Hey there, unicorns! 👋

Put on your thinking caps and grab your notepads – we're about to discover the mysteries of marketing's past and the secrets of startup success!

Here's what we're diving into today:

🦉 Duolingo's Growth Secrets

From gamification to viral loops, we're diving deep into Duolingo's unorthodox growth playbook.

🎩 Mad Men Era: 1950s Advertising

Dive into the glamorous world of 1950s advertising and discover the tactics that sold the American Dream.

🪄 Rule of 3: Sticky Marketing

Discover the spellbinding power of the Rule of 3 and create marketing messages that stick like glue.

Together With Stacked Marketer

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Growth Playbook

Duolingo’s Growth: Secrets of the Green Owl's $8B Language Empire 🦉

Duolingo's journey to the top of the language learning world is one for the books.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows! 🌈

They hit some snags along the way, but they extract some serious growth wisdom from those hiccups!

Here's the TL;DR on how they cracked the growth code:

🎯 MVP Magic

Duolingo's secret? Crowdsourced translations!

Users learned while translating, keeping costs low and engagement high. Genius!

🎨 Branding That Pops

With a vibrant design and a cheeky mascot (looking at you, Duo! 🦉), Duolingo made language learning cool, fun, and irresistible.

📈 Acquisition Wizardry

Who needs paid marketing when you've got killer organic growth?

Duolingo's great product and viral TikTok game brought in users like a magnet!

🔄 Sticky Growth Loops

With their "Product Led Viral Loop" Duolingo mastered the art of keeping users hooked and hungry for more!

😍 Activation & Retention Mastery

With personalized learning, gamification, and just the right amount of guilt (we see you, Duo notifications! 👀), Duolingo turned users into language learning addicts!

Ready to dive deeper into Duolingo's wild growth ride?

👉 Click here for the full, juicy story!

Ad Playbook

History of Advertising: The 1950s 📺

The 1950s 🎉 were a decade of prosperity and progress, as post-war America welcomed consumerism with open arms. 

Advertising hit its stride with bold new styles and layouts that still influence design to this day.

🥤 Kool-Aid "New Golden Nectar!"

Kool-Aid's whimsical ad captures the carefree spirit of the '50s with its playful illustrations and tantalizing tagline.

The smiling pitcher mascot promises "Delightfully different cool-off drink" while excited children reach for frosty glasses. 

In an era of endless summers and suburban bliss, Kool-Aid offered the perfect refreshment for a new generation.

(And with its concentrated syrup format, Kool-Aid was both affordable and shelf-stable - key selling points for busy homemakers.)

🚬 Marlboro: "The filter doesn't get between you and the flavor!"

Marlboro takes a rugged, masculine approach with this headshot of a man enjoying a cigarette.  

The copy leans into the technical aspects of the "new filter" while still promising rich tobacco flavor.

_By appealing to men's love of gadgets, Marlboro positioned itself as the thinking man's smoke - a far cry from the feminine-coded cigarette ads of the past._

(Of course, the health impact of those "easy-drawing" filters is another matter entirely...)

📷 Polaroid Land Camera "60-Second Excitement!"

Polaroid's ad layout puts the product front and center, with sparse copy emphasizing the camera's speed and ease of use. 

The tagline "60-Second Excitement!" hints at the instant gratification of seeing your photos develop before your eyes.

In an increasingly fast-paced world, Polaroid offered a cutting-edge way to capture and keep memories - no darkroom required.

Design Takes Center Stage 

The ads of the 1950s reflect a bold new era of experimentation and innovation in advertising design.

From Kool-Aid's colorful cartoon fun to Marlboro's minimalism, brands adopted eye-catching layouts and punchy copy to stand out on the page.

And while some of the messaging remains problematic through a modern lens, there's no denying the impact of 1950s ad design - an influence we still feel to this day.

Stay tuned for our next chapter, where we'll explore how advertising kept pace with the social upheaval and cultural shifts of the 1960s!

Marketing Psychology Playbook

The Rule of 3 📐

What is it?

Ever wonder why some marketing messages just hit different?

Chances are, they're using the magical Rule of 3 – the secret to creating slogans that are more memorable than your favorite '90s sitcom jingle. 📺

This writing technique involves grouping ideas into trios, making your message more satisfying, engaging, and harder to forget than your ex's birthday.

Why it works

The Rule of 3 taps into our brain's natural affinity for patterns and limited information processing capacity.

By presenting content in threes, marketers hit that cognitive sweet spot – not too little, not too much, but just right. 🎯.

The result?

This satisfying structure creates a rhythm that's easy to remember, recall, and act upon, making your message unforgettable and irresistible.

Curious to see the Rule of 3 in action?

Nike

– Nike's "Just Do It" motto encapsulates the brand's core values in a memorable triad. 💪

Apple

– Apple's "Thinner, Lighter, Faster" slogan for the iPad 2 highlighted its key selling points in a succinct and satisfying way. 📱

Want to use the power of the Rule of 3 in your marketing?

• Divide your content into three main points or sections for easy consumption and recall.

• Present three key benefits or features of your product or service to highlight its value.

• Use triads of adjectives or phrases to create a memorable and satisfying description.

• Craft a three-step process or three-part story to guide your audience on a compelling journey.

Ready to rock the power of threes into your content and campaigns?

👉 Check out more examples and our full article on the topic! 👈