Image credit: YouTube
The Super Bowl has always been a global spectacle.
It’s a date in the calendar that’s guaranteed to bring millions of people together across the world: watching the football game in the stadium, inviting friends and family over to enjoy it on the TV, or swapping opinions with strangers on social media.
The 2026 Super Bowl gave “culture” a new meaning – or rather reminded us that the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society will always differ, but can unite us.
An estimated 125 million people tuned in to watch the Big Game this year. Its cultural impact stretched far beyond US borders, and this became apparent during 2026 Grammy winner Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
This year’s halftime show made history. Bad Bunny became the first solo Latino male artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime performance, and he did it entirely in Spanish.
The Puerto Rican artist was Spotify’s most listened to artist in 2025, achieving an outstanding 19.8 billion streams. His accolades include 6 Grammy Awards, 17 Latin Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and 54 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
There was no doubt his performance would draw in viewers in their millions.
He delivered a powerful show, performing his greatest hits amidst a theatrical set featuring people dressed as bushes (it’s cooler than it sounds!). The show was an unapologetic nod to Latin American culture.
Bad Bunny closed the show by staring directly into the camera and listing American homelands: the United States, Canada, and “mi patria, Puerto Rico.” Then he declared “Seguimos aquí”, which means “we continue here”, before leaping into a crowd of dancers waving flags from across Latin America.
The performance made an impact amongst Spanish and non-Spanish speakers alike.
The NFL announced that Bad Bunny would be the halftime performer in September 2025. This gave smart brands time to shape a Super Bowl ad campaign that would honor the Spanish language and America's huge Hispanic community.
Software development company, Air, “aired” its first-ever Super Bowl ad just ahead of the halftime show, starring Suniel Shetty and influencer Darshan Magdum.
Darshan Magdum is an Indian influencer known for his offbeat covers that have caught the attention of global superstars like Tyler, the Creator, and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Darshan now has over one million followers across his social channels.
In the short ad, Darshan sings a cover of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. He is shut down by an actor in the ad who says, “This is not working”, but then Indian actor Suniel Shetty enters and says:
“Creative work has no country, no language, no accent. But it will always have a home on Air.”
Shane Hedge, CEO and Co-Founder of Air, said the message of their ad was intentional. With Bad Bunny performing entirely in Spanish, Air wanted to be part of a broader conversation around language and culture.
The e.l.f. Cosmetics ad also sparked conversation.
Their 2026 Super Bowl commercial starred comedian Melissa McCarthy, actor Nicholas Gonzalez, and Mexican actress Itatí Cantoral. The ad was shot in telenovela style, and follows Melissa McCarthy’s character as she races to learn how to roll her Rs in Spanish before seeing “the world’s greatest reggaeton show.”
Audiences responded well to this ad as they were also trying to refresh their Spanish knowledge ahead of Bad Bunny’s performance. Crucially, the humor was tasteful, as it came from inside the community.
The 2026 Super Bowl made it clear that cultural relevance is about a willingness to learn, connection through humor, and acceptance.
For brands, that means:
The brands that win are the ones that show up with cultural confidence, respect, and listen to their audiences' perspectives.
Want to chat more about connecting with multiple cultures in your campaigns? Reach out to us at hello@digitalvoices.com.
