Uncensored CMO: The Secret to Duolingo's Social Success with Zaria Parvez – Semrush Spotlight

Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Zaria Parvez, former Global Social Media Manager, Duolingo
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special Semrush Spotlight episode, Jon Evans talks to Zaria Parvez—the creative force behind Duolingo’s viral social media presence. Zaria candidly shares how she transformed Duolingo into a global social phenomenon, discusses her recent transition to DoorDash, and opens up about creativity, risk-taking, building a career in social, and what it takes for brands to stand out in an evolving landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Zaria’s Career Moves & Reflections

• Dramatic LinkedIn Announcement (00:37)
  Zaria’s recent move from Duolingo to DoorDash sparked significant discussion in the marketing world.

  • Quote: “I feel like changing careers in your 20s is, like, normal. And I was like, oh, this is not normal. And it kind of became its own, like, speculation fest.” – Zaria (00:43)

• Why She Left Duolingo (01:43)

  • Felt she’d reached a plateau: after years of viral success, she craved fresh challenges and growth.
  • Wanted different verticals, new responsibilities, and a team environment with deeper resources.
  • Quote: “I shouldn't feel like I tapped out in my career this early.” – Zaria (01:49)

• Career Lessons and Advice for Juniors (02:58)

  • Reflected on being thrust into success young, facing uphill battles for respect, and not knowing basics like salary negotiation.
  • Social media flips hierarchy—the most junior talents can be the most impactful.
  • Quote: “Actually the most junior people can be the most impactful because, like young people are at the pulse of culture and that’s needed for social.” – Zaria (03:26)

The Rise of Duolingo’s Social Fame

• The Breakout Phase (05:02)

  • Zaria’s creative freedom as a newcomer powered the brand’s rapid rise.
  • Early days lacked bureaucratic approval processes—allowing quick, bold experimentation.
  • Highlights include viral videos (e.g., Duo twerking on a conference table—long before other brands copied wild mascot antics).
  • Quote: “I wasn’t thinking as an advertiser, I was just thinking as like a content creator.” – Zaria (05:07)
  • The NBC call after the viral video, and frantic Slack messages—“Holy shit. Like, everyone's, like, catching up to us…” (06:09)

• Key Milestones (06:10)

  • Walking the red carpet at the Barbie premiere.
  • Final campaign: “killing the bird”—marking her departure, which demonstrated deep brand connection.

The Secrets of Going Viral

• Planned vs. Responsive Virality (07:01)

  • Virality used to be about trend-hopping and speed, now it's about creative resonance.
  • The market is saturated with brands chasing trends—originality matters most now.
  • Quote: “Now... creative resonance matters more. How creative can you be?” – Zaria (07:20)

• Why Timing is Less Important (07:47)

  • Brands have caught up with fast approvals, shock value, making timeliness less distinctive.
  • Need for ownership—“Silence Brand” backlash shows when brands look inauthentic on trends.

The Power of Mascots & Brand Characters

• Duo as Duolingo’s Identity (08:51)
  • Mascot offers instant recognition and brand linkage—Zaria misses having a mascot at DoorDash.
  • The brand identity was perfectly aligned with emerging social media culture—Duo’s push-notification “annoyance” became internet lore.
  • Quote: “It’s such an easy, identifiable, like, brand thing... just throw the mascot in there, now it’s relevant.” – Zaria (09:00)
  • Zaria’s own identity intertwined with the character. “Am I the bird? Is the bird me? Is a bird himself?” (09:37)

Cultural Factors Driving Social Success

• Risk and Cultural Risk Appetite (14:14)

  • Not fearing negative sentiment is crucial; 15% of backlash is a sign you might be onto something.
  • Market and consumer sentiment are different—marketers often dislike what works for consumers.
    • Quote: “If other marketers are shitting on me, I think we’re doing okay.” – Zaria (14:45)
  • Marketers overestimate public awareness of their brands—“Our marketing moments are bathroom breaks for the average Joe.” (15:23)

• Freedom to Experiment (11:14, 19:55)

  • Zaria consistently pushed for environments where bold experimentation was not just allowed but expected.
  • Setting honest expectations with leadership, and creating a “ramp to run.”

Legendary Campaigns & Storytelling

• “Killing Duo” Campaign (11:14 – 14:01)

  • Origin: Social team and product team collaborated on an “app icon” change.
  • Unexpectedly, the “dead Duo” narrative generated huge response—what started as three posts expanded to an eight-part, two-week storyline, co-created with the community.
  • Quote: “We need to drag this on. We need to make this into a whole thing... We kept building the storyline with the community.” – Zaria (12:24)
  • Even sent “Duo’s ashes” (matcha powder in a custom urn) to Dua Lipa, whom the brand had always joked Duo was obsessed with.

• Trend Integration & Brand Lore (16:20)

  • Zaria identifies three to four “human truths” about the brand and aligns trends and memes accordingly.
  • Finds the “villain” for brand story arcs (Google Translate for Duolingo, searching for DoorDash’s rival now).
  • Quote: “People love to have the lover story arc, they love to have a villain. Like people on social love a villain.” – Zaria (17:08)

Balancing Short-term & Long-term in Social

• Content Frameworks (18:22)
  • Inspired by Wimbledon’s “bonfire, campfire, firework” structure:
    • Bonfire: Daily humdrum content.
    • Campfire: Social “moment” content.
    • Firework: Once-per-quarter intended-to-break-the-internet piece.
  • Day-to-day content is lower risk; “firework” moments require more planning and risk-calculation.

Personal Brand and Career Management

• Building a Personal Brand (25:03)

  • Zaria’s LinkedIn activity started accidentally but became a career-defining asset.
  • Advocates building your personal presence beyond the corporation: “The only thing that you can really genuinely have that is fully yours is what you put out in the world.” – Zaria (25:27)
  • Duolingo uniquely allowed her to publicly take credit, boosting her confidence and opportunities.

• Company-Employee Brand Synergy (26:45)

  • Win-win: Brand benefits from talented, visible advocates; employees attract opportunities, and future talent is drawn to the business.

Leadership, Risk, and Recovery

• Experiencing Public Mistakes (23:05)

  • Commenting on the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp trial led to doxxing and backlash.
  • Her CMO’s response: “You do not know where the line is unless you cross it.” – Cammie, Duolingo (23:25)
  • Mistakes are part of risk-taking; brand leaders must support their teams when things go wrong.

• Team Culture and Risk (19:55 & 21:37)

  • Setting expectations and taking responsibility empowers her teams to be bold:
    • “What’s the worst they’re going to do, fire me? It’s a good mindset to come in...” – Zaria (20:57)
  • Creative freedom is more important than title or salary for thriving social creators.

The Role of AI in Social Media

• AI’s Impact & Limitations (29:11)
  • Zaria sees AI as valuable for automating tedious and analytical parts of the job (billing, reporting, monitoring), but not for the spark of creativity.
  • Quote: “AI will help... but the people who are 6 to 10, like, it's not going to replace that.” – Zaria (29:45, paraphrasing David Droga)
  • Future: AI will one day produce better video and trend monitoring, but authenticity and IRL, non-average ideas will keep humans relevant.

Coping, Balance, and Sustaining Creativity

• Avoiding Burnout (32:26 – 33:56)

  • Zaria sets clear boundaries: “I've never seen work as my end all, be all... If you’re still on at 5:00pm...”
  • Finding joy and identity outside work is non-negotiable for her.
  • Emphasizes crafts and long-form content for creative fulfillment—building with Legos, writing on Substack.

• Reintroducing Boredom for Creativity (36:32)

  • Final takeaway from her Semrush keynote:
    • “Find time for boredom in your day… in the stillness of life… it just becomes space to grow and experiment.”
    • Reject the shame of “not always being productive” (37:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On trend culture: “Now… creative resonance matters more. How creative can you be?” (07:20)
• On mascots: “Just throw the mascot in there, now it's relevant.” (09:00)
• On risk: “You do not know where the line is unless you cross it.” – Cammie/CMO (23:25)
• On personal branding: “The only thing that you can really genuinely have that is fully yours is what you put out in the world.” (25:27)
• On marketers: “Our marketing moments are bathroom breaks for the average Joe.” (15:23)
• On balance: “Work will never be the thing that will give me joy and sustenance.” (32:44)
• On creativity and boredom: “Find time for boredom in your day… the silence of life almost becomes space.” (36:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:37 – Zaria’s viral move from Duolingo to DoorDash
• 05:02 – Early Duolingo social wins and cultural risk
• 07:01 – The evolution of virality; trend fatigue
• 11:14 – The “Killing Duo” campaign—planning, execution, reaction
• 14:14 – The importance of risk, negative sentiment and supporting team
• 16:20 – Human truths, trends, and storytelling in brand content
• 18:22 – Content strategy: bonfire, campfire, firework framework
• 23:05 – Handling mistakes publicly and backing from leadership
• 25:03 – Building and leveraging a personal brand
• 29:11 – AI’s place in creativity and social strategy
• 32:26 – Work-life balance and the importance of identity outside work
• 36:32 – Keynote highlight: Boredom as a creative advantage

Final Thoughts

Zaria’s story challenges the conventions of branded content, highlights the power of authenticity, and lays out a blueprint for those seeking to make social both impactful and meaningful. Her journey underscores the value of creative freedom, supportive leadership, risk-taking, and the ongoing pursuit of personal fulfillment—reminding us that the best marketing comes not from marketers, but from bold creators unafraid to blur the lines.

Listen to the full episode for more candid moments, expert advice, and stories behind some of social media’s most memorable campaigns.