8 leading TikTok brands and marketing lessons you can learn from them
You’ve undoubtedly figured out by now that TikTok isn’t only for lip-syncing Gen Zers. The platform has evolved into not simply a catalyst for sparking debates and establishing cultural trends but also the ultimate playground for companies trying to engage with their target audience.
If you still dismiss TikTok as a time waster, you’re passing up huge potential. Take a look at these staggering statistics:
- Over 1 billion people use TikTok every month, and younger users spend about 1.5 hours a day on the app.
- 56% of TikTok users and 67% of content creators feel closer to businesses, especially those that post more raw and honest content.
- Sharing, liking, or commenting on branded content increases sales by 150%. These engaged users are also 40% more likely to visit a brand’s physical store and 40% more likely to visit their online.
To take your TikTok marketing to the next level, you can’t just sit and swipe. Given the app’s addictive nature, that’s a dangerous game. On the contrary, you must spend time researching what is available: What marketing are your competitors launching, and what stand-out moments do they have? How do they capitalize on viral trends? Which TikTok ad styles produce the best results?
We’re here to assist you. Here are nine A+ TikTok campaigns with crucial takeaways to drive your next creative ideation session.
1. Crocs’ self-deprecating wit.
Crocs are certainly comfortable, but are they fashionable? Most people would not hesitate to reply “no.” Most brands would be horrified to be called low-hanging fruit. No one wants to be the punchline of jokes, after all. But Crocs has used TikTok to embrace this label.
While Crocs’ TikTok account has product reveals and branded advertising videos, its strategy also incorporates the self-deprecating and honest humor that platform users have come to enjoy and celebrate. Crocs, for example, introduced fans to their #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge in one strategic partnership campaign, including popular individuals such as Post Malone and Adam W, pushing people to “class up” their Crocs. Post Malone created a limited-edition pair of Crocs to promote the ad, which sold out in 10 minutes. Are you kidding me?
We can certainly claim that the campaign was a success, with over 3 billion video views.
Takeaway: One of the reasons Crocs is so popular on TikTok is that it values authenticity. After all, what could be more honest than acknowledging your product is ugly (before sarcastic ugly fashion became popular, courtesy of Balenciaga)? Most successful brands on the platform create irreverent and hilarious content.
2. Guess’ Influencer-Rich Campaign
Influencers played a significant part in propelling TikTok into the public eye, and as a result, the platform has elevated top creators to household names. For every Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio, there are tens of thousands of other micro-influencers who want to work with businesses that share their content, values, and sense of humor.
Guess, like Crocs, is an old-school fashion firm that is steadily regaining popularity. Guess started their #InMyDenim campaign to catch the attention of younger users who may not be aware of their brand, asking users to share videos in which they altered their clothing from a mess to best-dressed.
Guess teamed with Bebe Rexha to get fans enthused about the campaign, notably using her song “I’m A Mess” — apt! — as the foundation for all UGC. (TikTok’s “duet” function makes it exceedingly simple for songs to go popular, as well as for other creators to join in on trending challenges and hashtags.) The brand also collaborated with notable influencers, such as OurFire, to ensure a broad reach – videos with the hashtag #InMyDenim had over 53 million views.
Takeaway: While influencers are necessary to ensure your TikTok campaign reaches the correct demographic, there’s no need to spend a fortune on them. Investigate micro-influencers that have made a name for themselves in your field — specialized influencers with smaller groups can frequently produce better engagement rates.
3. Viral Dance Challenge by e.l.f. Cosmetics
Beauty and fashion are two of TikTok’s most popular businesses. Products can not only be displayed visually appealingly, but they also lend themselves well to before-and-after films, which, as you are probably aware, can be highly engaging.
However, with so many beauty and fashion brands on TikTok, businesses must work twice as hard to stand out from the throng. e.l.f. Cosmetics chose a more unusual campaign, commissioning a song named “Eyes Lips Face” (which is what its company name stands for), then collaborating with a team of influencers to launch the #EyesLipsFace challenge. The notion was simple: creators would demonstrate their eye, lip, and face makeup process to the basic tune of the song.
The result? Over 9.4 billion views, and thousands of high-profile celebrities, including Jessica Alba and Terry Crews, have joined in on the fun.
Takeaway: Music and sound are important components of any successful TikTok campaign. Unfortunately, brands on the site have limited access to hot songs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and commission an original song. In fact, TikTok’s new SoundOn platform was launched earlier this year specifically to assist you with this – check it out!
4. Dunkin’s Unconventional Branded Partnership
e.l.f. Cosmetics has an A+ TikTok approach because they also have a leading position in the following campaign. Earlier this year, e.l.f. collaborated with Dunkin’ Donuts to produce a limited-edition coffee and donut-inspired beauty range, which they obviously promoted on TikTok.
To generate buzz for the collection, the companies shipped their delectable-looking products to dozens of TikTok creators from both the beauty and food industries, resulting in a flood of unpacking and reaction videos. Food influencers produced original recipes inspired by the palettes, while beauty and skincare content makers demonstrated how to use the freebies.
Takeaway: People enjoy receiving free gifts. If you don’t have the funds to create official collaborations with influencers, consider sending them freebies or samples and inviting them to leave a review! It’s an excellent approach to widen your reach and collect UGC for re-sharing on your own marketing platforms.
5. ‘We Aren’t Really Strangers’ Engagement Strategy
We’re Not Really Strangers, a purpose-driven card game that players can use to enhance their relationships may be unfamiliar to you, in contrast to the other businesses on the list. WNRS, on the other hand, has an extraordinarily outstanding social media presence for such a niche product – they have over 4.1 million TikTok followers!
Unsurprisingly for such an interactive product, WNRS’ TikTok approach is based on interactivity and engagement. They challenge people on the street to answer their deep question cards in several films. Others display motivating words on public walls. They publish their question cards in some adverts and invite users to leave a comment with their answer or tag a friend.
Because TikTok’s algorithm significantly weights engagement, WNRS’ interactive strategy has aided the brand’s ascension to the top. The company’s emotional (and oftentimes heavy) material also helps it stand out from the platform’s more comedic and easygoing videos.
Takeaway: When it comes to getting a greater ROI on TikTok, engagement is key. Whenever possible, publish questions, quizzes, or challenges – anything that will compel someone to pause and make a remark, share it with their friends, or like it.
6. Starface’s Laughter Effects on TikTok
Starface adopted a rather basic TikTok strategy as a skincare company aimed towards young people: leverage fun-loving UGC, trending tunes and sounds, and various TikTok effects (such as Duets, Branded Effects, Stitches, and Green Screens). Their tone, like much of the rest of the platform, is acidic and unpolished, but their colorful and fashionable appearance keeps people from scrolling away.
Takeaway: TikTok has a plethora of effects for jazzing up your footage, such as text-to-speech tools, beauty filters, and distinctive transitions – all of which may help maintain your video fast-paced and entertaining. Remember to make it brief and to the point!
7. Celebrity-Driven Teasers from Taco Bell
TikTok, with its large pool of active and engaged people, is one of the ideal venues to build anticipation – which is exactly what Taco Bell accomplished. To generate anticipation for the return of their Mexican pizza, the chain collaborated with Doja Cat, who had previously tweeted her passion for the delicacy. She humorously complained about the collaboration and teased viewers about a future revelation in a series of TikTok ads, with the comment section exploding with curiosity.
Doja Cat followed up with a TikTok video in which she sang about Mexican pizza, which received over 8.3 million views. And, in case you were wondering, the campaign is far from over: Doja Cat and Dolly Parton are due to appear in Taco Bell’s “Mexican Pizza: The Musical,” which will premiere exclusively on TikTok.
Teasers and sneak peeks are fantastic for any brand wanting to promote engagement, with consumers expressing their predictions and unvarnished thoughts in the comments area. Just make certain that you correctly follow through on all of the anticipations you create and provide them with the satisfaction they seek.
8. Applebee’s In-Store Promotions
If you go back to August 2021 and jump on TikTok, you’ll notice one song that you rarely hear anymore: “Fancy Like” by Walker Hayes – yes, the one where he references Applebee’s Oreo shake. When the song went popular on the platform, it was every marketer’s (especially those working for Applebee’s) a dream come true: Users created choreography for the song, which quickly spread, while others proclaimed their affection for the defunct menu item.
Applebee’s recognized that it had a limited opportunity to capitalize on the momentum, so it did. The brand reintroduced the shake and formed a collaboration with Walker Hayes to reinforce its marketing (which, of course, heavily featured “Fancy Like”).
What were the outcomes? Applebee’s sales surged by a stunning 102% that quarter, demonstrating TikTok’s potency.
Takeaway: Give people what they want! But, in all seriousness, TikTok is a great way to know what your target audience is thinking. What do people say about your brand and the things you sell? What do they wish you would have done differently? Even if you don’t have the means to respond to every comment or post that mentions your business, TikTok can help you gather information. And if organic talks about your brand do become viral, make sure you get on it right away! Trends can get popular and then go away in a matter of days.
TikTok’s Possibilities Awaits
TikTok is a huge source of innovation and inspiration, and maybe you’ve come up with a few new ideas of your own by now. Remember: To develop truly entertaining, heartwarming, and culturally relevant content, you’ll need to find a distinct voice that sets your business out from the crowd. “Don’t produce advertising, make TikToks,” the platform’s credo says.
Are you ready to make a move? Observe how we can combine your social media marketing efforts, from Facebook to TikTok, so you can see how your target audience interacts with your businesses across platforms. After all, better data equals better outcomes.
