King's College London

Since Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show in September last year, much commentary focused on the controversial nature of the US National Football League’s (NFL) artist choice. Detractors questioned whether a Puerto Rican artist who only sings in Spanish was ‘American’ enough and deserving of the sporting world’s biggest stage, despite being a US citizen (Puerto Rico is a territory of the US). Supporters expected him to take a stand, especially against the recent violent conduct of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Those who had never heard or paid attention to Bad Bunny certainly found the debate difficult to avoid in both mainstream and social media.

After the actual show this last Sunday in Santa Clara, California, the performance has been hailed as an act of celebration of Puerto Rican culture and resistance. But what can this historic performance teach us about creating entrepreneurial opportunities to catalyse positive social change?

It starts with who you are and knowing who you are doing it for

The typical personality traits of entrepreneurs all made an appearance at the halftime show. The confidence and belief in one’s skills and abilities (self-efficacy): “My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl 60, it’s because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You’re worth more than you think. Trust me.” The novelty and creativity of portraying Puerto Rico on stage (innovativeness). The vision of seeing the Super Bowl platform as an opportunity to send a message with every detail of the performance, and in doing so, delivering more than he was asked to (personal initiative).

If in a not too distant past Bad Bunny used to pack groceries at a supermarket to pay for recording sessions, today he is Global Top Artist on Spotify—the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, a feat he repeats for the fourth time. Yet, the privilege of his current position is not lost on him. By taking the perspectives of Puerto Rican citizens and Latin immigrants, and showing concern for their struggles, Bad Bunny displayed a key trait of social entrepreneurs at the centre of his performance: empathy.

Creating value is about innovating not only for communities, but with communities

In showing “how wonderful it is to be latino” (“Qué rico es ser latino”), the halftime show elevated Puerto Rican and Latin American culture in extensive detail. There was the iconic straw hat, the coconut water, the abuelos playing domino, the nail salon, the boxers, the street vendors, the casita filled with celebrity cameos, and even an endangered toad. There were nods to the roots of reggaeton and to meaningful immigrant spaces in Los Angeles and New York. And there was the invitation to see America in all its flags—North, Central, and South. In sum, there were no shortage of opportunities to see Puerto Rico and to feel seen as a Latin American.

More than 128 million viewers watched the show, but this was not only about the audience. There was all the joy and the ingenuity of the people on-stage and backstage. The creative solution of dressing 380 performers as blades of grass, to reduce the number of carts to form the stage and protect the surface of the field. And a real couple, who had invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, getting legally married while the world watched, with Lady Gaga as the guest wedding singer.

While the Super Bowl is a one-off event, it is not the first time Bad Bunny puts community at the heart of his business model. Citing concerns over his fans being targeted by ICE officers, he recently decided not to tour the US mainland, opting instead for a Puerto Rican residency that earned the island a figure between 400-700 million US dollars.

Harnessing tensions can spark innovation

With all the tensions surrounding the halftime performance, it could have been easy for Bad Bunny to keep his social message separate from the business of entertaining the Super Bowl audience. Equally, it could have been tempting to veer into divisive political messaging. But he neither compromised nor confirmed the expected bias of speaking only to an echo chamber.

Instead, he integrated an audiovisual critique of colonialism and gentrification, with a message rooted in universalism values of understanding, appreciation, and tolerance of all people.

There were the workers in the sugar cane field, serving as a reminder of a past of exploitation. There were the sparking electricity poles, criticising frequent blackouts in Puerto Rico, the impact of Hurricane Maria, and the privatisation of the energy grid. The tensions were not resolved, but alive and dancing to his unique blend of reggaeton, trap, salsa, merengue, bomba, and plena.

Although Bad Bunny may not have changed anything in the 13 minutes of his show, he introduced us to a new organising method, a creative integration of joy, multiple identities, and community, with an acute awareness and critical view of past and current problems. In showing that “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” his performance is a moment of hope and inspiration for changemakers everywhere.