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:
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Is this just a rebrand of "niche creator" or "thought leader"?
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Or is it actually the future of influence in an AI-saturated world?
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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:
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Productivity rises with 1–3 AI tools…then drops off after that
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Workers report "mental overload" and decision fatigue
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Time saved gets filled with more work, not better work
Joe and Robert's take:
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This isn't really about AI
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It's about multitasking overload
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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:
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Substack is no longer "just newsletters"
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It's becoming a complete creator operating system
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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
Marketing Loser: The Oscars
Marketing Loser (Joe): World Baseball Classic Timing
Rants and Raves Joe's Rant: Why Team USA Lost to Venezuela
Joe's hot take:
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It wasn't about effort
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It was about constraints
Team USA had:
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Contracts
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Pitch limits
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Usage concerns
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Calls from MLB teams
Meanwhile, Venezuela had:
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:
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AI doesn't create from nothing
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It builds on existing human work
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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
This Old Marketing - News Podcast Weekly with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose 
