Episode Overview

Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Episode: 🏆 The "MVP" Subject Line Trick — Bathroom Break #92 COLLAB: The Marketing Millennials + Do This, Not That
Date: January 26, 2026
Theme:
This special "Bathroom Break" edition features Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That) and Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) sharing quick, actionable tips for marketers—using the upcoming Super Bowl as a prime example of how to harness timely cultural moments for a bigger impact. They break down strategic subject line tricks, discuss personal routines, and deliver rapid-fire ideas for both B2B and B2C brands to boost relevance and engagement.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leveraging Cultural Moments—Why the Super Bowl is Marketing Gold

• Universal Relevance:
  The Super Bowl is the most relevant event for broad audiences, making it fertile ground for marketers—even if your business, product, or audience seems far removed from football.

• Jay's Key Point:
  "For marketers, boring business to business brands, consumer marketers, nonprofits. If you lean into the Super Bowl... you will see significant increase in your engagement." ([03:27])

• Daniel’s Social Take:
  Use memes, trending moments, and real-time content to stay relevant during the Super Bowl week. “If you want to be relevant, you need to know what's happening. So be in the feed... sprinkle [trends] into your social game.” ([05:04])

2. The “MVP” Subject Line Strategy

• Actionable Tip:
  Jay shares that inserting football terms (MVP, QB, etc.) and relevant emojis (football 🏈, trophy 🏆) in subject lines during Super Bowl season increases open and click rates, even for "boring" B2B emails.

  • Example Subject Lines:

    • “MVP: Who’s the MVP of your HR solutions?”
    • “QB: Who’s the quarterback of your sales process?”

  • Supporting Advice:
    Continue the theme in email body copy and include wild or surprising Super Bowl stats as hooks (e.g., “Did you know 8 billion chicken wings get eaten at halftime?”).
    “If you have a football emoji in your subject line... you will see a significant lift in your open rates, your click through rates, because this is what's on the mind of people.” ([05:34])

3. Personalizing by Geography and Audience

• Daniel’s Geographic Angle:
  “Carve out your ICP that are in the areas where those teams are playing and do targeted messaging... like, ‘Book a demo and we’ll send you food for your Super Bowl party!’” ([07:04])

• Group Inclusion:
  “People like to know that you're part of that group... be hyper personalized with your content during that time.” ([07:37])

• Jay’s Validation:
  "If you isolate out... the LA area [if Rams are in the Super Bowl]... put it in their subject line, in the lead on your landing pages, social posts... direct it within those markets. I think that's super. I'm gonna steal that idea." ([07:57])

4. Timeliness: When to Act

• Key Window:
  Focus your campaigns in the week leading up to the Super Bowl and the 24 hours post-game for maximum relevance and engagement. ([05:34])

5. Bonus: Marketer Banter, Food, and Life as a Football Player

• Lunch Chat:
  Daniel and Jay open with banter about healthy (but unsatisfying) lunch routines. Daniel reminisces about his football player days, cycling “three to five” cafeteria trips and “downing chocolate milk after everything” to keep his weight up at university. ([02:39])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the power of relevance:
  "I think the number one thing in marketing... is relevancy. What's more relevant than the Super Bowl?" — Daniel Murray ([04:13])

• On using football language in email:
  “If you use the phrase MVP... QB... a football emoji... it doesn't matter how boring your brand is, you will see a significant lift in open rates.” — Jay Schwedelson ([05:34])

• On personalized local offers:
  “People like to know that you're part of that group, or they're in a group, and they're very proud of being in the group.” — Daniel Murray ([07:37])

• On targeting local fans:
  “The watch rate... in the local market for the Super Bowl is like 80%... really want to lean in within those GEOs.” — Jay Schwedelson ([07:57])

• On Super Bowl parties:
  “I used to like going to people's houses... I feel like I'm more of an attendance Super Bowl party, but I don't think I’ll get invited this year.” — Daniel Murray ([08:53])

• On halftime music:
  "I like Bad Bunny. I don't know anything he's saying... I just like the noise." — Jay Schwedelson ([09:35])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Light intro & podcast banter
• 02:39 — Daniel’s football player eating habits
• 03:27 — Transition to Super Bowl as a marketing event
• 04:13-05:04 — Why relevance matters and how to use Super Bowl trends for social/content
• 05:34-07:04 — MVP subject line trick and football terms in marketing messages
• 07:04-07:57 — Personalization by geography, team, and ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
• 08:53 — Super Bowl party preferences (light closing banter)
• 09:35 — Jay on halftime shows and “liking the noise”

Takeaways

• Grab cultural moments (like the Super Bowl) and go all in—regardless of vertical.
• Use football-themed terminology and emojis in emails and social during Super Bowl week for higher engagement.
• Personalize messaging by geography — especially for local fans of the teams.
• Stay in tune with trending memes, stats, and viral moments to amplify relevance.
• The week before, during, and immediately after the Super Bowl is the key activation window.

Tone & Style

The episode is rapid, casual, full of practical advice, and packed with relatable humor and real-life anecdotes. The hosts keep it friendly, self-aware, and direct—making even B2B marketing sound like something you can (and should) have fun with.