Post Duolingo Owl’s Death: How Duolingo Mastered PR and Marketing – And How You Can Too
The Backstory
On February 11, 2025, Duolingo posted a mysterious announcement to their 1 million X followers which read:
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.”
This cryptic statement quickly gained widespread attention from various media outlets such as NPR, CBS News, and Forbes, which covered the story. As more details were released, it was revealed that Duo had been “killed” in a tragic accident where he got hit by a Tesla Cybertruck. However, users could bring Duo back to life by completing lessons within the Duolingo app.
While this marketing campaign was seemingly playful, the Duolingo team demonstrated complex digital marketing techniques which is a consistent theme for this company. They mix humor, pop culture, and storytelling ability to strengthen their brand identity to their target audience.
Ways Duolingo Masters Their PR and Marketing
The success of Duo’s “death” campaign was no accident. It was a carefully crafted strategy built on four key tactics:
1. Consistently Engages With Their Audience Through Owned Media
Duolingo has cultivated a massive following across various social media platforms, especially on TikTok where they have over 16 million followers and 400 million likes solely on their main account. Their presence on social media relies on humor, fan interaction, and playing to current pop culture trends. Duolingo is highly active with its audience by responding to comments under posts, which allows it to maintain a prominent online presence.
2. Telling a Story That Connects to Their Audience
Duolingo’s characters such as: Lily, Zari, Oscar, Lin, and most notably, Duo, each have personalities that are consistently developed through their social media platforms. By creating narratives around these characters, Duolingo fosters an emotional connection with their users. This storytelling approach keeps audiences engaged with their brand, which increases the likelihood of them interacting and sharing their content.
3. Following Trends
One of Duolingo’s greatest strengths is its ability to follow trends. Their target audience which consists of Gen Z and Millennials, who dominate the TikTok space, allows Duolingo to tailor their content to align with this. By using trending sounds, memes, and pop culture moments the brand remains relevant with their audience.
4. Maintaining a Strong Brand Identity
Duolingo is known across the board online for its wacky marketing tactics. Whether it’s through absurd humor, viral stunts like Duo’s “death”, or playful threats to urge users to complete their lessons, their marketing and PR campaigns maintain a consistent brand identity. This allows them to stand out in a notoriously crowded digital landscape. This ensures that when audiences see their content they immediately associate it with the Duolingo brand.
How You Can Apply These Strategies To Your Brand
Although you can’t replicate these tactics identically these are some key ways you can apply Duolingo’s marketing techniques to your brand:
1. Tell Your Brand’s Story
You must develop a unique narrative that makes your brand stand out. Whether this be through mascots, setting a consistent tone, or playing to your audience's interests, storytelling for your brand fosters an emotional connection that keeps your audience engaged.
2. Tailor Content To Your Audience
Understanding who your target audience is and tailoring your content to their interests is key to successful marketing. Engage with them in a way that feels authentic to your brand, rather than being overly promotional.
3. Stay on Top of Current Trends
Monitoring social media trends and adapting them to fit your brand is essential to enhancing your digital presence. Using memes, participating in popular challenges, or touching on cultural moments can help you reach your target audience, and push out content that will keep them engaged.
4. Establish a Cohesive Brand Identity
Cohesive messaging, tone, and visuals across platforms make your brand instantly recognizable.
Final Thoughts
By taking inspiration from Duolingo’s PR and Marketing techniques you can enhance your brand’s visibility and audience engagement. A strong consistent digital presence that is built on storytelling, trending content, and a well-defined brand identity can increase brand recognition and foster a relationship with your audience. At BrandNEWS, we’re here to help you implement these strategies in your brand and enhance your digital presence.
Interested in hearing more about how we can help? Submit a form here, and let us help you enhance your brand!
References:
https://keyhole.co/blog/duolingo-social-media-strategy/
https://dailybruin.com/2024/09/12/how-duolingos-unhinged-marketing-strategy-nurtures-its-success
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5295597/duolingo-owl-mascot-death