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

2026 Content & Marketing Predictions (plus a 2025 Review) (512)

17 snips

Dec 26, 2025

Joe and Robert dive into their annual predictions, grading last year's forecasts with the help of ChatGPT. They explore the uneven progress of AI, the power shifts among platforms, and trends like nostalgia marketing. Podcast attrition and scrutiny in online sports gambling are hot topics, alongside bold bets on future tech and culture. Insightful predictions focus on the importance of email engagement, the rise of conversations over mass marketing, and potential consolidations like Apple and Disney. Will creators walk away from big audiences in search of authenticity?

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ANECDOTE

Old Casino Gentrified And Pricier

Joe describes visiting the El Cortez casino which used to allow $5 blackjack and felt like an old-time place.
He noticed it was recently remodeled, pricier, and he felt out of place among younger patrons.

INSIGHT

AI-Assisted Review Of Predictions

They used ChatGPT to grade prior-year predictions and found mixed accuracy across topics.
AI framed many hits as 'directionally right' even when details missed, showing nuance in review.

INSIGHT

Context Breaks Otherwise Good Predictions

Joe and Robert found adding contextual qualifiers often ruins otherwise good predictions.
Context makes forecasts brittle because small variables change outcomes quickly.

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Joe and Robert kick off their annual predictions episode by grading last year's forecasts using ChatGPT. They revisit what hit, what missed, and why context often ruins otherwise solid predictions. Along the way, they discuss AI's uneven progress, platform power shifts, crypto hype, nostalgia marketing, podcast attrition, and the growing tension between tech optimism and cultural fatigue.

The episode closes with fresh predictions spanning marketing, media, sports, and culture.

Key Topics and Takeaways

2025 Predictions Reviewed (with AI grading)

BlueSky stalls while X stabilizes and improves monetization
TikTok avoids a ban and continues to grow despite regulatory pressure
AI image tools (including early Sora) underwhelm initially
Bitcoin fails to hit $200K despite strong institutional momentum
Generative AI stumbles, but without a single catastrophic "AI Chernobyl"
Online sports gambling faces increased scrutiny and structural pullbacks
Podcast attrition accelerates quietly ("pod fading")
Major brands lean hard into nostalgia as a hedge against AI sameness
One major political prediction completely misses

2026 Prediction Overview

Joe goes deep into the importance of email as an indication of humanity and states that the reply rate will be the key KPI for email moving forward. In addition, he makes big bets on: - Famous creators stopping their channels - Elon Musk's net worth at the end of the year - Apple buying Disney

Robert believes that AI strategy will no longer be in vogue, and marketers will stop using it altogether because AI will be integrated into everything. Robert also discusses "the Mamdani effect" and how it will take over the election process. Tune in to the episode to get all the predictions right up to the very last minute.

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