Zaria Parvez
The 10 commandments of creating a social-first brand
Zaria Parvez is one of our "Re-think" keynote speakers. She has in-depth knowledge of social media strategies and their impact on business growth. Zaria is a role model for a new, diverse class of Gen Z social media talent.
Zaria will share her invaluable insights and practical strategies to gain a better understanding of how to effectively engage audiences, create compelling brand stories and use the latest trends to "re-think" your strategy and drive business success.
Speaking
And on the 8th day, God created a big green owl that twerks on conference room tables. From hard-launching a parasocial relationship with Dua Lipa, to walking the red carpet at the Barbie premiere, and tinkering with making a reality TV show, Duolingo has become a leader in churning out viral content.
On TikTok, Duolingo’s social following grew from just 50K followers to 7.2M today by connecting with Gen-Z and pop culture trends. What started as a test-and-learn experiment has become Duolingo's most successful marketing initiative to date. Led by junior talent, Duolingo’s TikTok has proven the impact of letting Gen-Z take the reins and pivoting to a social-first strategy.
As a leader in the not-so-sexy category of edtech, Duolingo has made learning a language fun! Although not everyone has an unhinged green owl mascot, the lessons Duolingo has learned along the way can apply to any brand. Learn the 10 commandments of creating a social-first brand and how to sustain momentum across audiences.
Biography
Zaria Parvez is Duolingo’s global social media manager. She leads social strategy, community management, and creator partnerships across all major social platforms. She spearheaded the development of Duolingo’s TikTok account. As a direct result of Zaria's work on Duolingo's TikTok strategy and execution, the now-famous TikTok channel grew from 50K followers in September 2021 to 6.3M followers today and was recently recognized as one of AdAge’s Top 5 Brand TikTok accounts.
The Duolingo TikTok has 143 viral videos (view counts of 1M or higher) due to Zaria’s creativity. What started as a test-and-learn initiative has become Duolingo's most successful social buzz and word of mouth initiative to date – all because of Zaria's insights, instincts, and expertise.
More broadly, Zaria is a role model for a new, diverse class of Gen Z social media talent and has proven what's possible when given creative freedom and trust in the work she does. Since her time at Duolingo, Zaria has been named AdAge Social Marketer of the Year 2021, Adweek Creative 100 and Forbes 30 under 30.