AI companies: Super Bowl backlash and brand risk

This week, Joe and Robert break down one of the boldest marketing decisions the NFL has made in years and why it continues to pay off.

NFL + Bad Bunny: A Strategic Win

The NFL's move to spotlight Bad Bunny wasn't just a halftime performance decision. It was a strategic signal about where the league is headed as it expands globally and looks to connect with younger, more diverse audiences.

Joe and Robert explore whether this marks a broader repositioning of the NFL brand and what marketers can learn from a legacy organization willing to evolve in public. This isn't about one performance. It's about how institutions modernize without losing their core.

Super Bowl Ad Winners & Losers

The guys break down the biggest hits and misses from this year's Super Bowl ad lineup.

Which brands actually created impact? Who played it too safe? Did AI-driven ads live up to the hype or feel automated and forgettable?

Some advertisers made bold cultural bets. Others blended into the background.

Spotify's Big Earnings and the Hidden Opportunity

Spotify's latest earnings report might signal something bigger than a financial rebound. Joe sees a potential opportunity for creators and marketers who understand the long-term value of owned audio audiences.

Is podcasting and direct subscription audio still undervalued? Are marketers overlooking one of the most durable attention platforms available today?

If you care about building direct audience leverage, this segment matters.

Winners and Losers

Joe's Winner: Markiplier's Iron Lung Markiplier's direct-to-theaters success with Iron Lung shows what creator-led distribution can look like without traditional Hollywood gatekeepers. Is this a preview of the next decade of media?

Robert's Loser: AI Ads at the Super Bowl AI promised scale and personalization. On the biggest stage in advertising, many of those spots felt soulless and generic. Scale without taste is not a strategy.

Rants and Raves

Joe's Rant: TikTok Privacy Are creators and brands ignoring long-term privacy and platform risk for short-term reach?

Robert's Commentary: The Overblown SaaS Apocalypse Robert pushes back on the constant doom-and-gloom narrative around SaaS and tech. Is the so-called apocalypse real, or just another overreaction cycle?

Big Takeaway

Legacy institutions are adapting. Creators are bypassing gatekeepers. Platforms are redefining monetization.

The question for marketers is simple: Are you reacting to change, or positioning yourself to benefit from it?

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.

-------

This week's sponsor: Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data? That's like reading a book with most of the pages torn out. Point is, you miss a lot. Unless you use HubSpot. Their customer platform gives you access to the data you need to grow your business. The insights trapped in emails, call logs, and transcripts. All that unstructured data that makes all the difference. Because when you know more, you grow more.

Visit https://www.hubspot.com/ to hear how HubSpot can help you grow better.

-------

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/

-------

This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork