Duo the Owl, Lily and other Duolingo characters star in a new Webtoon comic series

As if the Duo the Owl lore couldn’t get any more intriguing, a fun new campaign from Duolingo in partnership with global entertainment company Webtoon has him starring in a five-episode comic series. “Duo Unleashed!” is a branded comic running on Webtoon that follows Duo the Owl as he tries to lighten his day-to-day workload by hiring an assistant, only to end up with a clone machine that creates a mini army of unruly duplicates. Lily and other characters from the Duolingo universe co-star, as they embark on an outrageous, comic journey to save the day. The comic is a different format for Duolingo, which has developed a reputation for taking edgy approaches to marketing to Gen Z, including through unhinged TikTok videos, a partnership with anime streaming provider Crunchyroll and a five-second Super Bowl ad featuring Duo’s butt. The branded series also comes as Webtoon and its Wattpad brand aim to build more entertainment content with brands native to their platforms. Wattpad and Webtoon were both present at Advertising Week in New York last week to pitch ideas to marketers. “This collaboration has provided us an exciting opportunity to introduce Duolingo and its dynamic cast of characters to Webtoon’s audience of passionate global readers,” said Linda Simensky, head of animation and scripted content at Duolingo. “We loved getting to expand Duo’s story in this new space and look forward to even more fans meeting him on Webtoon.” To bring the story to life, Webtoon and Duolingo will host an immersive fan experience at New York Comic Con from Oct. 17-20. Attendees can participate in daily meet and greets with their favorite characters, as Duo and Lily and take part in on-site giveaway opportunities. In addition, from Oct. 15 to Nov. 12, Webtoon users who read all five episodes of “Duo Unleashed!” will unlock a code for a one-month free trial of Super Duolingo. Readers with a Webtoon monthly coin premium package will also get a two-month free trial of Super Duolingo. The campaign is a fun way to encourage both language learning and readership, as Webtoon often converts novels or creator stories into visual comics. Webtoon has also worked with other brands on branded comics. Recent collaborations include series and projects with Overtime, The Try Guys, HYBE artists and bands such as BTS, TXT, and ENHYPEN, Lil Uzi Vert, Hayley Kiyoko, Kevin Kreider, Ava Max, Gayle, May-A and others. The company has also worked with comic publishers like DC, Archie Comics and Marvel. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Duo the Owl, Lily and other Duolingo characters star in a new Webtoon comic series

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