Director: (Tired) Audio ad - take number 79, audio rolling, and Action!

If you wanna learn a language clap your hands *clap clap*

If you wanna learn a language clap your hands *clap clap*

If you wanna learn a language

But you are a busy dentist

You can easily circumvent it, here's the plan *clap clap*

Unlock your phone and open the app store *clap clap*

Search for and download Duolingo *clap clap*

When it is downloaded

You can choose any language

You don’t have to be a dentist to explore *clap clap*

You can view all your progress on a map *clap clap*

I know coz I’m the face of this app *clap clap*

I’ll greet you when you open

Make sure your streak is never frozen

Or on your front door, I’ll take a crap *clap clap*

Director: CUT CUT CUT! DUO! You cannot keep saying that man, it’s ‘I’ll greet you when you open, make sure your streak is never frozen, come my friend put on your learning hat.’ You can’t keep threatening them with… THAT!? (sigh) Who chose this stupid owl to be the mascot?

Duo: WHO? {owl sound}

Create a script for a 30-second radio ad promoting Duolingo, but make it ~threatening~ with Duo, the owl.

Duolingo is a language learning app that is notorious for its in-your-face marketing, with its mascot Duo (the owl) leading the front to bully inactive users and reward active ones. I mean if you purchase something from their merch store, you get a note from Duo that says:

These playful threats and a personal connection via the means of multiple characters have helped Duolingo stand out in a sea of language-learning apps.

I had to charge up some mean bones in my body to be able to match their tone of voice.

I wanted the ad to be catchy since it would only run for 30 seconds. This led me to think about catchy songs that would already be etched in the minds of many people (nursery rhymes!). I stopped at "If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands". I remembered the tune of the rhyme if not all the lyrics, and I would argue that not knowing the exact lyrics worked out in my favor. The first lines of this script came to my mind immediately and I went from there.

In the first stanza, I wanted to target people who are very busy with their lives and tell them that each lesson on Duolingo only takes 2 to 3 minutes; so even if they are a busy dentist, they can easily circumvent it.

Then I explain how they can download and set up the app, followed by a brief description of the app's intuitive interface.

Then comes Duo's threat. A disgusting, vile, and totally appropriate threat for Duo to make. (I am just the writer, it's Duo who is saying it after all)

And towards the end, the Director is fed up as even the 79th take couldn't make the cut. They question Duo's position in the app, and the ad ends with an owl sound pun.