You’ve seen the big green bird. Maybe he was twerking on a boardroom table, or perhaps he was looming ominously over a staffer who forgot their Spanish lesson. If you spend any time on TikTok, you know Duo. But the person pulling the strings—the actual Duolingo Director of Social Media, Zaria Parvez—is the real reason why a language-learning app somehow became a chaotic, unhinged cultural icon.
Honestly, most corporate social media is soul-crushing. It’s a series of "Happy Monday!" posts and sanitized product announcements that nobody actually wants to read. Duolingo took a different path. They chose chaos.
Who is the Duolingo Director of Social Media?
Zaria Parvez didn't start at the top. She actually joined the company as a social media coordinator fresh out of the University of Oregon. That's a wild jump. In just a few years, she moved from entry-level to leading the entire social strategy. It’s a testament to how much Duolingo’s leadership, including CMO Manu Orssich, trusted a Gen Z voice to run the show.
She's not just a manager; she’s the architect of a specific brand of "unhinged marketing."
The core of her strategy wasn't about teaching people verbs. It was about making Duo a person. Or, well, a bird with a very specific, slightly terrifying personality. Parvez realized early on that people don't want to be sold an education platform on TikTok. They want to be entertained. They want to be part of an inside joke.
The Pivot to "Unhinged" Content
Before Parvez took over, Duolingo was... fine. It was helpful. It was nice. But nice doesn't go viral.
The shift happened when the team moved into the new Duolingo headquarters and found a massive mascot suit. Most brands would use that suit for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Parvez used it to film Duo stalking employees. This wasn't a calculated move by a 50-person committee. It was a small team—Parvez and a few others—experimenting with what made them laugh.
Why the "Threatening" Vibe Works
You know the notifications. "It's time for your French lesson! Don't make me come over there."
Parvez leaned into the meme that Duo is a stalker. By acknowledging the internet’s joke about the "passive-aggressive" notifications, the Duolingo Director of Social Media turned a potential brand weakness into a massive strength. It’s a meta-commentary on the user experience. It’s self-aware.
It’s also incredibly risky.
Most CEOs would lose their minds if their brand mascot was seen "simping" for Dua Lipa or getting into feuds with Google Translate. But at Duolingo, this wasn't just tolerated; it was the strategy. Parvez has spoken about the "90/10 rule" where they spend 90% of their time on safe bets and 10% on things that might get them fired. Turns out, the 10% is what everyone actually remembers.
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Breaking the Fourth Wall of Corporate Branding
If you look at the Duolingo TikTok account, you'll notice something weird. It doesn't look like an ad.
That’s because Parvez treats the account like a creator, not a corporation. This is a massive distinction. Creators follow trends, they use "low-fi" video quality, and they talk back to their audience in the comments. When you comment on a Duolingo video, Duo might roast you. He might flirt with you. He might just say "pog."
This community management is where Parvez shines. It’s not just about posting; it’s about the "scroll-stopping" interaction.
The Dua Lipa Obsession
One of the most famous arcs in the Duolingo social universe is Duo’s obsession with pop star Dua Lipa. This wasn't some high-level partnership. It started because "Duo" and "Dua" sound similar. Parvez ran with it. They made videos of Duo crying over her photos and trying to get her attention.
It worked.
The fans started shipping them. It became a lore. People tuned in not to learn German, but to see if the bird finally got a date. This is "lore-based marketing," a concept Parvez has effectively pioneered in the corporate space. You’re not just watching an ad; you’re following a soap opera starring a 7-foot plush owl.
The Business Impact of a Viral Bird
Let’s be real: followers don't always equal dollars.
However, in Duolingo’s case, the social media explosion directly correlated with a massive spike in brand awareness and daily active users. When Parvez and her team started this journey, the TikTok account had almost zero traction. Now, it has millions of followers and billions of views.
This isn't just vanity. It drives "top of mind" awareness. When someone decides they finally want to learn Japanese, they don't search for "language apps." They think of the owl. They think of the bird that threatened their family on TikTok.
That is the power of the Duolingo Director of Social Media's vision. She turned a utility into a lifestyle brand.
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Authenticity vs. Performance
A lot of companies try to copy Parvez's "unhinged" style. Most fail.
Why? Because they're faking it.
You can tell when a 45-year-old copywriter is trying to use "no cap" or "fr fr." It feels like a Steve Buscemi "How do you do, fellow kids?" meme. Parvez succeeds because she actually belongs to the culture she's posting for. She understands the nuances of "internet speak" because that’s how she talks.
She also knows when to pull back. Despite the chaos, the brand never loses sight of its mission: to make education free and fun. The "fun" part is just much louder than it used to be.
How the Team Operates
Parvez doesn't work alone, but the team is surprisingly lean. They don't use big agencies for their social content. It’s all in-house.
This allows for speed. If a trend starts at 10:00 AM, the Duolingo team can have a video out by 2:00 PM. In the world of social media, being two days late is the same as being ten years late. Parvez has built a workflow that prioritizes agility over perfection.
They use iPhones. They use trending sounds. They don't worry about perfect lighting.
This "scrappy" aesthetic is intentional. It builds trust. It feels human. Even if that human is actually a giant green owl with a vendetta against procrastination.
Lessons from the Duolingo Playbook
If you’re trying to replicate this success, you probably can't. Not exactly. Every brand has its own "Duo," but most are too afraid to let it out of the cage.
Parvez’s career path—moving from a coordinator to the Duolingo Director of Social Media—shows that the best social strategy often comes from the people who actually use the platforms, not the people who sit in the most expensive chairs.
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Here is what most people get wrong about her strategy: they think it's just about being "weird." It’s not. It’s about being consistently weird. It’s about building a character and sticking to it, even when it feels a bit uncomfortable for the legal department.
The Importance of "Social First"
Usually, social media is an afterthought. A company makes a big TV commercial and then tells the social team to "cut it up for Instagram."
Parvez flipped that. At Duolingo, social drives the brand's voice. The bird you see on TikTok is the same bird you see in the app. The personality is unified. This "social-first" mentality is what allowed Duolingo to dominate the conversation in a way that competitors with ten times the budget simply couldn't.
Facing the Challenges
It’s not all memes and laughter. Being the Duolingo Director of Social Media means dealing with the dark side of the internet, too. When you have millions of eyes on you, one wrong joke can spark a PR nightmare.
Parvez has had to navigate the fine line between being "edgy" and being offensive. There have been moments where the brand had to apologize or pivot when a joke didn't land. But that’s the price of entry. If you never miss, you aren't swinging hard enough.
She has been vocal about the mental toll of being "online" 24/7. It's a grueling job that requires constant consumption of content to stay ahead of the curve.
What’s Next for the Owl?
As of 2026, the strategy continues to evolve. We're seeing more integration between the social team and product development. Duo isn't just on TikTok; he’s becoming an AI-powered tutor that remembers your mistakes and—yes—still judges you for them.
The "unhinged" era might eventually transition into something else, but the foundation Parvez built will remain. She proved that a brand can have a soul, a sense of humor, and a slightly terrifying obsession with pop stars, all while being a billion-dollar company.
Actionable Insights for Brand Builders
If you want to take a page out of Zaria Parvez’s book, start with these steps:
- Audit your "safe" content. If 100% of your posts are safe, you are invisible. Identify that "10%" where you can afford to be weird.
- Empower the "Digital Natives." Stop making your most senior employees approve every tweet. Trust the people who actually live on the platforms.
- Pick a character. Stop trying to be "professional." Professional is boring. Decide what your brand’s "personality" is. Is it a snarky best friend? A helpful nerd? A chaotic owl?
- Stop overproducing. High-quality cameras can actually hurt your engagement on TikTok and Reels. Use a phone. Keep it raw.
- Interact, don't just broadcast. The magic happens in the comments. Spend as much time replying as you do posting.
The success of the Duolingo Director of Social Media isn't a fluke. It’s a deliberate, brave, and deeply human approach to a medium that is usually anything but. Whether you love the bird or find him annoying, you can't deny one thing: you know exactly who he is. And in the attention economy, that’s the only win that matters.
To truly master this, you need to stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a fan. Look at your brand from the outside. If you weren't paid to follow your account, would you? If the answer is no, it's time to find your inner unhinged owl.
Start by identifying one "sacred cow" in your brand guidelines and intentionally breaking it. See what happens. You might just find your Dua Lipa.