Ad Campaigns
Duolingo English Test launches #FasterWayForward, its first-ever local campaign in India
Mumbai: Duolingo English Test (DET), a modern English proficiency assessment for today’s international students and institutions, launches its local campaign, #FasterWayForward. The campaign’s films have been conceptualised by Digitas India, and produced by Doradigs. The first film, titled ‘Cafe’, showcases how the DET offers a hassle-free, easy, fast, and convenient path to English proficiency for students embarking on their study abroad journey.
The DET has emerged as a crucial tool for students aspiring to enter reputed universities worldwide, particularly in the US, due to its wide acceptance and recognition by academic institutions across the country. In line with this, the campaign’s flagship film comes at a time when students are preparing their applications for the spring intake at most universities in the US. America is home to some of the world’s most esteemed educational institutions, which offer exceptional learning opportunities and exposure to diverse cultures. The DET serves as a bridge to these universities by assessing their English language proficiency accurately and efficiently. By providing a reliable and accessible means of demonstrating language skills, the test opens doors for Indian students, empowering them to pursue higher education in renowned US universities and provides a “faster way forward” towards unlocking a world of opportunities.
The campaign aligns with the DET’s mission to create a world where access to quality education is a reality for everyone, irrespective of geographical boundaries or language constraints. The Digitas team was able to create films that captured Indian students’ aspirations and excitement when it comes to their study abroad journey, and aligns with DET’s convenient, fast, and affordable path to English proficiency that keeps test takers at the heart of the testing process.
Duolingo English Test marketing head Tara Kapur in India said, “We are thrilled to present a series of films that narrate the story from the perspectives of our students. Studying abroad is a life changing period in a student’s life, and we wanted to showcase the joy and excitement it provides to them. We believe that testing should never be a barrier to education and achieving one’s goals, and hence provide a digital test that is convenient, cost-effective and most importantly provides a layer of comfort for students, allowing them to take the test from their own homes. With the #FasterWayForward campaign, we want to highlight that there is a faster, more convenient way to take a test.”
The campaign will extend its impact through various mediums like on-ground activations, influencer activations, paid amplification, contests and will have a holistic approach across platforms. These initiatives broaden the campaign’s reach, engaging a wider audience, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of #FasterWayForward in empowering Indian students towards their study abroad dreams. With its expansion in India, the DET reaffirms its commitment to providing convenient and universal testing, affordable pricing, and leveraging cutting-edge technology to democratize access to global opportunities.
Digitas India CCO Abraham Varughese said, “Our objective was to capture the joy and relief of receiving good news during that crucial period when students wait for so many things to line up perfectly, so they can embark on their college journey. Each film portrays a real-life moment that every student relates to.”
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
