VOY A ENSeÑARTE PR: A Lesson in Public Relations from Bad Bunny 

Weber Shandwick’s LIGA provides insights into how brands can intentionally connect with Latino audiences.

 

Since its inception in 2021, the Latino Inclusion Guidance Alliance (LIGA), one of the Weber Shandwick Collective’s six Business Resource Groups, has been translating Latino culture for brands that have struggled to keep pace. While many companies recognize the business imperative of targeting Latino audiences, they fall short in understanding the cultural nuances that resonate and cement consumer loyalty over time.

 

But then came Bad Bunny. Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in Puerto Rico, he has captured the hearts of the Latino community by unapologetically centering his Puerto Rican identity and wielding his platform to promote inclusivity. And he invites everyone else to do the same–to be unabashedly proud of your heritage yet still find commonality with people and experiences outside of your culture.

 

Following his historic Super Bowl halftime performance this past Sunday, the truth for brands has been crystallized: Latino culture is not niche, it’s both mainstream and influential. As brands look to leverage this moment, here are a few key principles for connecting with Latino audiences:

 

Show you know us

 

Latino culture doesn’t need translation or validation. Our community needs brands to be more culturally fluent and specific to our experience. Bad Bunny succeeds in this through his deeply personal storytelling. Throughout his performance, he made cultural references that those in the community would immediately recognize.

 

For example, the moment when he woke up a child at a wedding brought us all back to the family celebrations that lasted significantly later than planned. Many of us also understood how culturally significant it was to have Toñita, a prominent figure in Brooklyn’s Puerto Rican community and the owner of Toñita’s Caribbean Social Club, hand Bad Bunny a shot as he sang NUEVAYoL. Even Bad Bunny singing “El Apagón” from the top of a damaged electricity pole served as a poignant reminder of the power outages that have upended the lives of many Puerto Ricans on the island. Ultimately, every cameo, every dance, every outfit was intentional and resonant.

 

Thus, for brands, it’s important to do the necessary homework to understand the nuances of our culture to create campaigns and experiences that feel uniquely us.

 

Bring us into the process

 

Move beyond diverse execution–Latino voices in casting and writing–to diverse authority–Latino voices in client management and strategy. Representation is table stakes, but advocacy adds value. So, who are the people on your team that care deeply to understand the culture? And once you have them in the room, build an inclusive environment that allows advocates to share their perspectives.

 

Bad Bunny’s power comes from full creative control. He has a strong commitment to bringing a diverse set of Latino voices to the forefront. For example, the taco stand featured in the opening number of the show, Villas Tacos, is an actual Mexican-American owned business. Products from Rizos Curls, a Latina-owned hair care brand by Julissa Prado, were used to style the bride. Plus, Lady Gaga wore a custom flamenco-style dress designed by Luar, a Brooklyn-based fashion brand founded by Dominican-American designer, Raúl López.

 

Benito doesn’t just speak to us. He integrates us into his creative vision and uplifts our businesses. For brands, it’s critical to bring Latinos into the room as key decision makers and collaborators throughout every stage of the process. Partnering with our small businesses is also an indicator that you are not exploiting our spending power but investing in our economy.

 

Walk alongside us

 

Build long-term cultural resonance instead of chasing cultural trends. Bad Bunny’s success isn’t tied to one album or event. He’s the result of sustained investment in a community that has been culturally dominant for years. From drawing attention to violence against trans women on The Tonight Show to calling out the gentrification eroding the island’s local culture in his latest album, Bad Bunny has always been at the center of pride and resistance in Puerto Rico.

 

So, when Bad Bunny not only waved the Puerto Rican flag in red, white and light blue on Sunday’s global stage–a flag that symbolizes the island’s independence movement–but also acknowledged the 30+ countries that constitute the Americas, it was a full circle moment for the community that continues to stand behind him.

 

Therefore, brands should discard the single-moment briefs to reach Latino audiences and instead focus on establishing an enduring strategy that can speak to us on an ongoing basis.

 

Overall, to genuinely connect with the Latino community, brands must move beyond passive observation and towards active participation. Bad Bunny is proof that it’s not about meeting a moment, rather about molding a movement. The brands that understand this will not only win the loyalty of the Latino community but also help shape our ever-evolving story.

 

LIGA is a Business Resource Group centering Latino employees at Weber Shandwick. For more information on how you can bring these insights to life, please reach out to ligaleadership@webershandwick.com.