CPG Playbook   //   February 7, 2026

Modern Retail Podcast: Inside the Super Bowl activation boom

By Melissa Daniels

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, special projects editor Melissa Daniels is joined by senior reporter Julia Waldow to dive deep into the world of brand activations happening around Super Bowl LX.

Many brands don’t have the $8 million to drop on a Super Bowl ad. In turn, they’re tapping pop-ups, concerts and other IRL experiences to drive awareness before millions of eyeballs in the Bay Area, where the Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium. But more broadly, these kinds of real-world activations are a major way brands are looking to show up in front of shoppers in a crowded marketplace. Daniels and Waldow discuss:

  • The ways small, medium and enterprise brands take different approaches to activations
  • How to make sure activations are more than just a photo op
  • The real ROI of events that may cost more to put on than they earn