How Duolingo won the Super Bowl without a commercial

Poppi

What happened: Poppi’s Super Bowl campaign came with a bonus marketing stunt—sending custom-branded vending machines to 32 influencers, including Alix Earle and Jake Shane. Naturally, the internet lost its mind.

People claimed the machines cost $25,000 (a number floated by competitor Ollipop), which led to outrage that influencers were getting luxury soda dispensers while Poppi’s cans remain expensive. Others argued that PR gifts like this have gone too far.

The Fathers Take: This is peak internet discourse—fake numbers, fake outrage, but real exposure. Poppi spent a fraction of what brands burn on wasted Meta ads, yet got millions of views and national press.

Was it the best use of vending machines? Maybe not—imagine them in college dorms, festivals, or high-traffic areas where real people could engage with them. But here’s the reality: Poppi needs scale. Any conversation (even a dumb one) keeps them top of mind.

Super Bowl ads are ephemeral—this campaign lingered, and that’s a W.

Duolingo

What happened: Duolingo pulled off the cheapest, most effective marketing move of the week—fake-killing their beloved green owl, Duo.

The TikTok announcement hit 18M views. Twitter engagement hit 140M impressions. Even mainstream media ran actual news stories about Duo’s “death.”

The Fathers Take: Instead of spending millions on a Super Bowl ad, Duolingo hijacked the news cycle for free. This is a perfect example of creating your own moment instead of chasing big-event marketing.

It’s also a reminder that brand storytelling is evolving—fans cared about Duo’s fate, and that emotional connection is priceless. They can revive him in a week, and nobody will bat an eye. Meanwhile, half of those $7M Super Bowl ads are already forgotten.

Kaprica

What happened: A small restaurant in Melbourne just went viral by ditching standard food pics and going full cinematic storytelling on Instagram.

Their secret weapon? A filmmaker who originally shot a short film in the restaurant, then pitched them on a full social strategy as a way to pay them back. The result?

• A unique visual identity

• A totally different feel from every other restaurant IG

• Booked out every single night since the video dropped

The Fathers Take: Most restaurants (and brands) stick to the default—boring food shots, slow-motion pasta pulls, “vibe” videos that blend together. Kaprica did something different, and it worked.

This should be a wake-up call: If you’re in an industry with a standard content playbook, flip it on its head. Different tends to win.

Final Sermon

From Poppi’s internet war to Duolingo proving Super Bowl ads are optional, this week was a masterclass in how earned attention beats traditional media.

Check out the full pod for our thoughts on additional topics such as SGA’s signature shoe launch, Nike starting stealth partnerships and a marketing confessional from a Big 3 tech giant 👀

And if you want to repent for your marketing sins, send us your anonymous confessions—we’ll break them down next week as we always do.