Once again, Duolingo has delivered a marketing masterclass by participating in a pop culture phenomenon that many have labeled the trend of the summer.
The language-learning app’s mascot was present at the opening night of the Sweat Tour, a co-headlining tour by British singer Charli XCX and Australian star Troye Sivan.
Last Saturday (September 14), Duo showed up to the concert in Detroit, Michigan, wearing a “Brat” shirt, the title of Charli’s album.
By the time the bright green owl was kicked out of the venue, it had already generated buzz online.
Duolingo jumped on the biggest trend of the summer by attending the Sweat Tour, a co-headlining tour by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan
Image credits: duolingo
In fact, over the past few months, social media users have suggested a connection between the summer album and the viral mascot, noting their similar shade of green and the company’s history of embracing Gen-Z trends.
When the opportunity to collaborate—directly or indirectly—with a massive trend arises, brands are quick to respond.
The language-learning company used a color association strategy, linking the color of Charli’s Brat album cover to that of their mascot
Explaining what “Brat” means to her, Charli said, “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt.”
The trend took over TikTok, with hundreds of posts under the hashtag #bratsummer.
Duo showed up to the Sweat Tour wearing a “Brat” shirt
@sophiashouldstop why was the duolingo bird at the sweat tour 😭 #sweat #charlixcx #detroit #brat #duolingo ♬ liquorice – lagerf6ld
The photo of the green bird wearing the “Brat” merch was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by PopBase. The brand then re-posted the image, writing, “Talk to me in French, talk to me in Spanish.”
In one of the remixed tracks from Brat, titled Talk Talk, Dua Lipa shows off her language skills by singing in French and Spanish.
“Hay una fiesta en mi casa, vengan. Será muy divertido,” the popstar says, translating to, “There is a party at my house, come. It will be very fun.”
In another voice note at the end of the song, Dua, who has previously collaborated with Duolingo, says, “J’ai perdu mon téléphone mais tu sais quoi? Ça valait la peine parce que c’était une soirée de fou,” which means, “I lost my phone, but you know what? It was worth it because it was an insane party.”
Image credits: charli_xcx
Inside the venue, concertgoers were in for another surprise. The American company had arranged for 20 employees to wear Duolingo heads, making the vibrant green owls easy to spot from anywhere in the Little Caesars Arena.
That included the stage, too. During her performance, Charli gave a shout out to the flock of birds who were jumping up and down to her electrifying, club-like beats.
“Duolingo right there, baby!” the 32-year-old said, pointing to the energetic crowd members.
On X, the company quoted a line from Talk Talk, a remix on the album where Dua Lipa sings in French and Spanish
The educational tech company shared their accomplishment on social media, generating even more engagement for the brand.
According to several TikTok users, Duolingo employees were also handing out Brat-green merchandising featuring the company’s mascot before the start of the show.
Previously, the Duolingo TikTok account posted a video of the iconic bird doing pushups and other exercises in its “Brat” shirt.
“Training for Sweat Tour so I can fit through the door,” the overlay caption reads. The “bird” further declared, “Brat summer isn’t over until I say so.” (Charli XCX announced that Brat summer was officially over in a post on X).
The company also arranged for several employees to wear Duo heads at the show
Duolingo’s recent posts have amassed millions of views on social media, with many users praising the brand for tapping into pop culture with its amusing ideas.
“Duolingo’s marketing team deserves a raise,” one fan said.
“Duolingo really is the original creator of Brat green, huh,” another commented.
“Duolingo at a Charli XCX and Troye Sivan concert? That’s so random but kinda cool,” wrote a third user.
“The owl really knows how to stay on trend. Wonder what languages it’s learning at the concert,” a separate individual added.
The vibrant green owls even got a shoutout from Charli XCX herself
@duolingo charli said “talk to me in french” and we listened 🗣️ #brat #sweattour credit: @Julia 💚 #charlixcx #troyesivan ♬ DUOLINGO RIGHT THERE BABY – Duolingo
Zaria Parvez, the company’s Senior Global Social Media Manager, celebrated the achievement on LinkedIn.
“With millions of impressions in UGC [user-generated content], a mention by Pop Base, and a feature from the official SWEAT tour – I think it’s safe to say this was a huge success,” she wrote.
Duolingo shared moments from the concert on social media, receiving even more likes and comments
@duolingo streak or sweat ig #charlixcx #sweattour #troyesivan #brat ♬ love island is messyyyy – quinta
According to Keyhole, Duolingo targets an audience that wants to learn a new language but doesn’t have the means to afford regular language courses. This includes Gen Z and Millennials in the age group of 16 to 34.
To appeal to their target audience, they gamify the learning process and invest in creating a playful social media presence, using informal language—their TikTok bio is “just an owl tryna vibe”—references to memes, and young celebrities.
Last year, they jumped on the Barbie trend by posting an edit of Duo in BarbieLand in a blonde wig and a pink cowgirl outfit, saying hello to Ryan Gosling and twerking on the pink carpet.
“Duolingo marketing team is on another level,” a TikTok user wrote
