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/

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

The Rise of the "Alternatively Influential" (524)

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

The Rise of the "Alternatively Influential" (524)