Movement Leader
Who would’ve thought that a green owl would lead a movement? Duo the Owl, brand
mascot for the language learning app Duolingo, transformed social media marketing as
we know it. Heroically led by 2020 graduate Zaria Parvez, with no playbook, Duo moved
quickly, adapted strategically, and course-corrected when necessary. Now that Parvez is
retiring, I couldn’t help but reflect on the groundbreaking work of the young marketer.
First Hire, Best Hire?
Parvez was Duo’s first social hire. An advertising graduate of the University of Oregon,
she took on the challenge of leading a nascent brand and successfully made it her own.
From recording farts to putting a mustache on CEO Luis von Ahn’s face for a social
media skit, Parvez made it clear that leading a social-first organization was more than
chasing trends and vanity metrics; instead, it was about cultivating your own lane. In the
world of communication, we often view noise as a bad thing, as a disruptor from sender
to receiver. But what I found interesting in Parvez’s approach with Duo was that she
worked with, not against, the noise. With so much happening in pop culture, she stayed
abreast of the relevant details to make Duolingo more than just a place to learn more
languages.
One of the best to ever do it, Zaria, we salute you.