Unhinged marketing
Unhinged marketing uses trending content, memes and nonsensical content to create a more unserious version of marketing. This version of marketing has slowly started becoming a trend by breaking rules, grabbing people’s attention and aligning itself with a new generation. Particularly Gen Z, these people are not your average customers. They seek brands that are going to align with their values before buying a product. When it comes to short form content, this is a great strategy to connect with your audience, be authentic and cater to people’s short attention spans.
Duolingo’s impact on short form content
Duo lingo has become known for its “unhinged” and viral social media presence focusing creating and sharing funny videos featuring the sassy owl Duo. Duolingo’s TikTok account has grown to nearly 7 million followers and 147 million likes from various viral videos. Mainly the content that has been posted is focused on Duo being a humorous character and that the audience can connect with. The brand is always staying on top of using trending songs and getting ahead on current topics while they’re hot. Duolingo is known for many of their wholesome yet unhinged marketing strategies. In 2024, employees from Duolingo paid thousands of dollars to see Charli XCX on tour. The employees came dressed as Duo the owl. Video’s of the Duo birds at the concert went viral on TikTok. This marketing strategy they took; spending money on concert tickets instead of taking a more tactical route by putting out ads or billboard placements shows you how this company is taking on traditional routes to market their company. This strategy also helped enhance Duolingo’s brand visibility by being recognized by Charlie XCX.
How Southwest Airlines connects with its Gen-Z audience
Southwest has recently started utilizing short form content on platforms such as TikTok. This platform helps them focus on producing authentic storytelling content that engages with their audience through fun and heartwarming content. Before TikTok, consumers were only able to book their flights on the website or on the app. With the new generation; Gen Z emerging, they needed to come up with a strategy to win over their audience. Their focus was to disrupt the way Gen Z books travel. TikTok has become a preferred platform when getting inspiration to travel and instead of putting out ads causing people to leave the ap, Southwest started partnering with TikTok and slowly turn content creators into travel agents. By incorporating this form of content into their mainstream, Southwest has been able to offer shoppable flights with the help of TikTok creators. Throughout this collaboration, they included short videos including a “book now” button. This would allow viewers to transition from inspiration to booking. This campaign had accumulation of 29.9M total views.
Good Molecules changes the way consumers view skin care
Good Molecules is a vegan and animal cruelty free skin care brand. The brand uses Instagram reels and TikTok to create their content. This form of content helps the brand sustain influencer enthusiasm and build awareness through product sends and engaging content. The brand focuses on creating bite-sized, easily digestible information, leveraging the fast-paced nature of online consumption. These short videos mainly highlight some of it’s products while also using smaller scale content creators to help gain a wider reach and maintain enthusiasm for new product launches. While also aligning with the target audience, they also highlight the brands affordability and the cleanliness of their products through the use of short form content on platforms such as Instagram reels and TikTok. According to PR news “creator-led content drives a 27% higher recall rate versus non-creator content.”
Short form content creation has become the new form on how many businesses and companies connect with their audiences. This allows companies to connect with their audience and engage with them at a fast pace. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritize quick and engaging content, keeping videos short and worth while. When a brand is able to authentically them be able to better align with Gen Z’s values. Short form content is becoming less of a trend and rather the future of digital marketing.
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About the author
Sierra Roberson is a senior at the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas. She is majoring in journalism with a concentration in public relations. She has a passion for entrepreneurship, marketing, and content creation. She aspires to work in the sports industry utilizing her skills as a sports public relations professional in Dallas, Texas.
Sources
https://awardshow-entry.com/southwest-airlines-shoppable-flights/
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/duolingo-unhinged-content https://nogood.io/2025/03/10/duolingo-social-media-strategy/
https://www.prdaily.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-short-form-video-content/