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By John Glenday, Reporter

January 26, 2021 | 2 min read

You may not be anywhere near the office water cooler right now, but we still want to spotlight the most talked about creative from the brands that should be on your radar. Today, we’re looking at how the humble sea shanty, which went viral this month, has made it on to TV screens as part of TikTok’s latest ad campaign.

TikTok is making waves with a catchy ’#SeaShanty’ TV campaign, celebrating the platform’s unique ability to bring creators together in song, dance and comedy.

A rendition of The Wellerman by Scottish postman Nathan Evans became the first viral upload of 2021 for the service when TikTok’s community of creators latched on to the solo performance by adding their harmonies, beats and instruments to the base tune.

Famous figures inspired to chip in included Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wheeled out his piano for the occasion, and crooner Gary Barlow, who lent his voice to the New Zealand folksong.

The musical gathering was made possible by TikTok’s duet functionality, which permits multiple musicians to collaborate on their symphonic masterpieces.

Capitalising on this grassroots success, TikTok and VaynerMedia launched a 30-second video montage over the weekend to celebrate the spontaneous burst of song and promote the platform as an environment where creativity is the lead currency.

The creative campaign is TikTok’s first TV campaign, with the haunting melody playing on Sky, ITV, Channel 4 and BT Sports to expose the social platform to new audiences.

Vayner was appointed by TikTok as its social media agency last year in a high-profile rebuttal to then US president Donald Trump, who had threatened to block TikTok in America over fears the service amounted to a Trojan Horse for the Chinese government.

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TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles,...

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