Although I usually write in English first, today it feels right to do it in my native language, in the language I learned to understand the world: Spanish. So if you’re reading this in English and something doesn’t quite make sense, it’s because there are things that can only be explained in Spanish.
February 8th, 2026, halftime at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio makes history. Bad Bunny becomes the first Latino artist to perform a show entirely in Spanish. In the midst of a moment of extreme political polarization, music and its ecosystem become a voice of hope, of pride in our roots, and a call to resistance through love. The most-watched Super Bowl in history.
And suddenly I realized that ours is a culture of unity.
While we live surrounded by messages of hate, separation, and discrimination. While absurdity and violence creep into our homes through TV and our phones. While political narratives feed on fear, a Puerto Rican who refused to dream small comes along and invites us to dream as he did, invites us to believe, and to resist terror and fear from a place that unites us all. Last night’s 13 minutes reminded us that each of us, from wherever we are and whatever we are, can rebel through what’s most needed today. Love.
When I was a child, I grew up listening to a song by a Chilean band that said: Latin America is a town south of the United States. And for 40 years, that has been a feeling that has always shaped my role as “Latina,” a role I haven’t always worn with pride, or that I’ve kept at minimum volume, especially when traveling or living abroad. However, last night’s show leaves me with a new feeling: How beautiful it is to be Latino. That’s how the staging opened, among agricultural fields that reminded me of the opening scenes of Colombian and Venezuelan telenovelas that played in the background of millions of TV sets at lunchtime, whether you were in Chile or any other country in the Americas. Alongside a tribute to Latino culture, yesterday and today. And suddenly I realized that ours is a culture of unity.
More than a show and a stage.
In a global world like today’s, it seems almost ridiculous to have to explain migration, yet here we are. Surrounded by politicians and political discourse that celebrate division and fragmentation. That create pseudo-truths they adjust according to their interests of the moment. That trivialize the lives of flesh-and-blood people. If you’re not from Latin America, last night’s show was more than an immersive experience, it was an opportunity to see and feel what it means to be Latino, and above all, how beautiful it is. Benito has extended an invitation to the world to come see our home, because we’re not just what the headlines say, we are joy, we are neighborhood, we are family.
The playlist moves through a continuous journey, showing you all the corners and characters that define the soul of being Latino. The neighborhood store, the food carts, the lady running her stand, and above all, the social fabric of being gregarious, of being community. As songs we danced to at our grandparents’ houses play, Bad Bunny reminds us that culture doesn’t need to resort to provocations and language that invites conflict to be political. Instead of continuing to shout and insult each other from opposite sides, Benito says I invite you to the party at my house, because when you get to know us you’ll realize we’re not enemies, that meeting each other is the only way to build a future.
The positive influence
I can’t talk about the halftime show without reflecting from the perspective of brand building and creative direction, two spaces where Bad Bunny gives us a masterclass. Despite reggaeton being a genre that has always challenged the system with strong words and subcultural slang, the messages Benito has been building since the release of his latest album DTMF, return to the roots of great orchestras, celebrating our customs through a positive narrative of celebration and authenticity. In this way, this Puerto Rican has gone from being a local artist to a global artist over the past two years, becoming a magnet for collaborations with brands and artists who want to join forces to connect with people from a place that seeks to impact from the positive, using his voice to honor his origin, valuing identity and telling the world believe in yourself too. No matter where you’re from, we all matter.
Jacquemus, Calvin Klein, and Levi’s have understood this. Last night’s message made it clear: The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love. These words are much more than mere accompaniment to the show, they’re a declaration of principles that transcend the music market or the jeans niche. This is how storytelling begins to transform into storydoing. Bad Bunny has decided to occupy a revealing space in the market: the voice of love. Taking his cultural identity, his family history, and his personal story as his ammunition. Because in a world of weapons, individualism, narcissism, and terror, reggaeton is uniting millions of people from a place we know: family and community. If there’s one thing all Latinos share, it’s being resilient, facing life and problems with a spirit of celebration. As Jacobo Morales said: While you’re alive, you should love as much as you can. Perhaps many of today’s conflicts are due to us being stuck as a society in places of hate.
If there’s one thing we can take away, it’s that today, brands that don’t have clear values and act in accordance with them will fade away. The days of being lukewarm are behind us.
Why 13 minutes can change everything
We live in times lacking role models who truly inspire us, everyone has glass roofs, and power has become synonymous with abuse. The guy who once bagged your groceries comes to remind us that the values we were taught as children live within us, and culture has a more powerful voice than it thinks.
Dance without fear.
Love without fear.
Says Bad Bunny after dancing salsa with Lady Gaga. Perhaps we Latinos have exactly what the world needs, an almost innate disposition to love. It may seem strange to many that in our countries we grew up dancing with our grandparents and uncles. Our families were symbols of something much more than a genetic result. Weddings, birthdays, and festivities have always been a school of values. Dancing is an almost religious or spiritual expression, because it reminds us how beautiful it is to be alive. That’s why grandparents dance with granddaughters, because in those moments, without realizing it, they were teaching us what happiness is about. Because dancing brings us closer, integrates us, it’s the best antidote to loneliness, because when we dance, it doesn’t matter what your name is or where you come from, music and celebration unite us. We’ve spent decades looking for what makes us different, last night’s magic was about showing the world what unites us.
Language matters.
The show’s closing is the materialization of a conversation that all of us who have lived in the United States have had. Because in our school books, America has always been a continent, from Chile to Canada. Resignifying God Bless America precisely today denotes the importance of the language we use.
You may not like Bad Bunny or reggaeton, but this is an artistic achievement that permeates the historical, political, and social. Latin America is not just a little town, we are a network of towns and ancestral cultures. Today I believe there’s no Latino who doesn’t feel proud. Who would have thought that perreo would be the soundtrack of the unity and hope the world needs today.
Thank you, Benito.
Together We Are America.
To take away and reflect on
As a designer and creative, this moment leaves me with more than one reflection, I share them to see if it generates new thoughts in others.
- Authenticity isn’t designed, it’s lived. You can’t create an “authentic” brand. You can be authentic and let that guide your decisions and strategy. The difference is subtle but crucial.
- The best activism is invitation, not accusation. In a polarized world, creativity that divides is easy. Design unites from depth.
- Symbols matter as much as words. Every visual element of the show was a conscious decision. Design isn’t decoration, it’s narrative and direction.
- Timing is part of the strategy. The same message at another time wouldn’t have resonated the same way. Understanding your audience’s emotional context is as important as understanding the message.
- Resistance can come from celebration. You don’t need to shout to be heard. Sometimes, dancing is more revolutionary than marching.
One last question:
At Love&Fear Studio we’ve always believed that the best design navigates between those two poles: love and fear. Bad Bunny showed us last night that when you design from love, you don’t just create something beautiful, you create resonance and belonging. The question it leaves us is: What are we designing? From what place? Are we creating from the fear of not being relevant, or from love for who we truly are?
Each project, each brand, each experience we design is an opportunity to choose. We can design to divide or to unite. To feed fear or to cultivate love. To make noise or to make sense.
Bad Bunny chose. What about you?
