Duolingo, a language learning app, has launched the ‘Clean Language Campaign’ in India, also known as the ‘Swachh Bhasha Abhiyan.’ This campaign aims to address the issue of incorrect signage, particularly in urban areas, that can lead to humorous language or grammar errors, according to an official release. India has a wide variety of such signs that often contain spelling or grammar mistakes. By using a clever play on words, the campaign seeks to draw attention to the need to clean up misspelled and incorrect signage and generate awareness among the public, the release mentioned.
The Swachh Bhasha Abhiyaan campaign by Duolingo will be executed by the creative agency, Humour Me. The campaign’s objective is to raise awareness about the significance of using correct language on signboards in India’s key metropolitan areas. The campaign will use Duolingo’s famous mascot, Duo, to achieve this goal by correcting signage in English, Hindi, and French, as per the release.
Moreover, the campaign will be divided into two parts, the first of which will involve Duo playfully highlighting errors in incorrect signage using red markers and spray paint. In the second segment, the campaign will replace inaccurate signs with properly spelled boards to encourage the use of proper language on signboards, the release said.
“Although India is the second largest English-speaking country in the world, only 10% of its total population speaks the language fluently. We recognised this issue and launched the Swachh Bhasha Abhiyan campaign to combat the spread of linguistic errors on signage. To this end, Duo, our mascot, hit the streets of Delhi, personally highlighting mistakes and replacing incorrect boards with properly spelled ones,” Karandeep Singh Kapany, country marketing manager, Duolingo said.
