The Only Good Brand on TikTok: Duolingo Speaks the Language

Dylan M. Austin
7 min readOct 25, 2021
Various screenshots of Duolingo content on a graphic background — two are humorous exchanges with users who admit they haven’t studied, and one is a social media manager sharing how their mascot, “Duo” has been “unhinged” and concerned her executives. These are referred to in detail in the article below.

Long ago, Taco Bell and Wendy’s were basically the only sassy personality brands speaking in the first person on social media. From disingenuous “pick me” brands to those who are actually very funny, every brand from Kum & Go to Velveeta swoop in on trends and viral threads for engagement in any form, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with their brand or product.