Ryanair, Duolingo and More: Is there a business case for Unhinged Social Media Marketing?
Ryanair, Duolingo and More: What are the Principles of Unhinged Social Media Marketing?
Among the many evolving dimensions of modern-day marketing, social media engagement continues to reinvent itself as brands reshape their strategies, tools and narratives in response to the fiercely competitive global marketplace. Today, social media engagement has transcended traditional broadcasting to become an interactive, real-time dialogue – one that demands authenticity, agility and an intuitive grasp of the human experience behind the its many metrics. Within the seemingly congested space of social media engagement, a few brands have boldly rejected conventional norms, giving rise to a new, audacious genre of marketing known affectionately as “unhinged” or “chaotic” marketing. While this emerging approach still remains largely under-theorised within the world of academia, its presence is both conspicuous and compelling as brands like Ryanair, Duolingo and Scrub Daddy storm the internet with their ingenious tactics. What is Unhinged Marketing? And what seems to be its principles? In this article, I aim to demystify the phenomenon of unhinged marketing and propose what I believe are the five defining principles that underpin its practice.
Principle 1: Speak the Language of the Internet
One unifying trait amongst the brands that do excel at unhinged social media campaigns is their fluency in the language of the internet. To some, this phrase is synonymous to Gen Z slang but to a brand it should mean more than just a dictionary of trendy vocabulary. While slang is certainly a core tenet, the language of the internet is something more holistic – It is a cultural pulse constituting a shared rhythm of humour, references and tones evolving daily across online communities. It is having an intuitive grasp of this intricate language that enables brands to communicate in a way that feels digitally native and appropriate to engage in further unhinged campaigns. But what does it mean to have an intuitive grasp of such an abstract language? It means proactively acting on trendy internet phenomena and seeking a creative pathways to insert your brand into it. Ryanair, the infamous Irish airline previously known cheap flights and reckless landings, is now among the favourites of unhinged marketing. Using platforms like TikTok, Ryanair exemplifies its digital fluency by leveraging greenscreens and face filter tools to personify its planes into snarky, meme-ready characters that deliver sarcastic commentary on delays, customer complaints and prices. Consequently, engaging audiences with native platform features like filters, greenscreens, and viral sounds has become a common entry point for many brands breaking into the unhinged marketing space—serving as a digital handshake that signals relevance, humour and cultural fluency.
Principle 1: Speaking the Language of the Internet (Ryanair capitalised on the trendy nature of greenscreen filters and inserted its brand to create an unhinged tool that has become the face of the airline)
Principle 2: Prioritise Entertainment over Promotion
Once a brand becomes fluent in the language of the internet, its social media strategy shifts from promotion to pure entertainment. It is observed that traditional social media campaigns often systematically manipulate elements of AIDA formula leading to polished visuals, reels and interactive media designed to convert passive viewers into active consumers. In contrast, unhinged campaigns subvert this logic entirely by curating entertaining content that cultivates a cult-like following that propagates brand awareness organically across digital platforms. Notably, each brand pursues this goal differently plethora of unique tactics. For example, Scrub Daddy, the smiley-faced sponge brand born from Shark Tank brilliantly leverages anthropomorphism by giving its sponges exuberant personalities that play out in quirky, offbeat skits. These skits often depict humorous, relatable scenarios that resonate with audience who are on the desperate lookout for lighthearted distractions during their scrolling sessions. In essence, Principle 2 states that unhinged content isn’t about pushing a product—it’s about pulling in an audience by carving out a distinct, entertaining niche in the digital landscape that ultimately becomes synonymous with the brand.
Principle 2: Prioritise Entertainment over Promotion (Scrub Daddy exploits the power of anthropomorphism by featuring its sponges as vibrant characters dramatised in a quirky skit)
Principle 3: Embrace Absurdity
One of the more philosophical tenets underpinning unhinged marketing is its wholehearted embrace of absurdity in all its existential glory. But what does absurdity really mean? In the metaphysical realm of philosophy, absurdism refers to the dissonance experienced by humans in their fundamental search for meaning within a universe deprived of rationality. Distilling this complex concept to the realm of marketing, absurdism translates to brands abandoning rigid logic in favour of embracing the bizarre, the surreal and the wildly unpredictable facets of human experience. While this principle isn’t always explicitly acknowledged, it lies at the core of many unhinged campaigns, fuelling their offbeat charm and chaotic allure. Few brands embody this better than Nutter Butter – This American cookie brand has become notorious for its unfiltered absurdist content ranging from distorted, high-contrast videos to anthropomorphised cookies in deeply unsettling scenarios. With erratic dancing, disjointed humour and a tone that bridges the line between comedy and chaos, Nutter Butter invites both confusion and curiosity. Its content is deliberately deranged to not just explain or persuade but to mesmerise and mystify earning its viral traction across platforms like Instagram and twitter.
Principle 3: Embrace Absurdity (Nutter Butter used anthropomorphised cookies in unsettling, unpredictable and absurd scenarios to create shock value and draw in netizens)
Principle 4: Transform Failures into Humour Narratives
One of the primary anxieties for brands operating within the social media space is the lurking threat of reputational damage following single negative interaction. It is empirical that a single negative review, viral complaint or misunderstood message can easily spiral into a full-blown PR crisis. However with an established space of unhinged marketing offers a surprising escape route. By leaning into controversy and reframing service flaws as punchlines rather than problems, brands can defuse criticism and turn potential backlash into viral engagement. Ryanair exemplifies this brilliantly. Where customers once associated the airline with windowless seats, a basket case of mini charges, rough landings and questionably dry Irish butter sandwiches with a strand of lettuce, Ryanair has instead rebranded these pain points into comedic assets. Through self-deprecating humour and meme-worthy content, the airline owns its flaws and uses them as fuel for engagement. One standout example involved widespread social media complaints about a particular windowless seat—famously known as Seat 11A. Rather than ignoring or defending the issue, Ryanair doubled down by launching a cheeky podcast using its creative filters featuring “Seat 11A” as a fictional guest, discussing its “experience” of being a “window seat without a view.” By acknowledging criticism through satire, Ryanair not only humanised the brand but cleverly diverted the narrative, turning frustration into an entertaining spectacle for netizens to laugh to.
Principle 4: Transforming Failures into Humour Narratives (Ryanair capitalised on the trendy nature of greenscreen filters and inserting its brand to create an unhinged tool that has become the persona of this brand)
Principle 5: Respond, Engage and Respond!
Finally, the defining principle of unhinged marketing is indisputably the commitment by such brands to relentless engagement. Brands must continuously respond not just for customer service, but for spectacle. Unlike traditional brands that treat comments as transactional, unhinged brands dive headfirst into the comment section, using it as a stage to further their clever tactics. This is especially evident in Duolingo’s approach. Rather than dodging criticism or hiding behind polished PR language, Duolingo embraces every opportunity to respond with humour, menace or absurdity – often turning a simple comment into viral content. For instance, users who admit to skipping language lessons are met with cheeky threats like “Your streak ends, your life ends,” or “We’re outside your house.” These replies, while clearly exaggerated, contribute to the brand’s unhinged, ever-watchful mascot persona. Duolingo also frequently responds to comments from other brands, continuing the chaos with perfectly timed roasts or surreal humour. Each response reinforces its identity and deepens the sense of community among followers, who now engage not just to consume, but to provoke a reaction. Through this principle, unhinged marketing becomes a two-way act — reactive, responsive and always ready to turn any interaction into entertainment.
Principle 5: Respond, Engage and Respond! (Duolingo is infamous for its humorous and regular replies to comments on Instagram and TikTok)
Conclusion: Is Unhinged Social Media Engagement for everyone?
Although this article has not thoroughly explore the success of unhinged social media marketing, it is still not a one-size-fits-all strategy. As we have explored through our 5 principles, unhinged social media marketing demands a brand to understand the language of the internet and entertain netizens by embracing absurdity amidst flaws and frequently responding and engaging it followership. Whether unhinged marketing is technique for every brand is a question that returns to basic marketing fundamentals – value propositions, segments and targets. Brands like Duolingo, Ryanair, and Nutter Butter thrive because they understand their audience and fully commit to the bit. But for more conservative or highly regulated industries, such tactics can easily backfire. Unhinged marketing is high-reward, but also high-risk strategy – a misstep can appear tone-deaf or damage credibility. In a complex world like todays, it is difficult to picture a major petrol brand or designer brand embrace the concept of unhinged marketing. Nevertheless, unhinged engagement works best for those bold enough to abandon polish and embrace the unpredictable nature of online communities.
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