🟨 When Duolingo Meets High Valyrian
How do you tap into the buzz around the most anticipated TV series ever?
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Duolingo, the language learning app partnered with HBO Max to create High Valyrian lessons for fans of the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The lessons enabled fans to learn the fictional language from the show.
Duolingo developed the High Valyrian lessons with David Peterson, inventor of the language, highlighting real phrases from House of the Dragon episodes.
It featured cryptic billboards teasing High Valyrian phrases and a learning challenge with a life-size Valyrian Steel sword as the prize.
Duolingo updated the High Valyrian course with 150 new vocabulary words and 700 new sentences. A video of Duolingo’s Mascot, Duo the Owl on the Iron Throne was also shot at HBO Max’s San Diego Comic-Con activation.
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High Valyrian Lessons is an example of a Partnership Marketing Campaign. It had 822,000 active learners on Duolingo by the time the show’s final episode aired. The High Valyrian lessons became Duolingo’s #1 most talked about campaign ever, leading to HBO Max’s most-watched premiere in history.
🍉 Action Points
Strategic partnership with HBO Max - Duolingo scored big by partnering with HBO Max, tapping into the huge fanbase of Game of Thrones. The partnership adds an exciting layer to language learning, making it more than just about education; it's now about connecting with pop culture.
Exclusive content creation - Creating High Valyrian lessons with David Peterson, the language's inventor, is a genius move. It adds authenticity and ensures that the content is directly tied to the Game of Thrones universe. Real phrases from House of the Dragon episodes? That's like learning a language straight from the source.
Engaging teasers and challenges - The cryptic billboards and learning challenge with a Valyrian Steel sword as a prize? Duolingo transformed a potentially boring task into an exciting quest, giving learners a tangible, coveted reward. Learning a language became an adventure!
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