👋 Welcome everyone to another edition of The Flynn Effect.
2025 is off to a busy start for everyone here at Flynn. Did you hear we have a new podcast? Our President and podcast host, Katie Flynn, has been joined by a few notable guests to discuss all things culture, industry news, and agency history. We’re a little biased, but it’s pretty great.
Check it out on Spotify here or on our YouTube channel here. Newest episode below ⬇️
Podcast episode: Unlocking Team Creativity: Strategies for Effective Feedback
Enough about us, here’s the latest news we’ve got an eye on. 👀
Sports! Live sports viewing drives TV growth to start 2025
According to a recent article in Marketing Brew, TV viewership saw a 5% increase in January compared to December 2024. The increase was primarily driven by live sporting events with viewers tuning in across both linear and streaming platforms. In fact, streaming platforms accounted for 42.6% of total TV viewership for the period, with Netflix accounting for 8.6%.
🏈 Football accounted for a majority of the coverage with NFL playoff games, the Super Bowl, and the College Football Playoff all delivering a lift. The NFL’s AFC Championship game on CBS attracted the month’s largest audience, with 57.4 million viewers. We’re still sulking a bit from that one…go Bills 😔.
The trend captures a few key themes in the TV and streaming space recently. Live sports inventory is at a premium because it returns viewership unlike any other programming. And streaming keeps growing: January reported a 3% increase month-over-month compared to December 2024. Whether you’re watching Squid Game on Netflix (9 billion views in January) or tuning into Bluey with your kids (4.7 billion views in January), streaming content continues to grow as companies push more programming to it.
Duolingo’s mascot stunt leads to app growth
Duolingo said goodbye to their beloved mascot, Duo the owl, in a committed marketing stunt that sparked a 25% increase in active Android app users, according to Similarweb. The planned “death” of the mascot triggered global conversation surrounding the language learning app complete with a live TikTok eulogy from it’s CEO, Luis von Ahn.
Podcast episode: Unlocking Team Creativity: Strategies for Effective Feedback
The best part — they brought him back! Duo returned from the “dead” on February 24, informing app users it was all a test that they passed with flying colors. One user wrote “I kept my streak going everyday for Duo, welcome back my friend.”
This is a masterclass in brand marketing because it taps into two crucial elements: brand favorability and brand loyalty. Emotional connection fuels loyalty: by creating a viral, humorous campaign, Duolingo strengthened its emotional bond with users. Bold, unorthodox marketing can feel risky, but when done right, it amplifies word-of-mouth leading to greater organic reach and brand advocacy. What a hoot!
That’s Cool!
As an agency with a culture that embraces happy hours, we can appreciate a good celebration. Saquon Barkley of the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles had a good reason to celebrate after capturing his first title. What he didn’t realize was that it would help a small craft brewery in Los Angeles.
Enter Open Brewing. In a viral video captured by many sports accounts including Barstool and Bleacher Report, Barkley is seen shotgunning a beer made by the company. The unplanned stunt gave Open Beer a moment in the spotlight that helped grow awareness of the small brewery.
