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

AI Can Now Do Marketing. Now What? (523)

Mar 13, 2026

They unpack Anthropic research showing AI can perform many marketing tasks and debate whether the bigger disruption is machines or leaders who undervalued marketing. Conversation covers how AI may reshape tactical work and elevate strategy, creativity, and trust. They also analyze Meta’s Moldbook move and the rising role of LinkedIn content in AI chat responses. Plus takes on standout brand campaigns and industry rants.

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INSIGHT

Why Marketing Appears Highly Exposed To LLMs

Marketing rates high for disruption because it's language-heavy and sits at the intersection of creativity and process, which LLMs handle well.
Anthropic also notes chronic under-resourcing and lack of formal training in marketing amplify its vulnerability to automation.

INSIGHT

Leadership Undervaluing Marketing Increases AI Risk

Lack of leadership respect for marketing makes roles easier to replace or outsource when AI arrives.
Robert Rose explains firms that view marketing as a 'tax' or outsourceable function will be quicker to substitute AI for people.

ADVICE

Read The Report Not The Headline

Read the original Anthropic report before accepting sensational headlines; it distinguishes 'observed exposure' (tasks aided) from full job replacement.
Robert Rose warns media spin inflates 65% claims beyond what the study actually shows.

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This week, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose dig into fascinating new research from Anthropic that reveals how large language models are already capable of executing many traditional marketing tasks. The conversation quickly turns into a deeper question. Is the real disruption AI itself, or the fact that many leaders in mid-size and enterprise organizations never truly valued marketing in the first place? If machines can now execute the tactics, what happens to marketing teams that were already fighting for credibility inside their organizations?

The discussion explores what the research means for the future of marketing roles, how AI will reshape tactical execution, and whether strategy, creativity, and trust-building become the true competitive advantages. As usual, Joe and Robert have plenty of opinions and a few laughs along the way.

In other news, Meta makes another big move by acquiring Moltbook. Is this a calculated, low-risk gamble from the tech giant, or does the move signal growing pressure in the AI platform race?

Meanwhile, LinkedIn content is increasingly appearing in responses from AI chatbots and generative search tools. Joe and Robert discuss what this shift means for marketers and content creators trying to remain visible as discovery moves away from traditional search engines.

Winners and Losers

Winner #1: Tecovas: A clever follow-up short film connected to a Super Bowl ad campaign shows how brands can extend the life of expensive tentpole advertising.

Winner #2: Coinbase launches its new "NPC Break-Free" campaign that will run during the Academy Awards, taking a bold creative swing at culture, conformity, and crypto skepticism.

Rants and Raves

Robert dives into BlackRock and the fallout surrounding its private credit strategy, raising questions about risk and transparency.

Joe closes the show with a rant about a stunning operational blunder by United States national baseball team during the World Baseball Classic.

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