- TikTok now has the official account for Duolingo, a language-learning app.
- This account is regularly updated with TikTok audios and trends.
- It also draws from the existing meme fame of Duo the app’s owl-mascot.
Duo, the green-owl mascot of Duolingo’s language-learning app Duolingo has been a popular meme online for a long time.
Duolingo’s recent explosion on TikTok, where its official account has gained millions of views in the past two months, turns Duo’s meme status — largely derived from the mascot’s playfully threatening urges for users to do their lessons on the app — into a chaotic (and beloved) character.
Zaria Parvez (23-year-old social media manager), created videos for Duolingo TikTok in September. Duo now has his full-fledged personality. Twerks at conference tables, Slides down walls for Taylor Swift “All Too Well,”He says that he is “thirsty”Dua Lipa has been called Dua Lipa. “mommy.”
Duo has created a culturally sensitive account. Duolingo courses contain protected LGBTQ contentBy A popular sound that thanks Cardi B for her hates is used.
The Pittsburgh Business Journal reportedThe page had about 50,000 followers when it became viral in September. The account now has 1.5 million followers. This is due to Duo’s meme fame and Duo becoming one of TikTok’s most favorite brands.
Duolingo TikTok is a play on current trends on the app
Duolingo’s TikTok content at the moment is not typical for a brand on TikTok. Companies tend to be more focused on their products. This content is a departure from Duolingo’s previous TikTok content which was primarily about vocabulary and slang.
Duolingo’s TikTok videos in the early days were made by ByteDance EU through a partnership. LearnOnTikTok initiativeAccording to Sam Dalsimer (Global Head of Communications), the video was produced by a third party agency. Dalsimer stated that the partnership ended in May. Parvez, who had previously managed the account, began creating content for the account when the company returned to Pittsburgh in September.
Duolingo had its first viral hit on September 30, 2010.
“When you’re just tryna do your work without being terrorized by an owl,”An on-screen caption says, “Panning to a huge Duo suit sitting on top of a bank desks as TikTok sound calling, “how am I supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions”Plays in the background This video has been liked by over 700,000.
The viral hits kept coming from that point on.
Duo chases two employees from the office off a bench in an October 7 video that has 1.8 million views. “the killer is escaping”In “American Horror Story: Asylum”The background plays.
“PR team really think you can lock me in a closet and I won’t break out? no one’s safe,”The caption of the post says.
One video with over 1.6 million views is described as “a” “sneak peek at premium content you can only get with Duolingo Plus”Duo stares inadvertently out of the window. Twerking at a conference desk, visible handprint on its backside.
In other instances, Duolingo has used TikTok audios that aren’t widely circulating — like One upload of the Christian worship music “Awesome God”This has been used in only 2366 videos — to great success. The account’s “Awesome God”Video has been liked by 1.8 million people. It shows Duo stepping out onto a staircase filled with employees, who are clapping along with the caption. “when all you can say in French is ‘bonjour.'”
Parvez told Insider that when it comes to selecting audios or trends to feature on Duolingo’s TikTok account, nothing is too niche so long as it makes her — and if she needs a gut check, other members of her team — laugh.
“If you want to be viral, then definitely some songs might be too niche and we’ve run into that,” Parvez told Insider. “There have been moments where we didn’t gain as much traction when we used more niche audio, but our goal has just been to have fun and entertain.”
Duolingo’s TikTok draws from existing meme fame
Duolingo TikTok didn’t exist before that. Know Your Meme reports that memes about Duo circulated on Tumblr as early as 2017. They joked about Duo becoming vengeful for users who fail to learn their lessons. Some, such as the Tumblr post by knightcore, showed edited images showing Duo holding users hostage for not logging into.
Mashable reported that 2019 was the year of “Mashable.”A tweet from Duolingo showed Duo silhouetted in a doorway peering into the dark room. “coming soon,”This sparked a flurry of memes about the owl threatening those who skipped lessons.
—José Javier (@imperterritx) April 26, 2019
Duolingo will not show its mascot carrying a gun on TikTok but it does display that image when it interacts with commenters.
“Duo actually captured all those people and forced them to do this!!” One comment with 60.800 likes on Duolingo “Awesome God”Video reads.
“You’re not lying,” Duolingo replied.
Duolingo has a way to connect with TikTok viewers that other brands can’t
Other brands have become viral on TikTok, but not always for the right reasons. The official Planters account accidentally allowed for a flood of unsafe-for-work puns to be made on the word. “nut”It asked users to compose lyrics for a TikTok jingle. Duolingo appears to have avoided such backlash.
“I think having that foundation of being a brand that’s mission-driven and is free really allows us, and gives us more space, to have fun in a way,” Parvez said.
Parvez admitted that it’s too early to know if Duolingo has seen a significant increase in app downloadings or the overall business’s performance. TikTok allows users to leave comments on the site stating whether they have downloaded the app. “this account has no right being this funny.”
“The way that I think about it is that if I film this and it becomes viral, cool. We get users, awesome,” Parvez told Insider. “But we just want to have fun at the end of the day and entertain.”
You can read more stories by Insider’s Digital Culture Desk.