Podcast Summary: The Marketing Millennials – "Why Every Brand Should Lean Into the Super Bowl"

Bathroom Break #92 | Released: January 26, 2026
Hosts: Daniel Murray & Jay Schwedelson

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of the "Bathroom Break" series, Daniel Murray (The Marketing Millennials) and Jay Schwedelson (Do This, Not That Podcast & subjectline.com) break down why every brand—yes, even the “boring” B2B brands—should take advantage of the Super Bowl as an essential marketing moment. Through banter and actionable insights, they share methods to leverage this massive cultural event for relevancy and engagement, no matter your industry or target audience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: Lunch Rituals and Personalities

• 00:40–03:27 – The hosts open with a playful conversation about their daily lunch routines, poking fun at each other’s choices and reminiscing about Daniel’s days as a college football player.
  • Jay: Cycles through “not good” salads with salmon, which makes him feel nauseous but rationalizes eating unhealthy at night by being healthy during the day.
  • Daniel: Has a “bro” lunch of yogurt, protein powder, and blueberries, rooted in his football background.
  • Memorable Quote:
    • Jay: “Eating salmon in the middle of the day when you have, like, a lot of stress and anxiety and you’re mixing it with coffee is so disgusting. And by the afternoon, I want to throw up on my computer.” (01:31)

2. The Case for Super Bowl Marketing

• 03:27–07:04 – Jay initiates the marketing discussion by declaring the Super Bowl “the biggest event in the country” and challenges the notion that some brands have “no business” in Super Bowl content.
  • Jay:
    • Emphasizes relevancy—regardless of your brand’s typical appeal or direct relevance to football, every brand can gain engagement by participating in Super Bowl discourse.
    • Describes the Super Bowl as “disgusting” due to the amount of food and bathroom visits, but insists brands should be unashamed in leveraging the event.
      • Quote: “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. I don’t care how boring your brand is. I don’t care if you hate football, it doesn’t matter.” (03:44)
  • Daniel:
    • Stresses “relevancy” as the #1 goal in content marketing during real-time events.
    • Uses meme templates, trending moments, and live-tweeted content to ride social waves.
      • Quote: “If you want to be relevant, you need to know what’s happening. So be in the feed knowing and add those things. Sprinkle it to your content. Sprinkle into your social, social game.” (04:57)
    • Recommends monitoring X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute trends during the Super Bowl week.

3. Actionable Email and Messaging Tactics for All Brands

• 05:34–07:57 – Jay provides specific email marketing angle:
  • Use Super Bowl-themed words in subject lines for a quick engagement lift (even for B2B):
    • “MVP,” “QB,” football or trophy emojis.
    • Craft parallels to your offering, e.g., “Who’s the MVP of your HR solutions?”
  • Share wild Super Bowl stats as conversation starters in campaigns.
    • “Did you know 8 billion chicken wings get eaten at halftime?” then segue into your value prop.
      • Quote: "Lean into this cultural moment and this is how you win. I don't care if you don't like football. It doesn't matter. Everybody's involved with this thing." (06:40)

4. Personalization & Localized Offers

• 07:04–07:57 – Daniel suggests hyper-personalizing offers and content targeted at regions with Super Bowl team interest.

  • Target customers in the markets of participating teams with custom offers (“Book a demo, get food for your Super Bowl party”) or by celebrating fan pride.
    • Quote: “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 a group.” (07:40)
  • Even simple recognition emails (“Congrats!”) to fans in winner cities can drive up engagement.

• Jay:

  • Cites high regional viewership; recommends geo-targeted subject lines, landing pages, and social posts for maximum impact.

5. Personal Reflections: Super Bowl Viewing Traditions

• 07:57–09:49 – The hosts discuss their own Super Bowl viewing habits, wrapping with humor and self-deprecation.
  • Daniel prefers being a guest rather than hosting Super Bowl parties.
  • Jay humorously admits to lying about being double-booked to avoid parties, even as he always ends up watching.
  • Quick debate: Halftime show or the game?
    • Jay: Likes the music—“the noise”—regardless of knowing the words.
    • Quote: “Am I the biggest boomer of all time? I just—I like the noise. Like, the noise. That’s so lame.” (09:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Relevancy and Real-Time Marketing:
  • Daniel: “If you want to be relevant, you need to know what’s happening. So be in the feed knowing and add those things... Sprinkle into your social game.” (04:57)
• Email Tactics for All Brands:
  • Jay: “There are certain words... if you put in the first word of the subject line of your emails, you will see an engagement lift.” (05:43)
• Localized Marketing Ideas:
  • Daniel: “Carve out your ICP that are in the areas of where those teams are playing and do certain targeted messaging to those type of things or offers...” (07:04)
• On Marketing FOMO:
  • Jay: “Lean into this cultural moment and this is how you win. I don’t care if you don’t like football. It doesn’t matter. Everybody’s involved with this thing.” (06:40)

Key Timestamps

• 00:40–03:27 – Lunch banter, Daniel’s football days
• 03:27–04:57 – Intro to Super Bowl as a marketing moment; relevancy discussion
• 05:34–07:04 – Email subject line hacks; using Super Bowl phrases
• 07:04–07:57 – Localized offers and targeting Super Bowl fans
• 07:57–09:49 – Super Bowl party habits and personal traditions

Takeaways for Marketers

• The Super Bowl is an unmissable opportunity for EVERY brand to increase engagement—even (especially!) for B2B.
• Use real-time cultural moments for relevancy in both social and email marketing.
• Incorporate Super Bowl lingo and emojis in subject lines for higher email open rates.
• Hyper-target content and offers to regions with an invested fan base for meaningful boosts.
• Join the online conversation (especially on X/Twitter) for quick topical ideas.
• You don’t have to “love” football; you just need to be present in the moment.

Hosts' Call to Action:
Join in the conversation on LinkedIn, share what marketing topics you want to hear next, and always look for ways to make your brand relevant during big cultural moments—even if it’s just a "bathroom break" of time.