For the launch of season two of Emily in Paris, Duolingo–in a campaign from Paris-based agency BETC–offered its premium language lessons membership, Duolingo Plus, free for a month to encourage people named Emily (or Amelie, Emilie, Milly and other pronunciations of the name) to learn French. (The offer was available 48 hours from when the show premiered, which was on Dec. 22).
Fans of the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated first season fondly remember all of the cute linguistic and cultural faux pas made by Lily Collins’ character, and the playful antics that ensued. But the real Emilys of Paris were less than thrilled. So, this time around, Duolingo decided to help all the Emilys of the world improve their French using their popular French course. One of the most effective to date, French from English on Duolingo offers the equivalent of four semesters of university-level classes that can be completed in half the time. Magnifique!
The promotion launched with this short film–directed by Rani Bourename via General Pop–featuring five Emilys based in the City of Light who encourage fans not to repeat her adorable, but sometimes culturally insensitive, mistakes from real Parisian locations seen in the show. They lament how the show’s success has made “Emily” synonymous with “cliché” in France and beseech all Emilys worldwide to reclaim the dignity of their name. Existing users of the app named Emily will also be invited to try the French course for free via an in-app message.
“I loved that Duolingo was open to hijacking the launch of Emily in Paris in such a fun playful way. It’s always more entertaining when brands interact with culture instead of trying just to sell you their product” said David Martin Angelus, creative director at BETC.
Duolingo hopes to encourage an entire generation of Emilys to improve their French skills and take them to the next level. International shows, such as Squid Game, Lupin and La Casa de Papel/Money Heist, are inspiring more people than ever before to learn a new language. The timing of the new season of Emily in Paris will continue this language learning trend. And, thanks to Duolingo Plus, the Emilys of Paris can rest easy knowing their good name will never be besmirched again. At least not in French.
