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TikTok creators Em and Loz boast an impressive 1.8 million followers on the platform.
If a brand has a target audience of anyone between the ages of 13 and 40, chances are they're on TikTok. The short-video platform is growing at breakneck speed, and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. But what can brands learn about TikTok, from the content creators who know it best?
Brands are still testing the waters of TikTok, but some advertisers have seen phenomenal success from their experiments in this (relatively) unsaturated platform. Take the footwear brand DSW, for example. It launched its ‘#toomanyshoes’ campaign in late July and within days claimed to have generated 1.7bn views.
The campaign, by agency Movers+Shakers, hinged on the idea that after months of lockdown, consumers would be desperate to share the shoes they’d bought with friends and followers, supplying them with validation they’d normally get from the bustling outside world.
TikTok offers a panoply of commercial opportunities for brands, including sponsoring their very own trending hashtag with the aim of seeding a viral moment, as well as more traditional display ad options.
For most brands (and budgets), however, tried and trusted influencer strategies are likely to be the routes traveled first.
Here, Em and Loz share their perspective on working with brands in the platform.
Em: Brands definitely get a lot of reach on TikTok. Not only is it a big app, but it’s growing really fast and I feel that brands that are helpful – and that people enjoy seeing – tend to do really well on there. Especially if they are in-line with the age range that’s using TikTok.
Loz: Yeah, the brand tie-ins that tend to do the best for us on there – and that people tend to enjoy – are the clothing ones. Viewers like our style and like to get inspiration from us, so when we work with clothing brands it always tends to do well.
Em: The one we did with Asos, for example, that was quite cool and had lots of transitions in it. A lot of our following are always asking where we get our clothes from, and there are so many fan accounts now looking at our clothes so people can find out where we got stuff.
Loz: Brand-related content can be a bit hit or miss, but I feel like the brand deals we have done have done well – like, really well – whereas I’ve seen others that have just flopped.
Em: It’s definitely our clothing ones that do best though. Our most viral one was that one with Asos where we were jumping and transitioning into different outfits.
There was also one with Hi Smile that did pretty well because it was quite popular at the time, so it was sort of a trend in and of itself.
Loz: It really does depend on the brand though, doesn’t it? We wouldn’t just work with any brand we are offered. It has to fit in with our page, otherwise the video won’t do well.
Em: Yeah, we have to look like we’re genuinely enjoying what we’re doing, otherwise our followers will know straight away that we just did it for the money.
They would also know straight away if a brand has had lots of say in it. I feel like brands need to allow you to have it fit in with your feed as much as possible, so that it looks like you’re doing it because it’s in correlation with that, and that you genuinely recommend the product.
Loz: It’s definitely best when they allow you to be creative with it, just as long as you put in all the hashtags and things that they want.
Although we’ve had it before where we’ve filmed a video and the brand has asked us to re-do it exactly as they want it.
Em: Yeah, you need to retain some creative influence over it while also respecting what the brand wants. That’s what makes a good partnership. And that’s why they come to us in the first place.
I feel like TikTok is more creative and allows influencers to be more creative with it. So we need to retain some of that creative influence.
