My feeds this week have been dominated by Bad Bunny halftime show reactions and commentary.
But the ones I can’t stop watching aren’t the think pieces.
They’re the reaction videos.
Specifically, the ones showing families reacting when Bad Bunny called out their country during his “tour of the Americas” at the end of the show.
I watched one of a family from Ecuador. The moment they heard their country named, they jumped, screamed, embraced, and cried. The caption read:
“When Ecuador never gets a shout out, BUT NOT THIS TIME!”
When I tell you I cried — I ugly cried.
There’s even a TikTok search thread titled “countries react to Bad Bunny.”
As I scrolled through the comments, one stood out to me:
“To be seen is the greatest gift.”
That’s it.
That’s the lesson.
In behavioral science, we know that people are wired for belonging. Social identity theory tells us that part of how we understand ourselves is through the groups we belong to — nationality, culture, language, community.
When those identities are recognized publicly — especially in spaces where they’re usually invisible — it creates a surge of emotion.
Not because the mention is rare.
But because it confirms:
We matter. We’re included. We exist here.
As marketers, we spend a lot of time thinking about strategies to attract new customers.
But one of the most powerful — and often overlooked — growth levers is this:
Seeing people.
Before Black Panther, I had seen zero Marvel movies.
And I had no intention of seeing any.
But when it premiered, I went — with a group of 17 of us — in Buenos Aires.
It wasn’t casual. It was an event.
None of us wanted to miss it.
Because the movie — the cast — the world it created — saw us.
And that moment changed my behavior.
Since then, I’ve seen almost every Marvel movie.
That initial act of recognition turned me into a loyal customer.
Recognition isn’t just emotional.
It’s economic.
When people feel visible in your brand, they lean in.
They show up.
They stay.
Sometimes growth doesn’t come from finding new audiences.
It comes from finally seeing the ones who were already there — and turning recognition into loyalty.
So here’s the question I want you to sit with this week:
Who are you intentionally seeing — and who might still be invisible in your marketing?
Wakanda Forever,
Sonia