Duolingo's Giant Push Notification in São Paulo | Clapboard

The Unignorable Notification

Description

In June 2021, Duolingo partnered with the Brazilian ad agency Jotacom to launch an innovative experiential campaign called The Unignorable Notification, designed to captivate and motivate language learners in São Paulo. Renowned for its playful mascot Duo and engaging push notifications, Duolingo sought to demonstrate just how far the little owl would go to keep users committed to their language streaks. To do this, the brand created the world’s largest push notification, projecting a giant message—measuring between 10 and 15 square meters—on prominent buildings across the city. This striking visual served as a personalized call to action, physically putting Duo in the real world where it could no longer be overlooked or dismissed amidst the everyday notification overload. The campaign began with a social media call-out, inviting fans to nominate learners deserving of this extraordinary encouragement. From over 500 nominations spanning the metropolis, selected participants were discreetly brought to their apartment windows by friends and family, only to be surprised by massive customized notifications glowing on neighboring buildings. This element of surprise, combined with the sheer scale of the projection, created an unforgettable and deeply personal experience that reinforced Duolingo’s commitment to supporting its community. By taking the familiar push notification out of the digital realm and into public space, Duolingo effectively transformed a routine reminder into a powerful motivator that was truly impossible to ignore. This campaign cleverly leveraged experiential marketing within the education sector, emphasizing the app’s role not just as a language tool but as a source of ongoing inspiration for learners. It also highlighted Duolingo’s innovative approach to user engagement and brand loyalty, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading free language learning app.

Credits

Client

Duolingo

Agency

Jotacom

Ceo

Jurgis Figueiredo, Rodrigo Cassino

Strategic Planner

João Passarinho Netto

Vp Of Creative Performance

Fábio Mello

Head Of Creation And Content

Felipe Andrade

Art Director

André Lopes

Writing

Luiz Barrella

Content Coordination

Brunno Maceno

Content

Mariana Félix Teixeira

Interaction Coordination

Fellipe Camarossi

Head Of Digital Media

Ausra Sliesoraitis

Head Of Brandformance

Gabriel Igima

Campaign Proposition

Duolingo’s campaign, "The Unignorable Notification," leverages the brand’s core proposition of persistent, engaging support to help learners stay committed to their language studies. By transforming the familiar concept of push notifications into a large-scale, personalized urban experience, the campaign underscores Duolingo’s promise of unwavering encouragement, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to motivating users even when conventional reminders are overlooked. The campaign embodies a value of active learner engagement by making study reminders impossible to ignore, reinforcing the brand’s role as a constant partner in the educational journey. The market strategy is rooted in a deep understanding of user behavior: notifications are often ignored due to oversaturation, diluting their effectiveness as motivational tools. To overcome this, Duolingo innovatively re-imagined the push notification within a physical, experiential medium by projecting massive, customized messages on city buildings. The targeting strategy focused on highly engaged users within São Paulo, selected through social media nominations, creating a personal and community-driven connection that amplified the impact and shareability of the experience. This approach leverages social proof and peer support by involving family and friends in the surprise, further embedding the brand within users’ social environments. The campaign’s creative angle blends digital persistence with real-world spectacle, effectively bridging online engagement and offline experience to reinforce habit formation and brand loyalty in a saturated notification landscape.

Creative Device

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This Duolingo campaign centers around projecting the world’s largest push notification — a massively exaggerated, impossible-to-ignore version of their usual app reminder — onto city buildings. The giant notification acts as a powerful symbol of how persistent and motivating Duolingo is in helping users maintain their learning streaks, literally “amplifying” its supportive nudge into a real-world spectacle. Rather than simply telling or demonstrating, the campaign uses this visual hyperbole to symbolize the product’s relentless encouragement and impact on users’ learning habits. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats