The marketing mastermind that is Duolingo has made the leap into advertising, lending its expertise to brands with the launch of a character-led ads platform designed to charm Gen Z.
The language learning mobile app has more than 128 million monthly active users across the globe. The platform will feature popular characters from the app and will utilise its signature brand of humour.
Brands will be able to invest in rewarded videos and native experiences that slot into learning moments without interrupting lessons, according to the brand. Early tests indicate a 96 per cent completion rate on rewarded video ads. Click-through rates also surged to more than 3%, well surpassing industry benchmarks.
Adobe, Intrepid Travel, and Universal Pictures were among the first partners to adopt the platform’s offering.
Andrew Guendjoian, head of ad sales at Duolingo, said the platform is perfect for younger users as it is built to “delight, not disrupt”.
“Ads don’t have to be annoying. They can actually be delightful”.
“With Duolingo Ads, we’ve crafted an offering built on mutual benefit: learners get a fun, seamless experience, and brands see meaningful results. Most importantly, Duolingo Ads helps us keep education free for millions of people around the world.”
It might seem like a big shift for the platform, but for a brand known for its wild stunts and unique breed of humour, it is far from the most outlandish thing that has happened in the last few months.
Earlier this year, Duolingo went viral after “killing off” its iconic green owl mascot.
The company resurrected the bird shortly after, appearing as a surprise contestant on Love Island US – no… we are not kidding in the slightest.
With a successful, albeit occasionally strange breed of marketing, Duolingo has had its finger on the cultural pulse for a number of years now, making it a perfect partner to support brands engagement with Gen Z audiences.
Users, however, are seemingly unimpressed with the shift. Media intelligence firm CARMA has tagged the global sentiment of the brand as 41.1% negative.
