Morning Brew Daily – Episode Summary

Podcast: Morning Brew Daily
Hosts: Neal Freyman & Toby Howell
Episode: Throwback Ads Dominate the Super Bowl & Dow Hits 50,000
Date: February 9, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Neal and Toby break down the key takeaways from the Super Bowl weekend, including the game, halftime show, and especially the wave of nostalgic and AI-dominated commercials. They also discuss shifting trends in advertising, dig into the ongoing GLP-1 weight-loss drug wars, and celebrate the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossing the 50,000 mark. With their usual blend of wit and insight, the hosts explore the intersection of pop culture, business, and market trends that defined the weekend and set the tone for the week ahead.

Super Bowl Aftermath: Highlights and Cultural Fallout

The Morning After: “Super Bowl Flu”

• 26 million Americans were expected to skip work post-game, with reasons ranging from “catching up on sleep” to being “too hungover.”
  • Neal: "45% said they needed to catch up on sleep, 34% said they were feeling unmotivated, and 27% acknowledged they'll be too hungover." (00:50)
• Toby predicts next year’s Super Bowl falling on Valentine’s Day (and the day before Presidents’ Day) will heighten relationship drama and brunch bookings. (01:22)

Super Bowl Commercials: Nostalgia, AI, and Fiber Humor

Notable Commercial Trends (02:48 – 07:04)

• Dominant Themes:
  • "Kindness" was a recurring motif, with Mr. Rogers invoked in both NFL and Rocket Mortgage’s ads.
  • AI was everywhere, with Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, and Amazon all launching ads.
• Nostalgic/Funny Spots:
  • Freaky Dunkin Donuts commercial with the “Good Will Hunting” and “Friends” casts.
  • Bud Light had Post Malone falling down a hill.
  • Coinbase played Backstreet Boys karaoke lyrics for their entire ad. Neal noted it was a party-stopper:
    • "Once they realized this was karaoke...very cool. The vibes were very high and then at the end the Coinbase logo comes on and then there is just very loud booing and jeering." (04:14)
• Polarizing Spots:
  • Salesforce’s Mr. Beast ad with a million-dollar QR code riddle had viewers "scrambling," but the execution underwhelmed because of a barely-there QR code.
    • Toby: "They only flash the QR code on the screen for, like, the last point, two seconds. So everyone said the execution wasn't there, even though the idea is pretty fresh." (05:00)
• AI "Wars":
  • The Anthropic ad, hyped in “AI Fluent” circles, didn’t land with mainstream viewers.
    • "Watching with my normie friends. They did not know that that was supposed to be how chatbot talks. They did not pick up on the AI voice…they're just like, why is he talking weird?" (06:00, Toby)
• Automakers disappear:
  • In 2012, automakers bought 40% of Super Bowl ad time; in 2026, just three automakers ran ads for a mere two minutes. Neal highlights this as a sign of industry struggle. (06:35)

Halftime Show Highlights (07:04 – 08:50)

• Bad Bunny headlined, with Lady Gaga’s surprise appearance and cameos from Alex Earl, Jessica Alba, Carol G, and Ricky Martin.
• Fun Stat:
  • Bad Bunny walked 124.4 yards holding a football during the show—outgaining the Patriots’ total rush yards!
    • Toby: "He actually traveled 124.4 yards with the football during his halftime show. The Patriots rush for 70 yards total in the entire game." (07:04)
• Language & International Push:
  • The Spanish-language show reflected the NFL’s global strategy, paralleling a surge in Americans learning Spanish (from 26% in 2012 to 60% in 2025 on Babbel). (07:35)
  • Some backlash sparked an alternative Kid Rock-headlined halftime show, drawing 5 million YouTube views.

Weight Loss Drug “Ad Wars” and the GLP-1 Industry Battle

GLP-1s Dominate Ads (09:13 – 12:57)

• Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly ran ads for their weight loss drugs, joined by telehealth startups Ro and Hims & Hers.
• Tipping Point:
  • Hims & Hers shook up the market by launching a $49/month compounded “Wegovy” pill (undercutting Novo by $100) before quickly dropping the product after regulatory threats.
  • Neal: "Hims and hers wave the white flag. On Saturday, the company said it would stop selling its knockoff with Govey pill after, quote, constructive conversations with stakeholders across the industry." (09:47)
• Why Compounding Matters:
  • Compounding pharmacies exploit regulatory loopholes and shortages to create “copycat” GLP-1 drugs, but the FDA crackdown is intensifying.
• Historic price war:
  • Unlike the usual pharma model (patent, price rises), the GLP-1 market has become “consumerized”—prices fell from $1,000+ per month to $149, and even lower during the price war.
    • Neal: "But today Novo Nordisk released a wegovy pill that starts at just $149 through a cash pay program. And that cash pay is the key piece here." (11:09)
• Market Share Upset:
  • Eli Lilly now claims 60% of the GLP-1 market, overtaking Novo Nordisk. Novo’s stock is now “absolutely in the dumps.”
    • Toby: "Novo Nordisk has started cutting prices aggressively to try to catch up, but they're expecting 2026 sales to fall 5% to 13%...Their stock price is now lower than it was before this whole Craze started." (12:48–12:57)

Winners of the Weekend Segment

Winner #1: Fiber’s Comeback (12:57–16:53)

• Fiber is HOT:
  • From “uncool” bran cereal to TikTok trends and Will Shatner’s “Raisin Brand” ad, fiber is rebranded for all ages with potty humor.
    • Toby: "For a long time, fiber was for old people regulated to bland cereals…But now brands are leaning into fiber's main value prop and doing it using the language all demographics respond to—potty humor." (12:57)
  • Pepsi, Coca-Cola rolling out fiber-enhanced beverages; colon cancer risk in young adults is spurring renewed attention.
• Internet Culture:
  • TikTok’s “Fiber Daddy” (Alan Lynn) promotes “fart maxing” and “liquid salad.”
    • “His goal…is to create so much gastrointestinal action in there that it's going to come out the other end.” (15:12, Toby)
• The Real Shortfall:
  • 95% of Americans don’t get enough fiber; health experts say focus should shift from “protein-obsessed” diets to closing the “fiber gap.”
    • "Experts generally say that we get enough protein …but when it comes to fiber, we're certainly not getting enough fib." (14:27, Neal)

Winner #2: The Dow Jones Hits 50,000 (19:20–23:21)

• Historic News:
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high at 50,000, fueled by a broadening stock rally beyond tech mega-caps.
    • Neal: “No doubt [Dow and Jones] popped the champagne when the index doubled to 100 points in 1906...But thanks to a roaring American economy..., the Dow kept on rising and blasted through 40,000 for the first time in 2024, then sprinted like a Dutch speed skater to 50 in less than two years...” (19:20)
• Dow’s Place in the Markets:
  • Though considered “stodgy” and “not modern” among young investors because of its price-weighting quirks, the breadth of its bounce shows the economic rally is broad-based.
    • "But the fact that we have seen the Dow do so well of late shows that maybe we're seeing a broadening of the stock market rally." (20:44, Toby)
• Weird Index Facts:
  • Real-world companies are more influential in the Dow (e.g. Goldman Sachs, Caterpillar, Sherwin Williams) compared to tech’s dominance of the S&P/Nasdaq.
  • Nvidia, the world’s largest public company, is only 20th in Dow weighting. (21:35–22:44, Neal)
• A sense of perspective:
  • “6,600 points during the 2009 recession and now it's at 50, I mean it's doubled since the pandemic.” (23:04, Neal)

Other Noteworthy Segments & Quotes

Week Ahead: Business, Earnings, and Olympics Preview (23:25–25:35)

• Big earnings: McDonald’s, Robinhood, Spotify, Coca-Cola; economic data drops (jobs, inflation).
• Olympics:
  • Winter Olympics draw American eyes; Breezy Johnson wins gold, Lindsey Vonn races on torn ACL, Ilya Malin lands a backflip for US figure skating.
    • Toby: “Breezy Johnson, best name in sports, Best name in the Olympics. And also we are fully addicted to curling.” (25:02)
  • Uplifting performance from Swiss women’s hockey goalie saves 51 out of 55 shots.

Pop Culture:

• "Wuthering Heights" film adaptation starring Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi sparks buzz for its modern, edgy take on the classic novel.
  • Neal: “I thought it was this classic Victorian love story, but it is cursed. There's ghosts, it's haunted. It's very gothic, like, will keep you up at night. Everyone is extremely mean to each other.” (26:14)

Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day Jokes

• Toby: “What's the guy's version of Galentine's Day? Is that just the Super Bowl?” (26:59)
• Neal: “That's maybe. I was thinking it's maybe that, but that's not men celebrating men. That's everyone together.” (27:03)

Memorable Quotes

• “If your office is looking a little empty today, it might be because some of your co workers have the old super bowl flight loo.” (00:50, Neal)
• “Fiber will be the next protein...” (13:35, paraphrasing PepsiCo CEO, Toby)
• “Coinbase literally played the karaoke lyrics to ‘Everybody’ by the Backstreet Boys for their entire ad.” (03:40, Toby)
• “Fiber Daddy...his goal, he calls it ‘fart maxing,’ actually is to create so much gastrointestinal action in there that it's going to come out the other end.’” (15:12, Toby)
• “No holiday is sacred anymore. The NFL has come for Thanksgiving. The NFL has come for Christmas Day. Now they have overtaken Valentine's Day...” (01:30, Toby)
• “The Dow hit 50,000. It's worth celebrating.” (22:44, Neal)

Key Timestamps

• 00:50 – Super Bowl “flu” workforce impact stats
• 02:48 – Game & ad recap, dominance of nostalgia & AI
• 04:14 – Coinbase karaoke ad reactions
• 05:00 – Salesforce/Mr. Beast QR code ad
• 06:35 – Automakers’ decline in Super Bowl commercials
• 07:35 – Bad Bunny’s halftime show & NFL global strategy
• 09:13–12:57 – Weight loss drug ad wars, price battles
• 12:57 – “Winners of the Weekend” segment starts
• 14:27 – 95% of Americans don't get enough fiber
• 19:20 – Dow Jones hits 50,000 milestone
• 23:25 – Week ahead: earnings & Olympics preview
• 25:35 – Wuthering Heights, Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day chat

Tone

Conversational, witty, plugged-in, and keen on connecting business news to wider culture. Both hosts balance humor with sharp analysis, making financial and industry news accessible and fun.

This episode is a must-listen (or great summary read) for anyone who wants to catch the pulse of business, culture, and markets after one of the most-watched weekends of the year.