A New Marketing Strategy
Brand marketing isn’t what it used to be– and that’s a good thing.
Forget perfectly polished ad campaigns and product-focused messaging. The most successful brands online today are acting less like companies and more like chaotic, culturally fluent influencers. Whether it’s Duolingo's unhinged owl threatening users on TikTok, Scrub Daddy clapping back in comment sections, or Fenty Beauty riding every trending sound, one thing is clear: personality sells.
This shift from product to persona reflects what modern consumers actually respond to, especially Gen Z, who are less interested in being sold to and more interested in being entertained. In 2025, brand loyalty isn’t built in a conference room; it’s built in social media comment sections.
The Social Media Wake-Up Call
Before social media platforms flipped the script, most brands followed the same playbook: sleek visuals, an unforgettable catchphrase, and a clear call to action. It was effective… until it wasn’t. The rise of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and fast-moving meme culture made that strategy feel outdated fast.
According to a poll on Statista, people today spend nearly 2.5 hours a day on social media, far more than they spend watching traditional ads. The result? A new kind of marketing where brands that act like influencers are outperforming brands that act like, well, brands.
When Ads Don’t Feel Like Ads
The brands winning on social media aren’t just “running campaigns.” They’re making content people actually want to watch. Sometimes that content doesn’t mention the product at all– and sometimes, that’s the most important part.
Instead of pushing a sale, brands like Duolingo and Scrub Daddy push personality. They appear under trending hashtags, use unfiltered humor, and behave almost human. The best part? It works because it feels real. In a crowded feed, trendiness often beats polished ads.
Who’s Nailing It?
Duolingo’s green owl mascot, Duo, has built a loyal fan base by doing the most unhinged things imaginable: thirsting after pop star Dua Lipa, crashing influencer events, and using TikTok trends to “threaten” users into doing their lessons. However, what might appear to be chaos is actually a well-executed marketing strategy, rooted in understanding how people consume content.
Zaria Parvez, Global social media manager at Duolingo, told Contagious, “You can’t plan virality, but you can plan mentality. Our openness to being scrappy and experimenting [is] what has set us apart.”
That means staying tuned into internet culture, letting Duo be weird, and never forcing the product into the conversation. According to Duolingo’s Q3 2024 Report, the brand experienced a 54% increase in daily active users and a 40% increase in revenue growth compared to the previous quarter.
In fact, their social media presence has become so strong that users are treating Duo like their own celebrity. “ One of the coolest times was when we went to VidCon in 2022 and they asked Duo to be a featured creator versus someone on the brand track,” said Parvez, “The line for Duo was even longer than Anna Sitar and all these other huge influencers, which is crazy.”
Another key to their success is taking risks. “There was a time when people were freaking out about us typing in all lower caps without proper punctuation because we are a language-learning app. Now, that’s not even questioned,” Parvez reflected.
Instead of selling the product, Duolingo sells a vibe, and that tactic has made them one of the most beloved (and talked-about) brands on TikTok.
Scrub Daddy
Scrub Daddy has evolved from a quirky Shark Tank and infomercial sponge to a TikTok main character, thanks to a social strategy that leans into chaos, humanity, and a chronically online energy. However, behind the brand’s unfiltered comments and Gen Z-crafted memes is a company pulling serious numbers.
In a Fortune video interview, CEO Aaron Krause revealed that the brand has generated over $220 million in lifetime sales– a figure that significantly boosted their online presence. Krause credits their online success to staying relevant and embracing the personality-first approach.
Scrub Daddy’s content doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s the point. Whether it’s trolling followers, dueting trending sounds, or making sponges dance, they’ve created a brand personality that’s distinct, self-aware, and impossible to ignore.
Honorable Mentions
While Duolingo and Scrub Daddy have become standout examples of personality-driven branding, they’re part of a larger wave of companies redefining how brands show up online. From popular beauty companies to loved fast food chains, more brands are realizing that a strong, distinctive voice can be just as powerful as the product itself. Here are a few honorable mentions of brands that are also winning the internet.
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty has mastered the art of blending pop culture with product. Fenty Beauty has hopped onto the viral GRWM (Get Ready With Me) trend, where they make themselves look more like influencers than a company, boosting user engagement.
Rare Beauty
Rare Beauty takes a different but equally effective approach. Instead of chaos or sass, their content leans into sincerity and softness, aligning with founder Selena Gomez’s emphasis on mental health and self-acceptance. Their social presence feels genuine and community-driven, creating an accepting audience.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell also deserves credit for knowing how to stir up nostalgia and internet buzz. Whether they’re teasing the return of discontinued items or playing into Gen Z humor, their online strategy taps directly into the cultural interest, and their fans eat it up (literally and figuratively).
The Takeaway
The brands that dominate in 2025 show personality, and that matters more than ever in a social media landscape where people scroll past ads without a second thought.
When a brand feels like someone you’d follow, even if you’d never buy the product, that’s power. Whether it’s a beauty empire or a kitchen sponge, what these brands have in common isn’t just a good product; it’s a persona people actually want to engage with.
- Related: A Mascot Murder Mystery: How Duolingo Proved They Can Commit to the Bit
- Related: Nutter Butter: Explaining the Genius Behind Its Gen-Alpha TikTok Adsurdism
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