Duolingo is a language-learning company with a cartoon green owl for a mascot, named Duo. TikTok is the world’s most popular social media platform for young people, known for short, comedic videos and endless content. Somehow, these two things have turned into a perfect match.
For years, social media marketing has been something that companies of all varieties have attempted to harness. Social media platforms provide companies with a quick and direct channel to engage with their customers. Trending on social media is, in most cases, the best possible outcome.
TikTok marketing in particular has opened new doors in recent years. The platform is built for fun, catchy content creation, and is predominantly used by young people. TikTok marketing is seen as something of a goldmine in the digital age. The problem is, many of TikTok’s Gen Z users do not like being sold to. They can spot pushy marketing from a mile away, and will tune it out without a second thought.
But few companies have managed to harness the power of TikTok videos quite like Duolingo. As improbable as this might sound, it was no accident. Duolingo’s TikTok presence is carefully cultivated, and is rooted in a fundamental understanding of the platform itself.
Duolingo’s TikTok Strategy
In a word, the Duolingo team describes their TikTok content as “unhinged.” The loose, sometimes chaotic style is a deliberate choice that is central to the brand’s success. But it also was not forced. Duolingo found its brand image through a history of user-generated memes about the company and its cartoon mascot, Duo.
Before Duolingo joined TikTok, users created content that depicted Duo as a jokingly-threatening force. Duo was represented as a figure that made threats to anyone who failed to complete their language lessons. When the company joined TikTok in 2021, it leaned into its mascot’s viral status in its own corporate content.
Duo the owl is still making lighthearted threats over incomplete lessons on TikTok. But the Duolingo account is consistently in touch with the latest trends and memes on the platform. This is not an easy feat and one that many companies struggle with when producing TikTok content.
Part of Duolingo’s success on the platform stems from a pre-existing brand image. But the brand has successfully harnessed that image and turned it into a sustainable viral marketing strategy. The success can also be attributed to Duolingo’s understanding of TikTok and its users.
Duolingo is not on TikTok to sell its product to Gen Z users. Rather, they use the platform to maintain brand awareness and entertain their audience. Simply by maintaining pop culture relevance on social media, Duolingo can funnel more users and sales through other channels.
Investing in TikTok Videos
Another key to Duolingo’s success is that they take each TikTok video seriously, at least in terms of production. Duolingo’s social media team will reportedly spend hours each day researching the latest trends across social media platforms. If they come up with a workable idea for TikTok, they might then spend several more hours producing a video. One mistake many companies might make when producing TikTok videos is under-investing in the content itself.
The short-form, casual nature of most TikTok content can be deceiving. The top content creators work very hard in the production of their videos. For businesses investing in TikTok marketing, the same should be true. Duolingo understands this point, and the investment has more than paid off. Despite providing a niche service, Duolingo’s TikTok account is one of the top 10 most followed brand accounts on the platform. They boast over 4 million followers. That puts them ahead of larger and more established brands like Nike, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell.
Do’s and Don’ts of TikTok Ads
Duolingo is perhaps the best success story when it comes to TikTok marketing. Some aspects of that success may provide a blueprint for other companies hoping to advertise on TikTok. But there are multiple ways to go about producing TikTok ads, and it would be wrong to simply imitate another brand.
When marketing on TikTok, you can either pay for official TikTok ads, or produce organic content. There are multiple options for TikTok ads, including in-feed videos, image ads, “brand takeover” ads, and a few more options. Most companies that find success with TikTok marketing understand that most users on the platform are there for entertainment. TikTok is not generally a space for traditional advertising. Rather, many companies see it as a space for more creative and unique brand development.
Finding the right brand voice on TikTok can take some time. While this will vary from one company to the next, originality and authenticity are important qualities to focus on.Want to learn more about the latest trends in digital marketing? Read more posts from Web Content Development.