Who gets to brand Puerto Rico: Its tourism agency or its biggest star?

Yahoo

24-03-2025

The Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is one of the biggest stars of the music world. After becoming Spotify's most-streamed artist for three years in a row – the first and only artist ever to do so – he sold out all 49 dates of his 2024 U.S. tour, netting US$211 million.
Earlier this year, after Bad Bunny co-hosted 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon' and announced a 21-show residency in Puerto Rico, the recently reelected mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romero, quipped that the artist had done a better job of promoting Puerto Rico than the island's official destination marketing organization.
That agency, Discover Puerto Rico, was founded in 2017 to market the island to both tourists and investors. Established during the administration of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, it was part of a broader effort to professionalize Puerto Rico's place branding and underscored the importance of tourism to the island's economy.
As a scholar of Puerto Rican politics and place branding – and a native Puerto Rican – I think this case study raises interesting public policy questions: Who gets to brand Puerto Rico? Why does it matter if a place has a brand anyway? And if political leaders are dissatisfied with an agency whose sole purpose is to market the island, what comes next?
Historically, place-branding campaigns have been led by governments seeking to attract tourism and investment. One of the most iconic examples was the 'I Love New York' campaign, launched in 1977 as a collaboration between New York City and private partners. Similar public-private models became more common in the decades that followed.
Puerto Rico has seen various branding efforts over the years. Early boosterism efforts emerged during the first half of the 20th century, and in 1970, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company was created to promote the island as a tourist destination. By the 1990s, many Puerto Rican municipalities had begun adopting different place branding strategies.
During Puerto Rico's deepening fiscal crisis in the 2010s, branding efforts remained a bipartisan priority. But the two dominant political parties – the pro-territory Partido Popular Democrático, and the pro-statehood Partido Nuevo Progresista – each rebranded the island every time a new administration took office, raising concerns about consistency. The last major government-led initiative before Discover Puerto Rico was the 'Isla Estrella' campaign, which included a sponsorship deal with Spain's Sevilla FC soccer team.
In 2017, Discover Puerto Rico took control over the island's place-branding efforts. However, its performance has been polarizing, with critics pointing to significant blunders. For example, an early ad in its 'Live Boricua' campaign sparked backlash for featuring a family that didn't look like most Puerto Ricans.
Beyond its marketing blunders, Discover Puerto Rico has struggled to navigate Puerto Rico's politically charged place-branding landscape. In fact, it has been contested from the start, and remains so, as recently elected Gov. Jennifer González evaluates its future. It remains unclear to what extent efficiency and economic development will serve as the main criteria for evaluating its success, and to what extent party politics will influence the decision-making process.
Just a day before Mayor Romero made his remark about Bad Bunny, Discover Puerto Rico's CEO, Brad Dean, resigned, taking a similar role in St. Louis. Dean has argued that during his tenure, Discover Puerto Rico has driven significant increases in tourism and tourism spending. While these self-reported figures suggest success, they don't address a critical issue – the long-standing political controversy surrounding Puerto Rico's branding.
At the same time the future of Discover Puerto Rico remains uncertain, the island has gained unparalleled international attention thanks to popular music.
Reggaetón, an urban genre that originated in Puerto Rico in the 1990s, has amassed a massive global fan base, extending beyond Puerto Rico and Latin America to the rest of the world. In 2017, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi's video for the worldwide hit 'Despacito' turned La Perla, a working-class barrio in Old San Juan, into a magnet for tourists from all over the world.
More recently, in January 2025, Bad Bunny released his latest album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' which taps into traditional Puerto Rican music genres such as bomba, plena and música jíbara that aren't usually associated with reggaetón. It charted at No. 1. Bad Bunny also announced a Puerto Rico-exclusive concert series, with some dates reserved for locals and others open to fans worldwide.
The success of Puerto Rican reggaetón artists raises an important question: Why have these organic cultural movements been so effective – perhaps even more so than the official expert-driven place-marketing agency – in promoting Puerto Rico as a brand?
I think the answer probably lies in authenticity. Unlike government-led initiatives, reggaetón's global appeal stems from its cultural resonance and emotional connection with audiences worldwide, regardless of politics.
At this critical juncture for the island's tourism agency, perhaps Discover Puerto Rico should rebrand itself as 'Discover the Birthplace of Reggaetón.'
Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.