In the era of virtual marketing, brands are no longer just selling products. They’re fighting for attention in the most bizarre ways possible.
From airline accounts to candy brands making weird jokes, the trend of unhinged social media marketing is taking over.
But is this strategy actually effective, or is it just making consumers uncomfortable?
“I think that it’s a confusing way to market,” junior Charlie Bilyk said.
Bilyk mentioned that although uncomfortable posting gets people to click, the majority of people who do so are disgusted by the posts.
Traditional marketing strategies have been replaced with bizarre stunts, according to the article “5 Brands Dominating the Unhinged Marketing Space” published by NoGood, a growth marketing agency for big brands. Some infamous examples of this include Duolingo and Nutter Butter.
Duolingo made an announcement on X on Feb. 11 that the internet’s favorite sadistic green owl, the Duo mascot, was found dead. The cause of death was unknown, but whoever was responsible for the end of Duo’s streak caused beloved marketing icons like Zari and Lily to go away.
And I don’t mean they went on a lengthy vacation to the Bahamas. They’re reported deceased.
Now for active users of Duolingo, this begs the following question: “Will I see my family again?” Probably not. Who knows what the bird did to them? And it’s been years.
For the non-Duolingo users with a more rational brain, the question is, “Is Duolingo re-branding?”
Some people on related Instagram posts have speculated this, students have joined in too.
“Duo [heard] something he wasn’t supposed to and they had to eliminate him,” sophomore Sai Advani confidently said.
Advani threw in another theory speculating that a Duolingo user permanently silenced the bird as an act of vengeance for Duo having kidnapped their family. The mascot had a history of disturbing behavior, after all.
It’s safe to say that Duo’s death is going viral. Companies are commenting on the matter with one posting a video of Duolingo getting hit with a Cybertruck. This has prompted new theories on the cause of Duo’s death.
“I think he got hit by a Cybertruck in a case of attempted murder [and the] suspect is at large,” sophomore Kate Blinston said.
KFC posted a video on its Instagram of a bucket full of fried chicken, offering its condolences for Duo’s passing and tastiness.
Dua Lipa, British-Albanian singer, songwriter, model, entrepreneur, and supposedly Duo’s girlfriend (yes the owl’s got game), joined in the chaos by posting on X, “Till death duo part.”
According to CNN, this wasn’t a coordinated marketing campaign but rather due to the viral nature of Duo’s death.
“Duo being in love with Dua Lipa was part of the app’s brand lore,” a Duolingo rep told CNN. “We’re just as shocked (and honored) as anyone that she’s acknowledged his tragic fate.”
But Duolingo isn’t the only brand that’s succeeded in making viral marketing stunts on social media. On X, brands such as Wendy’s became viral for its humorous and snarky presence, while M&Ms have released a strange slew of surreal commercials recently.
Duolingo wasn’t even first to the whole dying thing. In an infamous 2020 Super Bowl halftime commercial, Planters announced that its iconic character Mr. Peanuts died.
“[Mr. Peanuts’ death] had to do with the phenomenon of how people mourn the death of fiction characters,” according to an article from CNBC, which interviewed the creative leader for the Planters’ campaign.
Less mainstream brands like Nutter Butter have hopped on the bandwagon as well. Take a look at their posts, which resemble a fever dream. It looks like the social media manager is under the influence. And we don’t mean Nutter Butters.
Posts included random pngs floating about, a psychedelic rainbow background, wacky music, and a guy named Aiden wearing a white shirt floating about.
Seriously, who’s Aiden? Is he the admin? One of the higher ups? Or some innocent intern who doesn’t know he’s being mocked on the viral account?
The social media of the airline Ryanair account has been doing a similar strategy. Words can’t really do the account justice. It’s just… interesting.
Regardless, as of Feb. 24, Duolingo rose from the dead, due to an event in the app where users could gather enough experience points from lessons to revive the bird.
Yet his death and return left a mark on unhinged social media platforms.
But just because the owl has risen, that won’t stop the endless stream of posts that are uncanny, unhinged and mildly concerning in a funny way.
Surely, as more brands hop onto the trend, we shall see inhumane amounts of humor, maybe even from stoic brands like Apple.
