A new piece from the Wall Street Journal introduces the idea of being "alternatively influential"…people who drive real impact without massive follower counts.

Joe and Robert break it down:

  • Is this just a rebrand of "niche creator" or "thought leader"?
  • Or is it actually the future of influence in an AI-saturated world?
  • And most importantly…does audience size matter less than trust, proximity, and credibility?

The bigger question: Are we entering an era where being known by the right people beats being known by everyone?

AI Isn't Just Helping…It Might Be Hurting A new Morning Brew piece highlights research showing that AI can actually decrease focus and increase mental fatigue when overused.

Key findings:

  • Productivity rises with 1–3 AI tools…then drops off after that
  • Workers report "mental overload" and decision fatigue
  • Time saved gets filled with more work, not better work

Joe and Robert's take:

  • This isn't really about AI
  • It's about multitasking overload
  • AI just accelerates a problem we already had

Bottom line: More tools ≠ better thinking Focus is still the competitive advantage

Substack Goes Full Stack (Again) Substack continues expanding its platform, now rolling out a recording studio feature to support video and podcast creation.

The discussion:

  • Substack is no longer "just newsletters"
  • It's becoming a complete creator operating system
  • Email platforms, podcast hosts, and even YouTube should be paying attention

The real question: Does Substack become the home base for creators…or just another tool in the stack?

Winners and Losers Marketing Winner: Calvin Klein * Dakota Johnson's new campaign hits the mark * Clean, simple, effective brand storytelling that cuts through the noise

Marketing Loser: The Oscars * Still struggling to stay culturally relevant * A branding problem, not just a ratings problem

Marketing Loser (Joe): World Baseball Classic Timing * Great product…questionable timing * Hard to build momentum when the schedule works against you

Rants and Raves Joe's Rant: Why Team USA Lost to Venezuela Joe's hot take:

  • It wasn't about effort
  • It was about constraints

Team USA had:

  • Contracts
  • Pitch limits
  • Usage concerns
  • Calls from MLB teams

Meanwhile, Venezuela had:

  • Fewer restrictions
  • More freedom to just play

The lesson: The team with less to manage often performs better

Robert's Rave: Where AI Actually Gets Its Content Robert highlights a new piece on AI sourcing:

  • AI doesn't create from nothing
  • It builds on existing human work
  • The real leverage is still in original thinking and creation

Other links: Mel Robbins with Seth Godin

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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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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