TikTok Favorites Chart Their Future

The Stanley Cup, Charli

Some things are inseparable from TikTok, including brands that have leveraged this platform to establish themselves through paid and native content.

Starting January 19, TikTok will be banned in the United States after the Supreme Court rejected a final legal attempt by its Chinese owner, ByteDance. As America prepares for a future without its For You Page (FYP), TikTok darlings are trying to figure out how to fill the void in their social strategies.

Among these brands is Duolingo. Over the past three years, the language learning app has used TikTok to build a loyal following among Generation Z. At the heart of this strategy is its mascot, Duo, an owl who has become a true icon for young people , with 14.5 million followers.

This character found fame by interacting with trending audios and memes, like visiting Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s Sweat tour, or desperately trying to get Dua Lipa’s attention.

In the days leading up to the ban, Manu Orssaud, Duolingo’s chief marketing officer, told ADWEEK that the brand continued to post organic content on TikTok in the United States, but did not invest in advertising there. “However, we rarely make ‘permanent’ spends on social media, preferring to focus our efforts on creating content that resonates with our audience,” he explained.

Orssaud described TikTok as a “decisive” platform for Duolingo to connect with users through entertaining and relevant content, while noting that the brand had deliberately diversified its efforts into Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Evolution of advertising spending

Duolingo is not alone in this budget readjustment.

Melissa Sierra, vice president of media integration at independent media agency USIM, which works with brands including Crunch Fitness and Buffalo Wild Wings, said that in the hours leading up to the ban, about “half , and sometimes more” of its customers’ spending on TikTok was redirected to YouTube Shorts.

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