Your Brand Can't Be Duolingo
RIP Duo the Owl, Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show trends, NBA All-Star Weekend, and more in "What Stopped My Scroll Vol. 20"
Greetings, beautiful people, and I hope you enjoyed the Valentine’s Day weekend! This is my 20th letter on Substack — a proud milestone. I didn't know how my journey on Substack would unfold. It’s been a learning curve of ups and downs, experimenting on the platform, building connections, and analyzing content. I appreciate your support, and I’m excited to keep this going!
This week, we’re discussing the Kendrick Lamar Halftime show, marketing stunts that sparked controversy, Nike’s marketing comeback, and some more cool things that caught my eye.
Lastly, I share random thoughts on why asking your marketing team to 'be more like Duolingo' is a mistake.
Let’s Get it.
FAVORITE CONTENT OF THE WEEK
Yo, I’ve been laughing at cherdelys2’s skits about Drake fans reacting to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance. The acting is so good that you’d think it was a real fan. Additionally, the point of view in which it was filmed strongly conveys the emotion on screen. The video felt like an intimate look at an obsessed fan’s pain. On top of that, the content is just funny as hell. Here’s another Drake fan skit that’s just as hilarious, too.
BRANDS, COLLABORATIONS, AND CULTURE
The internet’s reaction to Kendrick’s Lamar Halftime performance. Ok, if you’re an avid Hip Hop and sports fan, it was hard escaping the multitude of takes and opinions on Kendrick’s halftime performance. It felt like everyone and their mama had something to say about the performance, regardless of their stance. I’ve never seen this type of reaction to a Super Bowl performance. Typically, discussions after the Super Bowl last a day or two; however, Kendrick’s show has been a trending topic for several days.
Watch the performance here. 65 Million views and counting..CRAZY.
I loved the performance. It was a pure display of hip hop artistry and storytelling that made Kendrick one of the greatest rappers of our lifetime. The move to perform a setlist with a majority of GNX tracks was strategic and bold. Samuel L. Jackson as “Uncle Sam” was nothing short of genius. Oh, and the shots at Drake were the icing on the cake. With that said the internet debates on the performance quickly became exhausting. Either people LOVED it or HATED it. There was no in-between; even media publications like the Daily Mail and Barstool (who looks to Barstool for musical opinions? lol) called it the worst halftime performance ever and made Drake the winner of the “Beef.” Then there’s Times, who wrote an elegant piece applauding Kendrick for his brilliant performance. Social media has created a vacuum of overly critical and analytical users. Instead of simply enjoying or disliking the art, people feel compelled to share rage bait disguised as an opinion.
Moving on, though, the performance generated a few social trends. Here are a couple:
Poppi Backlash. Poppi is receiving criticism from consumers for sending expensive vending machines to notable influencers during Super Bowl Weekend. I understand the brand's POV and know they meant well. As a pure spectacle, it was a thoughtful attempt to drive awareness for their brand at a fraction of the cost of buying a Super Bowl ad spot. However, as a consumer, the execution comes off a bit tone-deaf.
Here’s the reality. The average American is dealing with soaring prices and economic hardships. This, as a result, has generated a movement of anti-overconsumption. It’s been bubbling on TikTok for a while now with calls to action such as defluencing.
Additionally, consumer sentiment toward Macro influencers is shifting. People are tired of watching macro influencers receive and post outrageous #gifted items. They feel it’s promoting an uncommon, unrealistic lifestyle for most people. Instead, they’re seeking relatable and authentic creators that they can connect with.
I’m not the one to say Poppi made a mistake. However, it does feel like a case of not being in touch with your primary consumer and instead opting for a flashy stunt that will drive attention from a marketing perspective, but when it comes to connecting with real consumers, it misses the mark.
The Duolingo Bird is dead. Duolingo executed their latest and greatest stunt, announcing the death of their beloved mascot. The mascot is a social media superstar, so once the news “broke,” the internet reacted immediately, with brands and media publications jumping in on the fun. I don’t think I’ve seen this much media coverage from an organic stunt in a long time. What Duolingo has been able to accomplish is impressive. They’ve built a super strong brand through it’s unhinged marketing tactics that can’t be replicated. More on that later.
So what is Duolingo up to? No one knows, but just like everyone else, I’ll be paying attention to see what’s next.
Nike's making the right moves. The swoosh is on a strong run with its advertisements. From the Nike Women’s “So Win” Super Bowl spot to the Jordan 1 Unbannable campaign, the brand's voice feels rejuvenated, but this time, its tone carries a bit more attitude in the best possible way.
Jordan Brand hosted a “Love Hurts’ experience celebrating Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jalen Hurts. Inspired by the incredible brand spot that aired after the Super Bowl, “Love Hurts’ messaging took over Philly. Dope.
'Love Hurts' takeover in Philly To kick off NBA All-Star Weekend, Jordan Brand made a grand entrance with a live Drone Show. It’s safe to say they want to win the all-star weekend, which is a competitive ground for footwear brands, working expeditiously to promote their roster of athletes, specialty products, and previews of their latest brand innovations.
Nike Basketball celebrated Kevin Durant’s 30,000th point with a creative spot that takes cues from KD’s ‘Easy Money Sniper’ moniker. The spot showed Custom $100 Bills with KD’s face flickering on a money counter.
Staying on basketball, Adidas Basketball's latest ad for Anthony Edwards is fire. Following the viral dunk on Chet Holmgren, the three stripes posted the ‘Anybody Can Get it’ spot, which features Ice-T (CSI actor and OG rapper) in his familiar detective role, arriving at the scene of a crime involving Anthony Edwards, in which the rising superstar “caught a body” — a popular phrase in basketball culture meaning to dunk on someone. Framing the conversation between Ice-T and his partner within the confines of a police investigation while subtly incorporating language that describes the sneaker’s technical features is so good.
Adidas created this ad before knowing the dunk would happen. But by understanding their athlete's strengths and brand of basketball, they anticipated that another viral dunk would take place this season, and when it does, they will have the ideal content to seize the moment. The strategy proved to be highly effective.
‘Play at your Own Risk.’ Anthony Edwards is Complex’s CoverStar. Ant’s popularity continues to soar.
Steph Curry and Stone Island have teamed up to create class-exclusive tracksuits for his ‘24 Curry Camp Class, which will debut during
All-Star Weekend,
NBA Champion and Finals MVP Jalen Brown has joined Oakley for his first-ever brand partnership. The multi-year deal will shape a new design philosophy, with Brown working alongside Oakley’s development and innovation teams.
Shopify shuts down Yeezy.com, following Kanye selling T-shirts embossed with swastikas.
Millennium boy band reunion, anyone? The Back Street Boys are back. The group announced its Las Vegas Residency in the Summer.
NBA Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's new signature shoe is officially unveiled. Releasing Fall 2025, the Converse SHAI 001 will be debuted on the court when Shai wears them during the All-Star Game on Sunday. I like the shoe - it’s stylistic in a modern way, with clear inspiration from retro Y2K basketball models like the Allen Iverson Reebok Questions and Gary Payton’s Nike Zoom Flights.
Stussy opened the doors to its brand new NYC Location. I’ll make a visit soon over the next couple of weeks. Glad to have them back in the metropolitan area!
SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok is downloadable again. Apple and Google have made TikTok available on their U.S. app stores, a welcome sign that the ban might eventually disappear soon. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, disappeared from both stores in the United States on Jan. 18, hours before a ban on the social media app was set to go into effect.
Instagram is testing a dislike button in the comments. After some users noticed on Instagram that they can dislike comments, the company confirmed that it is testing a way for users to signal that they either didn’t like the comment or don’t think it’s relevant. The feature will appear across both Feed posts and Reels.
According to Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, the button will work as a “signal into comments ranking to move disliked comments lower down. Our hope is that this might help make comments more friendly on Instagram.”
RANDOM THOUGHTS
You Can’t be Duolingo..And You Shouldn’t Want to Be.
Not sure who needs to hear this, but your brand isn’t Duolingo. After the “death stunt,” I can guarantee there were CEO/ executives that sent their marketing teams messages like, “Hey, did you guys see this? How can we be more like Duolingo?”
As someone who has sat on the receiving end of those conversations, I know how exhausting it is. Leadership often unknowingly pressures marketing teams to chase virality, comparing them to brands like Duolingo without understanding the full picture. Let’s put an end to that.
Yes, Duolingo’s unhinged marketing drives massive engagement, media coverage, and case studies. But here’s the truth: you can’t replicate what they’re doing. Duolingo’s bold, chaotic brand identity wasn’t built overnight. It’s an ideology with buy-in and commitment throughout the organization. Their leadership, content teams, and brand team have all bought into being “Unhinged.” While their approach was fresh and innovative at first, they still faced increased scrutiny. The death stunt was applauded and criticized. Either way, they’ve dominated conversations because they’ve conditioned their audience to expect it.
But most brands can’t and shouldn’t try to pull this off. If another company attempted the same stunts, the response would likely be backlash. It would feel forced, off-brand, or outright tone-deaf.
Instead of chasing virality, lean into what makes your brand truly resonate with your audience. Understand your DNA. Study your community. Craft a marketing strategy that connects authentically—without trying to out-shock the internet.
And to the leaders out there, stop asking your social team how to be more like Duolingo. Instead, ask how you can create an environment where they feel empowered to take risks, think creatively, and build a brand identity that lasts.
Thanks for reading! Til next time, folks ✌🏿.
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I loved the Jordan x Jalen Hurts ‘Love, Hurts’ campaign & your mini deep dive on Duolingo—agreed! Focus on your brand’s DNA 🧬