Duolingo remains one of the most dominant language-learning apps. Between its fun game-style learning and excellent marketing campaign, the Duolingo empire is on the rise.
The marketing team always comes up with clever campaigns, but they outdid themselves this time by publicizing the death of Duo, the company’s green owl mascot. As someone who aspires to work in the world of marketing, I find this marketing campaign fascinating. Here is an explanation of the campaign, followed by my take on Duolingo’s marketing.
since when is duo dead?
On Feb. 11, Duolingo broke the internet by announcing Duo’s death. The post was a simple black background with white text, but the engagement was extreme: over 2 million likes to be more precise. This post, while still maintaining some humor, was more serious than usual. The post did well because it was groundbreaking. I was shocked to see the news once the post appeared on my feed, and it has become a hot topic among my friend group.
More shocking details were revealed as time went on. We eventually learned the cause of Duo’s death: he was hit by a Cybertruck, as shown in an Instagram Reel and on TikTok. Then, eventually, the other beloved characters such as Lily and Falstaff were reported dead as well.
However, a rescue effort is currently ongoing. To revive Duo, the company announced an XP challenge. Users all over the world have been encouraged to do their lessons to earn a collective 50 billion XP, which will supposedly save Duo.
okay, time to briefly analyze
As someone interested in marketing and wanting to pursue a marketing career in the future, this campaign is excellent in my eyes. Not only is it increasing engagement among Duolingo users, but other companies have participated in the trend as well, broadening the audience and ultimately increasing engagement with the company. The addition of the XP challenge will motivate new and returning users to do their lessons to help revive Duo, which in turn gives the company more business.
Final Thoughts
Duolingo’s marketing has been top-tier for a while now, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Whether you’re a Duolingo expert or just getting started, it’s never too late to do your lessons. Even in the grave, Duo’s watching: I just have a feeling. Remember, do your Spanish or you will vanish!