Estamos Bien to Somos America: How Bad Bunny Elevated Culture as a Channel at the Halftime Show. [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Karina Dobarro – EVP, Horizon Futures, Multicultural

After months of spirited conversation and speculation, Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl LX’s halftime show made one thing clear: for brands to grow, they need to build relationships with the consumers of tomorrow today.

In environments oversaturated with marketing buzzwords and endless streams of content, where consumers are more focused on debating whether something is AI-generated over its meaningfulness, brands face an increasingly difficult challenge: how to authentically stand out. With more than half of the U.S. believing a single “mainstream pop culture” no longer exists, it’s evident that traditional touchpoints are losing their resonance. The answer isn’t louder messaging or more content. It’s rethinking the channels where we meet these audiences genuinely. To treat culture as a channel is to see it not as a theme to be leveraged, but as the medium through which authentic connection flows: a space for participation, not just persuasion.

When brands tap into culture as a media channel, they tap into what people already care deeply about. Culture cuts through noise, commands attention, stirs curiosity, and creates connection in ways traditional marketing cannot. What unfolded on Super Bowl Sunday was not only a performance but a cultural milestone that solidified culture’s place as a channel for reaching audiences beyond media.

PART 1: BEFORE EL MOMENTO

Understanding Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl impact requires an examination of the layers of the modern live experience. From pre-announcement speculation to post-game cultural resonance, each layer reveals how deeply culture shapes audience emotion, behavior, and ultimately, brand opportunity.
The first layer of Real-time Hype* was immense. Bad Bunny already had undeniable global momentum from his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos and his San Juan residency, proving that when you stay rooted in authenticity, culture follows you. His impact was formally recognized with a Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, setting the stage for a massive cultural moment.

His selection then sparked a powerful Social Reverb*, as national conversations erupted online about who represents American culture. This social buzz became a significant driver of engagement, with audiences and brands alike leaning into the conversation from the announcement to game day.
The Cultural Afterglow* following the performance revealed the full narrative, showcasing that Bad Bunny’s appointment was not just a media buy, but a strategic investment into culture that created a halo effect that reverberated across audiences and communities.

From the announcement to game day, audiences continued to seek moments to engage:

• Online conversations ignited, accounting for 43% of total discourse and eclipsing last year’s halftime show (3.8M posts vs. 1.1M). The pre-performance conversation foreshadowed the post-performance impact.
• Bad Bunny returned to SNL, playfully telling viewers they had four months to learn Spanish – a moment that captivated viewers and inspired celebrities like Melissa McCartney, Niklaus Miller, and Cher.
• Brands took note of the cultural opportunity and most notably saw Duolingo seize the moment to encourage participation and celebration through their inspired creative.
• The teaser dropped by Apple Music not only drew in the most views for any Super Bowl teaser but actively shifted the conversation from overly political to one rooted in celebration, serving as an invitation to all.

This notion was further cemented at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards just a week prior, where his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos won Album of the Year, the first ever for a Spanish-language album. This represented both the reality that culture does not need to be translated and is not solely enjoyed by one segment.
*Layers of Live based on Horizon Media’s Redefine Live 2025 study.

PART 2: CUANDO LA CULTURA HIT THE SUPER BOWL

The halftime show represented a layered story that not only spoke to one heritage but sparked the curiosity of all who tuned in. Every scene was intentional and every symbol multilayered, designed to not only draw attention but keep it. From the opening imagery of the sugar cane fields to the neighborhood small businesses, boxing tributes and a wedding scene filled with multigenerational nuances, each moment reflected a story of Latino culture with themes that do not need to be translated for American audiences: resilience is woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Users on X bunkered down on the idea of not understanding the language but being impressed with the performance overall. Social conversations further proved the idea that feeling can become a lot more powerful than the language itself.

halftime Super Bowl show! I also enjoyed researching the scenes and importance to Puerto Rican culture. BRAVO Bad Bunny – well done!!!” These and other social conversations further proved the idea that feeling can become a lot more powerful than the language itself.

From the announcement to the performance, it became clear that American culture transcends a singular ethnicity or heritage, a finding discovered through Horizon Media’s Polycultural 2.0 study that revealed that most U.S. consumers lean into cultures other than their own. With most Americans embodying an ambicultural or cultural explorer mindset, brands need to lean into and embrace this curiosity, not to exclude but to invite all to participate. This proves that cultural moments are experienced through emotion & curiosity, even if we aren’t fluent in every lyric or tradition. A sentiment captured by Seahawks Wide Receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who stated he felt connected through the performance’s emotion, nodding to brands that it is essential to connect with the “feeling” culture requires.

This ripple effect confirms measurable business impact. Within 24 hours, the performance generated over 4B social media views, more than 55% of the views from international markets. That global distribution alone validates the strategic insight the NFL and Apple Music had in selecting Bad Bunny. Social viewership increased 137% compared to the previous show featuring Kendrick Lamar. A few brands weaved cultural insights into their messaging and supporting Super Bowl related content to amplify their own reach and impact.

• e.l.f Beauty featured a telenovela-style ad that leaned into Spanish and the cultural context surrounding Bad Bunny’s half time announcement. YouTube commenters called the spot “genius” and “iconic.”
• Telemundo aired a 60s spot featuring Owen Wilson learning Spanish ahead of the World Cup. The creative reinforced the centrality of Spanish language and Latin culture within the broader American context.
• Additionally, viewership surpassed 120M viewers across linear and streaming in the US, making it one of the most-watched halftime performances. Streaming alone generated over 30M, largely driven by audiences under 35. Multicultural households, especially Hispanic viewers, further amplified the surge in viewership.

PART 3: FROM EL MOMENTO TO THE IMPACT

In the days after the performance, viewership rose, streams surged, and millions kept the conversation alive on social media in both English and Spanish. Beyond the vibes, the moment translated into measurable cultural and economic impact, far beyond post-game buzz.

• Within 24 hours, US viewership hit 99.6M, with rewatches and short clips spiking by 175%. Global views reached 271M across 46 countries, up 132% YoY, showing the evolution of the NFL’s global reach.
• Bad Bunny launched limited NFL team collections featuring his Puerto Rican-inspired mascot “El Concho,” with the NFL estimating the opportunity at over $47M.
• The show featured Brooklyn’s Caribbean Social Club and LA’s Villa’s Tacos, both saw increased foot traffic and press, with fans praising the authentic representation.
  While the Super Bowl garnered new fans, so did Bad Bunny. In markets including Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, France, and Spain, his latest album reentered the Top 10 most-streamed albums of the year. Additionally, his album was the first Spanish language album in history to reach #1 on Apple Music in China. Rather than creating a momentary spike, the halftime show catalyzed sustained engagement, reigniting catalog discovery and amplifying his global presence across borders.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, the collaboration between the NFL, Apple Music, and Bad Bunny reflected a clear effort to attract new audiences and expand global footprint. The announcement sparked discourse, reflecting scale and influence of all platforms. By giving him presence on one of the largest stages in entertainment, the league signaled that it is evolving alongside audiences. The halftime show was not just about performance, but about expanding reach, welcoming new fans, and positioning the NFL in a broader cultural conversation. In doing so, it reinforced the simple but powerful reality to brands: moving with culture drives impact.

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