How Bad Bunny Hip Hopped His Way to America's Most Desirable Brand Endorser

Within hours of the news that Bad Bunny would be headlining Super Bowl LX’s halftime show at Levi’s Stadium, web watchers at Booking.com blinked twice at their laptop screens. The number of searches for places to stay in Santa Clara, Calif., had jumped by 501% compared to last year. The online travel platform referred to this phenomenon as “the Bunny effect.” Call it what you will, other brands have been aware of it for years. Since 2020, when the 31-year-old musician’s El Último Tour Del Mundo became the first Spanish-language album to take the top spot on the Billboard 200, Bad Bunny (birth name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) has been a hot ticket for brands in search of endorsers. Celebs bag endorsement deals all the time, but Bad Bunny’s attributes make him especially attractive for brands looking to reach a young, and increasingly diverse, audience. Bunny’s range of musical influences—Latin trap, reggaeton, bomba, merengue, and Dominican bachata, to name a few—is matched only by the array of everything else he’s good at. When he’s not performing, Bad Bunny is a record producer, actor, wrestler, activist, philanthropist, and fashion icon. That his “style transcends boundaries” is one reason Adidas gave for partnering with him. Bad Bunny’s stance on social issues also make him a distinctive marketing partner, especially for brands trying to reach historically marginalized groups. Proudly and irrepressibly Puerto Rican (“This is for my people, my culture, and our history,” he said about his Super Bowl gig), Bunny is unafraid to take on issues ranging from the effects of gentrification to LGBTQ+ rights. This package has allowed Bunny to be picky when it comes to the brand he’ll work with. “It’s not about the money all the time,” he said in an interview last year. “It’s about how much I love the brand and how much they’re going to respect my creativity.” Below, five brands that made the grade, and what he did for them. Calvin Klein In March, Bad Bunny ditched most of his press-worthy threads to pose in a pair of Calvin Klein’s Icon Cotton Stretch Low Rise Trunks. With ample muscles and tats, he easily gained admittance to CK's stable of hunks including Michael B. Jordan, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, and Mark Wahlberg. Shot in Puerto Rico, the spot features Bad Bunny’s song EoO. “The easiest and most impactful way for me to put my signature on any project is always through music,” he told GQ. Adidas Shortly after athleticwear colossus announced a long-term partnership with him in March of 2021, Bad Bunny introduced a sneaker called The First Café, a court shoe with brown hues meant to evoke the café con leche he drinks every morning. Far from a case of name slapping, Bunny’s is a hands-on collaboration whose creations take pains to reflect his heritage. The Paso Fino sneaker from last year’s Adidas x Bad Bunny Response CL line, for example, featured layered, undulating suede trim that evoked the terrain of Puerto Rico’s Cordillera Central mountain range. His Gazelle Indoor City collection included a green sneaker called El Yunque, after the island’s rainforest. Corona In 2019, concert series Corona Estéreo Beach sponsored Bad Bunny’s X100PRE tour. The following year, he signed on as the face of a Corona campaign titled “La Vida Más Fina.” (The fine life.) According to the company, the Spanish slogan “symboliz[es] a heightened recognition of Corona’s heritage and growing Hispanic population in the United States,” while Bunny said he liked how the campaign “stays true to Corona’s Hispanic roots.” In one spot, Snoop Dogg picks up a ringing conch shell with Bad Bunny on the line, speaking into a scallop. “How you livin’, Bunny?” Snoop asks, to which Bunny responds: “Esta es La Buena Vida, baby.” Gucci In September 2023, Bad Bunny’s association with Gucci began when he and Kendall Jenner (a romantic item since February of that year) strutted through an airport carrying a fortune in Gucci’s Valigeria luggage, tailed by fashion photographer Anthony Seklaoui. The couple was splitsville by December, but Bad Bunny was back in front of Gucci’s cameras in April 2024—again at the airport, this time hefting the luggage on his own. Gucci corporate didn’t have much to say officially about this collaboration apart from an X post proclaiming “Bad Bunny takes a trip.” Mr. Bunny also took to the stage on his “Most Wanted” tour last year decked out in Gucci, down to the Jackie bag. Crocs Another example of Bad Bunny’s influence on the brands he collaborates with are his 2020 special-edition, glow-in-the-dark Crocs Jibbitz charms (notably the bunny head plucked from the YHLQMDLG album) that the performer designed himself. Crocs president Michelle Poole told the New York Times that the company had already spotted Bad Bunny wearing the shoes both on stage and in music videos. Bunny described himself as a “longtime fan” of Crocs. The collection sold out in 16 minutes. Fans who missed out can still find the Crocs in the aftermarket for a tad more than their $59.99 asking price. At press time, eBay listed an unworn pair for $349.99.

Brands

How Bad Bunny Hip Hopped His Way to America's Most Desirable Brand Endorser

Ahead of his Super Bowl halftime show performance, five high-profile brands the musician has put his mark on

UNLOCK FULL ACCESS

Robert Klara

Brand Marketing

13 Recent Marketer Moves to Know: Liquid I.V., MrBeast, NYT, and More

The Cheesecake Factory Is the Real Winner in Obama-Trump Food Fight

The Four Down and Dirtiest Political Ads of the 2026 Midterms

Your Marketing Playbook Expired Last Week ft. Erin Oles of Salesforce

Avoiding The Ick Factor: Anthony Po and Lauren Probyn Aouad on Getting Authenticity Right

How Brands Like Wendy's and Planet Fitness Wove Into the Fabric of Bravo Fan Fest

The Sydney Sweeney Effect Can Fade Fast for Brands, Data Suggests

How K-Beauty Made Skincare the Language of Beauty Marketing

3 Mistakes Healthcare Brands Make When Marketing to Women