Duolingo avoids a one-size-fits-all video strategy. They use TikTok for capitalizing on trends due to its virality mechanics. YouTube Shorts, which favors original content, is used for building out the mascot's lore. Instagram serves as an informational hub and a home for 'millennial-core' content.

Involve people from outside the marketing team and across different demographics (e.g., Gen Z) in the content ideation process. Their diverse perspectives and awareness of different trends can surface novel ideas that marketing-focused teams might otherwise overlook.

To consistently produce new entertainment, the Bananas copied the Saturday Night Live production model. Their week includes an "Over The Top" idea pitch meeting, a table read, rehearsals, and testing new material in front of a small live audience before the main show.

Instead of ad-hoc brainstorming, implement a structured weekly meeting to review an ideation backlog. Explicitly separate ideas into "relevancy-based" (e.g., Super Bowl) and "evergreen" categories. This ensures you capitalize on timely trends while consistently building a bank of long-lasting content.

To write comedy professionally, you can't rely on inspiration. A systematic process, like 'joke farming,' allows for the reliable creation of humor by breaking down the unconscious creative process into deliberate, replicable steps that can be performed on demand.

The company's head of marketing convinced the CEO to hire young marketers with unconventional resumes that didn't fit the typical 'perfect GPA' mold. This talent created the brand's wildly successful, 'unhinged' TikTok account, which became a major user acquisition channel, proving the value of diverse hiring perspectives.

The common practice of hiring for "culture fit" creates homogenous teams that stifle creativity and produce the same results. To innovate, actively recruit people who challenge the status quo and think differently. A "culture mismatch" introduces the friction necessary for breakthrough ideas.

AI serves two distinct roles in creative writing. First, it aids "divergent thinking" by creating a safe, non-judgmental space for brainstorming. Second, it assists "convergent thinking" by acting as a research assistant, wordsmith, and editor to refine a chosen concept.

Instead of traditional strategy, Duolingo's team applies principles from improvisational comedy. Core tenets like 'yes, and' (building on ideas) and 'commit to the bit' (going all-in on a concept) create an environment that encourages bold, reactive, and consistently creative content without internal blockers.