When Duo met (and marrried) Lucky

Having been paraded around the showfloor at Campaign's flagship conference, Ad Nut knows what it's like to be the furry embodiment of a much beloved brand and the stress and anxiety that can come with it.  While sports mascot rivalries can be vicious, Ad Nut fortunately belongs in the brand mascot camp, where fluffed figures are more likely to be lovers not fighters.

This, of course brings us to why we all are gathered here today, to witness the sacred nuptuals between Duolingo mascot Duo the Owl and Luckin Coffee's Lucky the Deer, who somewhat officially tied the knot in a wedding ceremony in China on July 8, captured and broadcast on Weibo and other Chinese social media platforms, with Duo providing its signature chime to say 'I do'.

As if the lucky duo's (see what Ad Nut did there) brand collaboration ceremony was not elaborate or entertaining enough, the partnership is being  further consummated in a series of short dramas, scheduled for release at 10:00am, 12:00pm, and 2:00pm on Tuesday.

In recent years, short dramas have increasingly taken over brand marketing in China, offering innovative storytelling and endorsements. Duolingo and Luckin Coffee have embraced this dramatic marketing approach, releasing the first video of their short drama on Tuesday morning through Weibo and other video platforms for brand marketing in China.

Almost four months after Duo's death and subsequent resurrection in February, Duo the Owl is living a mascot's best life, by creating another sensational social media marketing viral campaign with its own story of death and consummation that could rival the death and consumption of one certain Pop Tart mascot that has attempted to steal the spotlight.

Duolingo first announced the news of Duo's marriage on its official Chinese Weibo account on June 30, sharing a photo of the marriage certificate and leaving fans to guess who the groom is. The green owl also posted a picture of itself wearing a wedding dress.

Various Chinese brands, including Eleme, Alibaba’s food delivery app, and Watsons China, participated in the discussion on Weibo by adding their own mascots to Duo’s wedding photos.

Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao responded to a Weibo post: “Have you set a date for your wedding? We warmly invite all newlyweds to celebrate their wedding banquet at Haidilao.”

Not wanting to be left out, McDonald’s has offered taro pie to newlyweds because “香芋” (taro) and “相遇” (encounter) are both pronounced “xiangyu” in Chinese. Duo replied, “Please stop sending; I don’t want my mother-in-law to think I only order takeaway and don’t cook.”

In the following days, as of July 4, after Duo announced the upcoming marriage, under the hashtag  #多邻国猫头鹰官宣结婚, the topic generated more than 9.61 million views on Weibo, ranking number 23 on the Hot Search list.

Later, Luckin Coffee posted several other videos featuring the wedding between Duo and Lucky. The collaboration bore fruit on July 6 with the first collaborative products hitting the market. One of the items, a Duo Luckin mug, sold out by 8:00 am on the day it was available for online sale.

As Luckin Coffee has expanded further into global markets in recent years, its collab products with Duolingo have also been featured on its official Instagram account in Singapore.

Among hundreds of Luckin Coffee’s collaborations with brands, the Duo partnership stands out and Ad Nut believes it exemplifies a Duolingo-style marketing strategy that marries two brands across different markets and cultures.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.