Podcast Summary: “Stop Taking Terrible Marketing Advice 🚽” (Bathroom Break #89)

Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Collab: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That
Hosts: Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That) & Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials)
Date: January 5, 2026
Episode: Special Series – Stop Taking Terrible Marketing Advice 🚽

Episode Overview

This “Bathroom Break” installment brings together Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray in a collaborative, rapid-fire session focused on debunking the worst pieces of marketing advice circulating at the start of the new year. With humor and actionable insights, they expose common industry misconceptions, emphasize prioritizing strategy over trends, and advocate for more informed, results-driven marketing decisions.

Key Discussion Points & Takeaways

1. The Annual Surge of (Often Bad) Marketing Advice

• January is “Nostradamus” season in marketing: everyone is handing out predictions and advice, but most of it is “epic toilet paper garbage.”
• Jay and Daniel critique the prevalence of regurgitated tips that lack substance or consideration for real-world effectiveness.
• Jay: “The majority of marketing advice that’s given out there ... is epic toilet paper garbage. Trash.” ([02:26])

2. Social Media Platforms: Quality Over Quantity

• Bad Advice: “You need to be on every social platform.”
• Daniel’s Take: It’s better to be an “A on one platform than C’s on 10 platforms.”
  • Dominance on one channel is more valuable; once you win there, you can repurpose successful content elsewhere.
  • Mindless posting everywhere, every day, isn’t necessary and may dilute your efforts.
• Daniel: “Posting every day and being great on every platform is not something you need to do… it’s horrible advice.” ([03:06])
• Jay adds the importance of looking alive on platforms, but warns that a weak presence on any network can send negative signals. ([03:38])

3. Audience Insights > Personal Preferences

• Bad Habit: Marketers shut down ideas based on personal dislikes.
• Jay: “You are not your audience. And if you don’t have a testing culture… you are in a bad marketing environment.” ([04:09])
• Groupthink in meetings is called out—teams often reject good ideas if leadership simply says, “I wouldn’t click on that.”
• Testing and data-driven decisions should override individual opinions.

4. Distribution > Content Perfection

• Problematic Mindset: Focus on making the perfect piece of content, then hoping it goes viral.
• Daniel: The focus should be on distribution—even average content can perform well if targeted and delivered properly.
• Quote: “Distribution is going to be way more important than creating, because everybody can create now… how you distribute it… matters way more than… making this A+ piece of content.” ([05:03])

5. Content Calendars: Plan, But Stay Flexible

• Jay’s Rant: Rigid, year-long content calendars are often counterproductive.
  • The best-performing social posts and emails are those that react in real time to cultural moments—not those that were planned months in advance.
• Quote: “Sometimes you have to move at the speed of culture. …Don’t feel bad if you don’t have a content calendar. It’s more than fine.” ([05:38])
• Adapting quickly, even for B2B and conservative brands, is critical for relevance.

6. AI Will Not Replace Marketers (For Now)

• Common Fear: “AI is going to replace marketers.”
• Daniel’s Perspective: AI will replace lazy or purely task-based execution, not strategy or taste.
• Quote: “Stop listening to everybody that says [AI] is going to replace marketers… it’s actually going to help you as a marketer. Think of it as a tool.” ([06:40])
• Jay: “If your job is a singular task, yeah, you might be screwed. But that’s not the job of a real marketer.” ([07:23])
• Marketers should embrace AI for efficiency, not fear it.

7. Lighthearted Personal Checks (Health, Resolutions)

• The hosts riff on holiday eating, resolutions, and the struggle to maintain health habits (walking more, cooking at home instead of eating out).
  • Daniel: “Walking is the best option… trying to at least cook at home.” ([08:42])
  • Jay: Comments on blood pressure monitoring and the joys and perils of salmon night.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Bad Social Media Advice:
  “It’s better to be an A on one platform than C’s on 10 platforms.”
  —Daniel Murray ([03:02])

• On Team Feedback:
  “You are not your audience.”
  —Jay Schwedelson ([04:09])

• On Content Distribution:
  “Distribution is going to be way more important than creating, because everybody can create now…”
  —Daniel Murray ([05:03])

• On Content Calendars:
  “Sometimes you have to move at the speed of culture.”
  —Jay Schwedelson ([05:50])

• On AI’s Impact:
  “AI… is going to replace lazy execution… people with taste, people with strategy, people who understand marketing will thrive.”
  —Daniel Murray ([06:42])
  “The only jobs AI will take is if your job is a task. That’s not the job of a real marketer.”
  —Jay Schwedelson ([07:23])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:26] – Jay blasts the flood of bad marketing advice at the start of the year.
• [03:02] – Daniel’s rant against “every platform” social strategy.
• [04:09] – Jay on the importance of testing vs. “I don’t like it” mentality.
• [05:03] – Daniel on why content distribution is more important than perfection.
• [05:50] – Jay lambasts inflexible content calendars and stresses cultural relevance.
• [06:40] – Daniel addresses AI not replacing marketers, but lazy execution.
• [07:23] – Jay’s perspective on how marketers should approach AI.
• [08:42] – Daniel shares realistic health resolutions for the new year.

Summary Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, Jay and Daniel maintain a lively, candid, and occasionally self-deprecating tone. They mix humor with actionable commentary, offering both veteran wisdom and fresh takes for marketers navigating a landscape full of hype and misconceptions.

Bottom Line

Ignore most New Year marketing clichés. Instead, double down on understanding your audience, focus your energy where you have the most impact, embrace flexibility and cultural responsiveness, and use AI as an amplifier—not a replacement. And if you need inspiration, skip the perfect plan—just take action and test.

Endorsements and Follow-ups:

• Follow Daniel Murray’s “Marketing Millennials” for more no-nonsense marketing insights.
• Check out Jay Schwedelson’s “Do This, Not That” for quick, practical tips every week.

Series runs weekly – send your marketing questions via LinkedIn for a chance to be featured.