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Duolingo Skips the $8M Super Bowl Ad to Teach Fans Bad Bunny Lyrics
Duolingo launches a "Bad Bunny 101" campaign, skipping a costly Super Bowl ad to teach fans Spanish for the artist's halftime show.
Key Points
- Duolingo launches a "Bad Bunny 101" campaign, skipping a costly Super Bowl ad to teach fans Spanish for the artist's halftime show.
- The strategy focuses on pre-game hype with a 15-second ad during championship games, a New York City train takeover, and targeted audio ads.
- The campaign leverages a major cultural moment that has already caused a spike in users signing up to learn Spanish on the platform.
Duolingo is launching a "Bad Bunny 101" campaign to teach fans Spanish ahead of the artist's all-Spanish Super Bowl halftime show, a move first reported by Adweek. The strategy sidesteps a pricey in-game ad by focusing on pre-game cultural hype instead of competing for attention during the main event.
The pre-game playbook: Instead of an in-game spot, Duolingo will air a 15-second animated ad during the AFC and NFC championships featuring its owl mascot translating the artist's lyrics. The campaign also includes a takeover of a New York City train shuttle and audio ads on platforms like Spotify and Pandora targeting his fanbase.
Tapping the zeitgeist: The strategy leans into a cultural moment, with Duolingo CMO Manu Orssaud noting, “a little Spanish goes a long way toward enjoying the moment even more.” The company saw a spike in users signing up to learn Spanish after Bad Bunny was announced as headliner for the Apple Music-sponsored show.
Not their first rodeo: This isn't Duolingo's first time leveraging the Super Bowl's gravity. The company, known for its unhinged social media, followed a 2024 ad with a 2025 stunt that involved "killing off" its mascot, as first reported by Adweek.
The company is leaving the door open for a surprise during the Super Bowl itself, with a representative staying coy on the possibility. The campaign underscores Bad Bunny's rise as a top brand endorser and the growing influence of the Spanish language in the U.S.. Meanwhile, Apple Music has released its own official halftime show trailer to build excitement.
