We felt it before we understood it

Bad Bunny, storytelling, and what America looks like when it doesn’t ask for permission

As an art director, I could spend hours explaining why Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl impacted me and how we felt it before we understood it. But as a Brazilian, I simply felt it.

What I saw was Latin America being represented without asking for permission.

And that was not only incredibly powerful for Puerto Rico, but for all of us. Americans. We felt united, connected by history, colonization, tradition, culture, struggle, pain, joy, and pride.

Performance built as a narrative

What happened on that stage was not just a concert. It was a story.

A story told through music, visuals, scenography, clothing, symbols, colors, and faces.

The main set was a sugarcane field. That choice alone carries deep meaning. It references the U.S. colonization and enslavement of Puerto Rico in 1898, a history often ignored or softened in mainstream narratives.

The white outfits represented jíbaro clothing, traditionally worn by rural Puerto Rican workers. A symbol of dignity, labor, and resistance in the face of dehumanization.

Then came the broader Latin American imagery:

The coconut vendor.The older men playing dominoes.The mani. 💅The classic Latin wedding, cutting the cake from the bottom up. A kid asleep on a chair in the middle of the party. I am 100% sure every Latin American, has lived some version of that moment.

Symbols that speak without translation

And then, the original Puerto Rican flag appeared. Light blue, before U.S. colonization changed it to dark blue.

A symbol of the independence movement. Holding that flag at the most-watched event in history, on U.S. territory, is not just an aesthetic choice. It is a statement. One that does not need explanation to be powerful.

Nothing was random. And that is the magic of storytelling. ✨

What this taught me about presentations

This is exactly how I think about storytelling in presentations.

You have to start and end your pitch with meaning and intention. Not just information. Not just slides.

Bad Bunny could have simply sat in the white chair from his album cover and sung. But he chose to tell a story.

And when a story is well told, whether on the biggest stage in the world or in an online meeting, it does not only inform. It connects.

And connection is what makes people listen. And remember.

Aqui, somos todos americanos. ❤️