NFL, Bad Bunny Case Study: How To Be Authentic, Successful

Bad Bunny’s halftime was viewed by 128.2 million people, making it one of the most-watched performances in Super Bowl history, according to Rolling Stone. More than a cultural flashpoint, the show was a case study in bringing your authentic self to the limelight and finding success. In all stages of our careers, there can be a tension between being true to ourselves versus being successful. We may ask, if I bring my authentic self to work, will I lose opportunities? If I want to be successful do I need to compromise my values?

This black or white mindset is limiting and unproductive.

The NFL’s halftime show demonstrates you can be both authentic AND successful. “The NFL is a business organization,” observed Professor Vanessa Diaz at Loyola Marymount University during a PBS Newshour interview. “[Bad Bunny] was the best choice from a business standpoint. And so this just happens to be a moment when something very political coincided with a strategic business decision.”

When the NFL made the strategic decision and followed through by featuring Bad Bunny at the halftime show, they provided a how-to guide on how to stick to sound, authentic business/artistic decisions even if these decisions generate criticism and pushback. Here’s the breakdown: First, they understood who their audience was and how to reach them. Second, they understood their own history and how they arrived at this decision. Thirdly, they were able to think creatively. They were not limited by the options presented to them.

#1. The NFL & Bad Bunny Understand Their Audience

After the decision to feature Bad Bunny was first announced, the White House criticized it immediately. President Trump called it “ridiculous” and Department of Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski said in an interview: “It’s so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them.”

But the NFL leadership knew that the president was not their only audience member. Even though he’s one of the most powerful individuals, the NFL knew he was not the most important person watching. The NFL is trying to grow into a global brand, so it made sense to choose one of the world’s most popular musicians. Bad Bunny’s appeal specifically to Latino and Spanish-speaking viewers was intentional. NFL’s senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing Marissa Solis told ESPN that they have seen Latino population as a “critical growth area” on their path to being a global brand for many years.

As their marquee event, the Super Bowl is a key place to demonstrate their global appeal. Dallas Cowboy chief brand officer Charlotte Jones put it this way when asked about the choice of Bad Bunny for the halftime show: “I think it’s awesome…our Latino fan base is amazing. We are on a global stage, and we can’t ever forget that.” Jones captures the importance of understanding the NFL’s audience, even when the Dallas Cowboys is owned by an outspoken supporter of the president.

Bad Bunny is also a musician who understands his audience. His rise to stardom is directly tied to his grassroots appeal through direct streaming media platforms like Instagram, Spotify and YouTube. He didn’t need to cater to labels or music producers who think about genre and what sells. Instead, he was free to experiment as an artist. He broke the rules of what reggaeton and pop music was expected to be, and found a massive audience who reciprocated an appreciation for his genre-bending creativity.

#2.  NFL and Bad Bunny Understand Where They Came From

The NFL has experienced a few major hurdles in becoming a global brand. When Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, the NFL leadership were “reactionary” and sided with the politicians who said athletes who protested should be fired. Kaepernick was blacklisted.

So was the halftime show. Top-tier artists said they would boycott the show in solidarity with Kaepernick. In 2019, the halftime show in Atlanta was considered a major flop by most critics and fans. Atlanta is home to the the top names in Black music and none of them would share the stage with the NFL brand.

This was a wake up call. The NFL knew they’d have to do something differently if they wanted to be a global brand. So they partnered with Jay Z’s Roc Nation to produce the halftime show and to help the league to address social injustice. Their next star studded halftime show put the NFL back on track to attract a global audience with the Latina superstars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (with a cameo of Bad Bunny, no less).

Understanding where they had been as a brand prepared the NFL for the moment when they attracted the criticism of President Trump once again. This time they stayed the course because they knew their decision aligned with their goals and their audience. They knew changing course was out of the question.

Bad Bunny amplified the NFL’s message because he’s an example of an artist who embraces who he is and where he comes from — and wants to celebrate this authentically. He brought his community with him. Quite literally. The nail salon. The taco shop. The Caribbean bar. The bride and groom. They were all real people, playing their own authentic roles in a vibrant community on the football field. They weren’t asked to act on the stage, they were asked to be themselves.

He also paid homage to Ricky Martin, the first big crossover superstar from Puerto Rico who had to sing in English to find success. Bad Bunny knows Martin’s success paved the way for his own success, as a Spanish-language artist from Puerto Rico. On his stage, Bad Bunny gave Martin the chance to perform in his native language.

For every business leader the choice to embrace your own history will look differently, but the dividends are the ability to lead with confidence. Chef Hugo Gamino had to learn how to embrace the discomfort his own history caused him on his journey to being a leader of the brand HispanicKitchen for NGLmitu, a leading Latino media brand. This happened when he stopped anglicizing the pronunciation of his name.

“Being authentic,” he explained to me, “is leaning into discomfort. Saying, ‘This is who I am. This is how I speak.’ It brings an open invitation for criticism—but I’d rather face that than be invisible.”

This kind of authenticity isn’t easily integrated into every workplace. Uncovering Talent, a 2019 study published by Deloitte about workplace inclusion, found that 63% of individuals made an effort to “cover” or deemphasize stigmatized identities, such as race, ethnicity, ability, or association. And of those who did cover, 85% believed it was “somewhat” to “extremely” important to their long-term professional advancement. But when people don’t feel the need to cover and hide their authentic selves, they have more energy and creativity to bring to the table.

#3. The NFL and Bad Bunny Were Not Limited By Other People’s Expectations

NFL commissioner Goodell assured reporters in an October press conference: “We’re confident it’s going to be a great show. [Bad Bunny] understands the platform that he’s on.” But what did that mean? Would he sing in English to make English-language viewers more comfortable? Would he be overtly political and address ICE and Trump’s immigration policies?

While fans and detractors made hypotheses before the show, no one anticipated the sincere joy and Puerto Rican history Bad Bunny carried onto the stage. He did not sing in English, but he chose to say “God Bless America,” before he named every country in North and South America.

Being patriotic is often presented as a binary choice: do you love your country or not? Bad Bunny found a third, more creative way to answer that question.

The NFL was also given a binary choice by White House representatives. Change the artist to prove you support the White House, or fail. “They suck, and we’ll win,” claimed Noem in an interview about the NFL’s decision of Bad Bunny. Yet the NFL did neither. They didn’t make concessions, nor did they fail. They understood it was a false dichotomy.

Oftentimes, decisions are seen in black and white. Choice A or Choice B. During the pandemic Kroger, a national grocery chain, faced immense adversity. Customers were stockpiling supplies and/or were too afraid to enter grocery stores. Supply chains were disrupted. Would they close up shop or plough on straight ahead?

Neither, they turned a corner: they invested in their front-line workers and digital shopping capabilities. CMO Mary Ellen Adcock went as far as to say in a 2021 interview, “Covid-19 has been Kroger’s Chief Innovation Officer.”

What The Success Of Bad Bunny and the NFL Means For Business Leaders

Bad Bunny’s performance at the halftime show demonstrates that it’s possible and even beneficial to bring your whole, authentic self to all that you do. In the workplace, this looks like having a company culture that seeks to understand each other, both team members and clients  — the way the NFL sought to understand the global audience they want to reach. It means understanding your own history and how you got to where you are so that you can lead with confidence. It also means thinking creatively. Don’t be limited by dichotomies or other people’s expectations. Instead, build a company culture that allows for people to be curious and creative so they can find a third and unexpected option.

So how do leaders build a work culture that celebrates being authentic, understanding and creativity like Bad Bunny did in the halftime? There is no one straight path to get there, but communication between leaders, team members and clients is central. In my experience, unlocking storytelling as a valued communication tool is transformative. The skills required to tell and facilitate business stories on the stage and in everyday conversation will help listen to each other, understand their own story, and value creativity.

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