Hola, Bonjour!
An integrated partnership between Duolingo and Intrepid Travel.
The Challenge
As Intrepid expanded into new markets, the brand needed to build emotional connection with fresh audiences who hadn’t yet experienced its purpose-driven approach to travel. Traditional performance channels weren’t delivering the depth of engagement needed to drive brand affinity as people were scrolling past before the story could land.
The challenge was to stop the scroll by showing up where audiences already are — inside a platform they love — with bespoke, character-led creative that felt native, playful, and emotionally resonant.
The goal: build awareness and lead generation among Duolingo’s highly engaged, globally minded users while connecting language learning to the deeper experience of travel.
Strategy
“Working with Tara on the Duolingo x Intrepid Travel partnership was one of those rare projects that just clicked. From day one, she brought smart strategy, contagious energy, and a deep understanding of how to turn shared values into something genuinely creative.”
Intrepid partnered with Duolingo, the world’s leading language learning platform, to build emotional connection and brand recognition among a highly engaged audience of language learners and future travellers. The partnership was designed to insert Intrepid into moments of curiosity, when users were already dreaming of the destinations they were learning about.
This campaign was a first-to-market alpha test, making Intrepid the first brand ever to run native ad formats featuring Duolingo characters — blending seamlessly into the learning experience. These were paired with standard video ads to understand what best resonates with a values-aligned audience.
Core strategic pillars:
Brand Affinity Through Contextual Storytelling: Show up inside a beloved platform with character-led creative that builds emotional connection and reinforces shared values.
Creative Innovation & Media Experimentation: Test first-to-market native formats to understand what drives attention and engagement beyond traditional ad environments.
Conversion Pathways & Full-Funnel Integration: Connect awareness to action through a dedicated lead-gen funnel, email nurture flow, and retargeting ecosystem.
Execution
Native Ad Units: Playful, contextual ads featuring Duolingo characters, blended into the app experience without disrupting learning. Designed to capture attention while feeling authentic to the platform.
Standard Video Ads: Rewarded videos (watched in exchange for in-app currency), Interstitials (full-screen between lessons). Repurposed from existing Intrepid creative.
Lead Gen & Nurture Flow: Dedicated landing page offering Duolingo audiences exclusive discounts on select Intrepid trips, supported by an email nurture flow designed to move users from curiosity to consideration, Reinforced through retargeting across social and programmatic channels to capture and re-engage high-intent audiences.
The Results
Native ads outperformed Duolingo open-auction benchmarks across all major metrics:
CTR: 3.4× higher
View Duration: 1.5× higher
Completion Rate: 1.5× higher
The campaign generated 5.6M impressions, 67K web visits, and strong early bookings, validating Duolingo as a high-quality, values-aligned top-funnel channel. A third-party Kantar study confirmed positive brand lift for “Has Quality Trips & Tours,” especially among high-value travellers, signaling strong potential for future scaled launches.