Duolingo staged the death of its viral green owl mascot in a recent marketing campaign, except in Japan where cultural sensitivities around joking about death led to a different approach. In every other market, the language learning app announced the “death” of its mascot with a sassy statement on X, depicting the mascot dead with crossed eyes and his tongue sticking out. Pop singer Dua Lipa joined in on the joke, referencing a long-standing joke about Duo being in love with her. Duo returned from faking his death after users completed enough language lessons. This campaign reflects Duolingo’s non-traditional and country-specific marketing strategies, which have made the owl mascot and the app cultural icons. Duolingo’s social media accounts in various countries feature hyper-local content, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers. Last quarter, Duolingo became the first company to use animation for prepared remarks on an earnings call, highlighting its artificial intelligence push. The company’s marketing efforts contributed to a 51% increase in daily active users and a 41% rise in revenue in the fourth quarter.