Duolingo Turns Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show Into a Spanish Lesson

As anticipation builds for Bad Bunny’s highly awaited Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show, Duolingo is seizing the moment with a bold, culturally attuned campaign that blends entertainment, language, and real-time marketing. The language-learning platform has launched “Bad Bunny 101,” a multi-platform activation designed to help fans sharpen their Spanish skills ahead of one of the most watched musical performances in U.S. television history.

With more than 100 million viewers expected to tune in on February 8, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance marks a historic milestone: the first solo, primarily Spanish-language headliner to take the Super Bowl stage. Duolingo’s campaign positions Spanish not as a niche offering, but as a central cultural language of the moment — and invites audiences to participate rather than simply watch.

The campaign kicked off with Duolingo updating its social media profile imagery in a playful homage to Bad Bunny, with the brand’s iconic owl mascot, Duo, adopting the artist’s signature aesthetic. From there, the brand rolled out a 15-second animated hero spot featuring Duo guiding viewers through Spanish phrases inspired by Bad Bunny’s lyrics, including references to hits like “Tití Me Preguntó.”

“Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S., and it’s already part of how culture shows up,” said Manu Orssaud, Chief Marketing Officer at Duolingo. “This halftime show lets fans experience that at full volume, and a little Spanish goes a long way toward enjoying the moment even more.”

A strategic alternative to in-game advertising

Rather than competing for attention — and budget — during the Super Bowl itself, where 30-second ad slots are reported to cost upwards of $8 million, Duolingo opted for a pre-game strategy. The hero spot will air during the AFC and NFC Championship games, providing audiences with a two-week window to engage with the app before halftime arrives. Two five-second reminder ads will also run during Championship Sunday across key U.S. markets including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco.

Beyond television, Duolingo has deployed a comprehensive media plan targeting Bad Bunny’s fanbase across Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, and SoundCloud, with additional reminder spots scheduled during the Grammy Awards. The brand also extended the campaign into the physical world, wrapping New York City’s S train in Duolingo green and broadcasting Spanish audio lessons between Grand Central and Times Square.

Real-time marketing with cultural relevance

The initiative reinforces Duolingo’s reputation as a leader in real-time and guerrilla marketing, turning major cultural moments into opportunities for brand engagement and utility. The company has a history of Super Bowl-adjacent activations, including its viral five-second 2024 ad and previous social stunts that deliberately played with — and subverted — Super Bowl advertising conventions.

In this case, the cultural alignment is clear. Bad Bunny is not only one of the most influential artists of his generation, but also a global symbol of Spanish-language culture. His latest album became the first release of 2025 to surpass 7 billion streams on Spotify, and he was once again named the platform’s most-streamed artist worldwide.

For marketers, Bad Bunny 101 offers a clear lesson: cultural relevance, timing, and audience insight can rival — or even outperform — traditional high-cost sponsorships. By aligning language learning with one of the biggest entertainment moments of the year, Duolingo transforms anticipation into action, and positions Spanish as a gateway to shared cultural experience.

As millions count down to halftime, one brand is making sure fans don’t miss a single word.