Duolingo unexpectedly fired its mascot with a Cybertruck, and the reaction has been surprisingly positive.
The mascot of Duolingo, the owl named Duo, has "died." Although, in reality, Duo isn't really dead (or so we believe), the language learning app has committed so much to this narrative that its CEO...
Duolingo's mascot, the owl Duo, has been the subject of a curious and extravagant advertising campaign. Although Duo hasn't actually died, the CEO of the app, Luis von Ahn, took the joke so seriously that he paid an emotional tribute to the green owl on TikTok. This type of peculiar marketing strategy, where a beloved character is "eliminated," tends to be risky and does not always generate good will.
The situation becomes even more unusual when von Ahn announced in his video that "Duo was hit by a Cybertruck" and added that, in fact, "all the characters in Duolingo are dead." Despite the eccentric nature of the announcement, this approach has yielded unexpected results. Data from Similarweb indicates that monthly active users on Android increased by 25% worldwide compared to the previous year. Moreover, global downloads on Android surged by 38% the day after the campaign, and web searches increased by 58%.
The peculiar "death of Duo" could be a way to channel public frustration towards Elon Musk's actions, as he is currently making controversial decisions regarding his company and initiatives. To counteract this supposed tragedy, the company launched a campaign titled "Duo or Die," inviting users to complete lessons and maintain learning streaks to accumulate points that could "save" Duo.
A website related to this campaign is designed to track the progress in resurrecting this beloved character, although it does not specify when the countdown will end. The idea seems powerful: bringing the owl back to life once the established goal is reached, showing that Duolingo really has no intention of losing one of its most effective marketing assets.
Although some users may find these aggressive engagement tactics annoying, it is important to note that many startups are adopting equally eye-catching marketing strategies, albeit less clever. In this context, von Ahn reflected on TikTok about Duo's "clear mission": "To make education accessible, one scary notification at a time."