Duolingo rolls out character-led ads platform to charm Gen Z

Duolingo has rolled out a new mobile-first advertising platform, Duolingo Ads, aimed at helping brands connect with Gen Z through playful, character-led formats.

The mobile learning app, which has more than 128 million monthly active users globally, said the platform was built to “delight, not disrupt”. Ads will feature Duolingo’s popular cast of characters and are designed to blend branded storytelling with the app’s signature humour and charm.

Ad formats include rewarded videos and native experiences that slot into bite-sized learning moments without interrupting lessons. According to Duolingo, early tests saw a 96% completion rate for rewarded video ads and click-through rates of more than 3%, figures that surpass industry benchmarks.

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Duolingo added that the new formats aim to drive brand outcomes beyond impressions by weaving brands into experiences that already resonate with learners. Adobe, Intrepid Travel, and Universal Pictures were among the first partners to pilot the offering.

The company positioned Duolingo Ads as a way for brands to tap into its highly engaged audience, particularly younger users who are typically harder to reach through traditional advertising.

“Ads don’t have to be annoying. They can actually be delightful,” said Andrew Guendjoian, head of ad sales at Duolingo. “With Duolingo Ads, we’ve crafted an offering built on mutual benefit: learners get a fun, seamless experience, and brands see meaningful results. Most importantly, Duolingo Ads helps us keep education free for millions of people around the world.”

The launch comes as Duolingo doubles down on out-of-the-box brand plays. Just months after “killing off” its green owl mascot, the company resurrected Duo in dramatic fashion as a surprise contestant on Love Island US. The campaign, run with US streaming platform Peacock, tapped into a running joke about contestants clinging to their phones to maintain their Duolingo streaks.

More recently, the brand wiped its social channels for an AI-themed takeover led by a rogue, three-eyed owl, aligning with Duolingo’s declared shift to becoming an “AI-first” company. CEO Luis von Ahn compared the move to its 2012 pivot from desktop to mobile.

The bold shift hasn’t landed evenly. According to media intelligence firm CARMA at the time, sentiment has been divided. In Asia, conversations around Duolingo’s AI-first strategy were almost evenly split between positive (26.1%) and negative (26.5%). Globally, criticism outweighed praise, with 41.1% of sentiment tagged as negative. Concerns ranged from potential job losses to calls for more transparency, with some users even deleting the app in protest.

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