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CreativeHow Duolingo, Surreal, Liquid Death & Squatty Potty Use Storytelling to Stand Out
CreativeHow Duolingo, Surreal, Liquid Death & Squatty Potty Use Storytelling to Stand OutCreative
How Duolingo, Surreal, Liquid Death & Squatty Potty Use Storytelling to Stand Out
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Most folks hear “marketing” and think sales, or picture someone peddling a product and that’s usually where the imagination stops. In reality, a lot of campaigns and the marketers behind them want to push and tell a story. Currently, we live in a world where brands are fighting over the very short attention spans of so many consumers, so the ones who stand out don’t tend to be the loudest, but they’re the ones who create a narrative so engaging, compelling, that it keeps consumers around and buying from them. They’re the ones building a story that’s impossible to ignore. Heck, consumers even begin to root for them as if it were their favorite soccer team!
Brand storytelling is the art of making people feel something, and when done right, it turns customers into die-hard fans. Let's break down four brands that have mastered this craft: Duolingo, Surreal, Squatty Potty, and Liquid Death. Each takes a different approach, but all prove that storytelling is the most powerful tool in marketing today.
Brand storytelling is the art of making people feel something, and when done right, it turns customers into die-hard fans. Let's break down four brands that have mastered this craft: Duolingo, Surreal, Squatty Potty, and Liquid Death. Each takes a different approach, but all prove that storytelling is the most powerful tool in marketing today.
Duolingo: Edutainment Meets Viral Marketing
Duolingo isn’t just a language-learning app—it’s an unhinged, green owl with a questionable moral compass and a penchant for reminding you (aggressively) to practice your Spanish. The company’s social media team has transformed a simple app into an ongoing performance, embracing internet culture with chaotic energy.
Take, for example, Duolingo’s TikTok presence. The brand's mascot, Duo, has become a star in its own right, with videos that feel less like corporate marketing and more like the work of a rogue intern who got free reign over the brand’s account. This self-aware, absurd humor taps into what younger audiences love: content that feels spontaneous, irreverent, and deeply online. Weird? Definitely. But it works.
Their storytelling doesn’t just live on social media. It bleeds into every aspect of the brand, from push notifications that sound like desperate threats—"You wouldn’t ignore me if I was Taylor Swift"—to a running joke that Duo will personally hunt you down if you skip a lesson.
Watch one of Duolingo’s viral stunts from their TikTok:
Take, for example, Duolingo’s TikTok presence. The brand's mascot, Duo, has become a star in its own right, with videos that feel less like corporate marketing and more like the work of a rogue intern who got free reign over the brand’s account. This self-aware, absurd humor taps into what younger audiences love: content that feels spontaneous, irreverent, and deeply online. Weird? Definitely. But it works.
Their storytelling doesn’t just live on social media. It bleeds into every aspect of the brand, from push notifications that sound like desperate threats—"You wouldn’t ignore me if I was Taylor Swift"—to a running joke that Duo will personally hunt you down if you skip a lesson.
Watch one of Duolingo’s viral stunts from their TikTok:
Surreal: The Art of Not Taking Yourself Seriously
Most cereal brands stick to the same playbook—bright boxes, cartoon mascots, and an emphasis on health benefits or indulgence. Surreal tore that playbook up. Instead of leaning into traditional advertising tropes, they built a brand around deadpan humor and absurdity.
Their billboards? Hilariously self-deprecating anti-advertising. "Our cereal is made from 100% cereal."
Their billboards? Hilariously self-deprecating anti-advertising. "Our cereal is made from 100% cereal."
They also pay normal people with famous names—like a random Michael Jordan, not the actual basketball legend—to endorse them. They’ve done it with MJ, Serena Williams (not the tennis legend), and Mark Zuckerberg (not the tech billionaire).
Watch the Surreal ad campaign with them:
By sidestepping every expectation, Surreal sets itself up as the rebellious entertainer of the cereal aisle. People can’t help but engage, because it’s so offbeat you have to see what they’ll do next.
Squatty Potty: The Poop Unicorn That Changed Everything
How do you make a toilet stool a household name? If you’re Squatty Potty, you bring in a unicorn that poops rainbow ice cream and craft one of the most memorable ads of all time.
When Squatty Potty launched, it had a problem: people didn’t want to talk about its product.
When Squatty Potty launched, it had a problem: people didn’t want to talk about its product.
Toilet stools aren’t exactly dinner-table conversation. So they turned to the power of humor and visual storytelling.
The result?
A three-minute commercial featuring a medieval prince explaining the benefits of better bathroom posture while a unicorn joyfully produces rainbow-colored ice cream. It was weird. It was funny. And it worked.
The ad not only went viral, but it turned a niche health product into a mainstream sensation. Sales skyrocketed, and the Squatty Potty became a staple in bathrooms across America. This is brand storytelling in its purest form: take an uncomfortable subject, wrap it in humor and spectacle, and leave people with an ad they’ll never forget.
Watch the Squatty Potty ad here:
A three-minute commercial featuring a medieval prince explaining the benefits of better bathroom posture while a unicorn joyfully produces rainbow-colored ice cream. It was weird. It was funny. And it worked.
The ad not only went viral, but it turned a niche health product into a mainstream sensation. Sales skyrocketed, and the Squatty Potty became a staple in bathrooms across America. This is brand storytelling in its purest form: take an uncomfortable subject, wrap it in humor and spectacle, and leave people with an ad they’ll never forget.
Watch the Squatty Potty ad here:
Liquid Death: Murdering Thirst with a Rockstar Narrative
Most bottled water brands lean on purity, wellness, and hydration. Liquid Death said, "Forget that—let’s make water brutal."
Everything about Liquid Death feels like it should be a beer or an energy drink—from its tallboy cans to its aggressive slogan, "Murder Your Thirst." The brand doesn’t just sell water; it sells rebellion. Their ads parody corporate culture, make fun of influencer marketing, and go all-in on their heavy metal aesthetic.
One of their most iconic campaigns featured a fake legal notice warning parents about their “dangerous” branding, feeding into the idea that Liquid Death is the drink of choice for rule-breakers. They’ve also leaned into over-the-top stunts, like selling a voodoo doll kit with their water or donating proceeds to help "kill plastic pollution."
Liquid Death proves that even the most basic product can become a cultural phenomenon if the storytelling is bold enough.
Watch one of Liquid Death’s “Safe for work” campaign:
Everything about Liquid Death feels like it should be a beer or an energy drink—from its tallboy cans to its aggressive slogan, "Murder Your Thirst." The brand doesn’t just sell water; it sells rebellion. Their ads parody corporate culture, make fun of influencer marketing, and go all-in on their heavy metal aesthetic.
One of their most iconic campaigns featured a fake legal notice warning parents about their “dangerous” branding, feeding into the idea that Liquid Death is the drink of choice for rule-breakers. They’ve also leaned into over-the-top stunts, like selling a voodoo doll kit with their water or donating proceeds to help "kill plastic pollution."
Liquid Death proves that even the most basic product can become a cultural phenomenon if the storytelling is bold enough.
Watch one of Liquid Death’s “Safe for work” campaign:
What We Can Learn from These Brands
The common thread in all these brands? They don’t just market; they entertain. They create stories that make people feel something—whether it’s humor, rebellion, or sheer absurdity. And most importantly, they understand that in today’s attention economy, being forgettable is worse than being polarizing.
Want to build a brand with storytelling that sticks? Start by asking:
Want to build a brand with storytelling that sticks? Start by asking:
- What’s the emotion you want your audience to associate with your brand?
- How can you turn your product into an experience?
- Are you willing to take risks and break the mold?
