Uncensored CMO

Who killed Duo? How Duolingo built a brand on entertainment


Listen Later

Today, I’m joined by James Kuczynski, Creative Director at Duolingo, and Dan Salkey, Founding Partner at Small World, for a conversation on how to build truly entertaining brands.

Fresh off their SXSW panel titled "Entertain or Die", named after a report by Small World, we explore how Duolingo has built such a standout brand, particularly through the rise (and death...) of their iconic mascot, Duo.

In the first half of the episode, I chat with James about Duolingo’s brand success, why they decided to "kill off" their beloved mascot, and how giving creative autonomy to their team has been key to their growth. In the second half, I speak with Dan about the most entertaining brands in the world today—and the specific traits you can apply to make your own brand more entertaining.

Download the Entertain or Die report here.

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:47 - Part 1: James Kuczynski from Duolingo
01:22 - James’ background in marketing
03:23 - How James joined Duolingo
04:18 - What is Duolingo
06:34 - How Duolingo has used gamification to help people learn languages
09:47 - How is AI enhancing Duolingo?
11:20 - Is AI a threat to Duolingo?
12:13 - Why Duolingo created “Duo”, their mascot
15:47 - How the Duolingo owl evolved
17:56 - Duolingo’s April fools plans
20:00 - Why Duolingo killed off their mascot
23:57 - The results of Duo killing their mascot
25:08 - How partnerships have played a role in the success of Duolingo
28:02 - How Duo is bigger than A-list celebrities
29:26 - How Duolingo built such a huge social media following
32:08 - The importance of being in-house for growing Duolingo
33:17 - How Duolingo hires social media talent
34:34 - The thing that makes Duolingo stand out
36:32 - Part 2: Dan Salkey from Small World
37:15 - Why Small World created the Entertain or Die report
38:57 - How they identified the most entertaining brands on the planet
39:30 - What brands are the most entertaining?
40:41 - Why the most boring categories have most space to innovate
42:35 - The entertainment gap
44:07 - How can brands be more entertaining?
49:54 - Final advice on how brands can be more entertaining

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Uncensored CMOBy Jon Evans

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

29 ratings


More shows like Uncensored CMO

View all
The Digital Marketing Podcast by Ciaran Rogers, Daniel Rowles and Louise Crossley

The Digital Marketing Podcast

102 Listeners

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips by Eric Siu and Neil Patel

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

1,250 Listeners

Squiggly Careers by The Squiggly Career

Squiggly Careers

63 Listeners

2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns by David C. Baker and Blair Enns

2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns

252 Listeners

Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly by Leaders Media

Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly

27 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

6,458 Listeners

Nudge by Phill Agnew

Nudge

170 Listeners

The CMO Podcast by vYve & Jim Stengel

The CMO Podcast

340 Listeners

On Strategy Showcase by Fergus O’Carroll

On Strategy Showcase

42 Listeners

The High Performance Podcast by High Performance

The High Performance Podcast

638 Listeners

The WARC Podcast by WARC

The WARC Podcast

10 Listeners

B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt by Dave Gerhardt

B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt

42 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,398 Listeners

Marketing Against The Grain by Hubspot Media

Marketing Against The Grain

352 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,347 Listeners