The One Show
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Category
Spatial Design / Experiential & Immersive
Annual ID
OS23_DE155M
About the Work
In Japan, where saving face is a cultural imperative, making mistakes is something to be avoided. This behavior becomes an obstacle when learning a new language because, as Duolingo knows well, mistakes are valuable stepping stones toward mastery. To change people's perception of error-making and create brand awareness, we launched the 'Museum of Wonky English' (MOWE), the first institution in Japan to shed light on the art of mistranslations.
Located in Harajuku, Tokyo, MOWE's collection featured the most illuminating examples of wonky English found all over Japan: mistranslations that demonstrated how mistakes have the power to breathe exquisite new meanings into mundane phrases.
Free for anyone who wanted to be blown away by the beauty of wonky English, each sign, menu, item of clothing, or Public Service Announcement was exhibited with a Japanese back translation and a "proper" English translation that transformed each visit into a language lesson.
Supporting the campaign was a hero film inviting people to visit the museum and share with @Duolingo_Japan any interesting mistranslations they came across. The best submissions were exhibited in the museum next to the rest of the masterpieces, and those who sent them were rewarded with a free month of Super Duolingo.
What started as a local brand activation was picked up by 80+ media outlets worldwide, racking up 4 million views and an Earned Media Value of $88M for a media spend of $0, becoming Duolingo's most PR'd activation in Asia to date.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
UltraSuperNew / Tokyo
Client / Brand
Duolingo
Art Director
Sayu Fujii
Copywriter
Nobuaki Nogamoto
Designer
Belle Sim
Group Creative Director
Francois Claverie
Producer
Alex Watanabe
Strategist
Isobel Walker
User Experience Designer
Yerai Zamorano
Associate Creative Director
Andres Aguilar
Oguzcan Kaganoguzbeyoglu
Content Planner
Kazuki Chito
Contributor
Asumi Yamayoshi
Jinshi Itomi
Creative director Brand & Marketing
James Kuczynski
Director of Regional Marketing, Asia
Haina Xiang
Director of social media & Influencer
Katherine Chan
Group Account DIrector
Yumi Esposito-Pueblo
Japan Country Manager
Sho Mizutani
VP of Marketing
Manu Orssaud
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