Signals by jagacomms – Issue #15
Decoded #1
Duolingo’s Chaotic TikTok Masterstroke
In 2021, Duolingo let its mascot go rogue: chasing staff, thirsting after celebs, threatening users who skipped lessons. It was unhinged — and brilliant. Millions of views, cult status, zero ad spend.
Lesson: Personality scales faster than polish. If your brand feels too safe, it probably is.
Decoded #2
Glossier: Listening Before Launching
Before selling a single product, Emily Weiss spent years asking readers what they used, hated, and wished existed. By the time Glossier launched, customers felt like co-founders.
Lesson: Don’t start with the product. Start with the people. Listening builds the language your brand will grow on.
On Our Radar
Rho Impact’s Climate Forecasting Tools
Rho Impact helps investors and startups quantify avoided emissions before spending a dollar. Tools like CRANE and Koi are already used by 4 000+ funders globally.
Lesson: In climate comms, numbers aren’t enough. The real signal is making impact forecasts legible, comparable, and credible.
IPCC Science, Reframed by Designers
Lesson: Format is part of the message. Translate complexity into clarity, and your ideas will travel further without losing rigour.
Closer
A chaotic owl, a listening founder, forecasting software, and climate design all share the same signal: communication is leverage when it shifts from talking at people to talking with them. Duolingo broke the fourth wall. Glossier asked first. Rho translates ambition into measurable outcomes. Climate designers turned science into culture.
The fastest growth isn’t louder. It’s more human.
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