Forgetting my daily Spanish lesson on Duolingo once shouldn’t have any major consequences, right? You’d think so, but for Duolingo’s green owl mascot, Duo, there seems to be nothing worse. With humorous threats that have now become memes (and even songs), such as “Spanish or Vanish“, “Korean or Get Eaten“ or “French or the Trench“, Duolingo has jokingly teased its followers in the past to do their language lessons. Not least because of its playful teasing of users, Duolingo has now risen to become some sort of TikTok star. It is precisely this kind of communication that makes brands appear not only funny, but almost “human”.
But while teasing and playful threats work for Duolingo, they are by no means a guarantee of success. This raises the question: where is the line between playful teasing and hurtful mockery? And is teasing even beneficial for brands? New research provides insightful answers and shows how brands can build genuine loyalty and engagement through targeted teasing.
WHAT IS THIS BLOG ARTICLE ABOUT?
- What “brand teasing” is.
- How and why prosocial teasing increases interaction and brand loyalty.
- Specific do’s and don’ts for brand managers and social media campaigns.
THE RESEARCH
To understand how and why brand teasing works, Demi Oba and colleagues conducted a total of eleven studies. To make a comprehensive assessment, they carried out both field studies and laboratory studies. In the field studies, they analyzed real social media data from brands such as Wendy’s and Ryanair. Hundreds of posts were coded according to their degree of teasing or provocation and compared using classic metrics such as likes or shares. In the laboratory/experimental studies, participants were exposed to various commercials or social media posts from brands such as Postmates or Pizza Hut. The researchers systematically varied the tone of voice and then recorded the anthropomorphization (humanity of a brand) and selfbrand connection.
THE RESULTS
As the results clearly show, brand teasing works, provided it remains prosocial, i.e., playful and not hurtful. In field studies, teasing brand posts on Twitter and TikTok received significantly more likes, replies, and shares, even when the humor was the same. In experiments, teasing also led to brands being perceived as more “human,” which in turn increased the self-brand connection, i.e., the feeling of personal attachment to the brand. Important to note: prosocial teasing proved to be particularly effective. It strengthened loyalty and made brands appear funny or charismatic. But not all teasing is the same: antisocial teasing activated negative schemas and negated the effect.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BRANDS?
For brand managers, the clear challenge with teasing is striking the right tone. While playful communication can make a brand more human and strengthen its community ties, there is a fine line between charm and a shitstorm. As Oba and colleagues show, it is crucial to use playfulness rather than provocation. Brands have several options here: • Develop a social voice that comes across as playful and friendly (prosocial).
- Conduct internal pre-tests to ensure that content is more likely to evoke a smile than cringe or frustration.
- Avoid sensitive topics such as physical characteristics, identity, or personal crises.
To answer the question, do nice brands finish last? Not necessarily, but when done right, brand teasing can definitely strengthen reach and brand loyalty.
IN A NUTSHELL
Being cheeky and teasing as a brand is good, but just as long as it’s friendly. While prosocial brand teasing increases interaction and loyalty, as consumers tend to see the brand more like a person, this positive effect can also be reversed if the tone becomes too provocative.
WANT TO LEARN MORE? This blog is based on the following article:
Oba, D., Howe, H. S., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2025). Brand teasing: how brands build strong relationships by making fun of their consumers. Journal of Consumer Research, 52(1), 70-92. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucae051
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marius Falk Hinske is a Master’s student in Corporate Communications at the University of Amsterdam. His interest lie in branding, marketing and the psychological side of advertising.