Niche and serious
Not all brands have taken a bold approach to TikTok. But across the board, the most successful brands on the platform are those that showcase creators, experimenting with their own voice and style of content, says Jimmy George, director of strategy at Mischief @ No Fixed Address.
TikTok “changed the narrative to be more kinetic, exaggerated, and hyperbolic,” and savvy brands followed suit, he noted. For example, in 2021, Eos, a Mischief client, named a new shaving cream “Bless Your F*ing Cooch,” after a viral TikTok tutorial about cosmetics and Eos’ product.
@killjoyy ♬ Original Sound – Killjoy
Uncensored and lo-fi content thrives on TikTok, as opposed to the sleekness of Instagram or mass media. As a result, the brands used by the big houses or the teams that make their creations have struggled to break through on the platform.
“That kind of content is being drowned out by everything else that feels personal. If you don’t do that, suddenly you’re just like everybody else,” George said.
Because TikTok’s algorithm emphasizes engagement over the number of followers, special voices are allowed to break through. That’s allowed small brands like Scrub Daddy, which has built a reputation on its signature yellow sponge, to build a large audience “when things are good,” he said. Rahul Titus, global head of Ogilvy.
TikTok has also forced brands to change their marketing methods from celebrity-driven and towards creators who are small, to follow. For example, Jools Lebron, the TikTok creator who went from obscurity to viral fame after creating the “demu” trend last year, signed deals with brands including Verizon, Lyft, and Netflix .