feed.

Final News: Uber’s Co-Creation Ad Strategy

In final news, the guys highlight Uber and its growing advertising business. Uber’s co-creation media tactics are viewed as a smart, forward-thinking approach to revenue generation. Joe and Robert agree that too many enterprises still underestimate marketing’s role as a direct revenue driver, not just a cost center.

Marketing Winners and Losers

Marketing Winner (Robert)

Equinox
Robert praises Equinox for its ad campaign that pokes fun at AI-generated content, using humor and human insight to cut through the noise and reinforce brand identity.

Marketing Loser (Joe)

Nebula Awards
Joe calls out the Nebula Awards for their new rules banning any use of generative AI in the creative process. While intended to protect writers, Joe argues the decision is short-sighted, unenforceable, and misunderstands how creative tools evolve.

Rants and Raves

• Robert’s Rant:
  Robert takes aim at Digiday and what he sees as an overly cozy fascination with Accenture, questioning the value and objectivity of that coverage.

• Joe’s Commentary:
  Joe closes with thoughts on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting winding down operations. He clarifies that PBS itself is not shutting down, but explains how the loss of federal funding disproportionately impacts rural and small-market stations, potentially reshaping public media into a more urban-centric system.

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

Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose kick off this week’s episode by unpacking the TikTok “sale” and what actually happened behind the headlines. Was it really a sale? Why was a true divestiture nearly impossible? And what does the outcome tell us about platform risk, regulation, and the future of rented audiences.

From there, Joe and Robert shift into what they believe will be the most important marketing, content, and AI stories of 2026. Not predictions, but the conversations marketers will be having once the year is underway.

They dig into whether the long-awaited AI bubble ever actually bursts in marketing, how AI changes headcount and team structures, and what happens to the brand website when search and discovery are increasingly mediated by AI systems instead of humans.

The episode wraps with rants and raves. Robert rants about marketers’ obsession with declaring everything dead, while Joe rants about Denmark’s decision to shut down its postal service and what that signals for the future of physical letters and communication.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What really happened with the TikTok deal and why it was never a traditional sale

• Why the AI “bubble” may never pop in marketing the way people expect

• How AI could lead to fewer marketing jobs, or more leverage for the right roles

• Why the role of the website is changing for brands and creators

• What Denmark ending postal service delivery says about the future of letters

Rants and raves:

• Robert’s rant: Marketers love predicting the death of everything

• Joe’s rant: Denmark shuts down postal service delivery and the slow disappearance of letters

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.

-------

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