Aussie brands that leveraged TikTok in 2021
More than one billion people turned to TikTok this year to be entertained, and part of the entertainment was led by brands and products which have embraced the platform for its audience and sales potential.
“Brands in Australia brought us joy and encouraged us to get creative,” said Brett Armstrong, general manager, TikTok Global Business Solutions, Australia and New Zealand. “They reminded us of the importance of being authentic when connecting with the community and were able to engage with a wide global audience. 2021 was the year that TikTok became a launchpad for must-have brands and products that the community loves.”
Through TikTok’s in-app tools and solutions, brands have been using TikTok to further engage with its users, embracing sounds, creative effects, filters and TikTok products such as Duet and TikTok Live.
Here are some of the Australian brand campaigns and content strategies from 2021:
Athlete’s Foot (@theathletesfootaunz) – Reimagined TikTok’s For You Page as a running track, with advertising placements acting as signposts for the community. The campaign was the first in Australia to use sequential storytelling on-platform, where users had to scroll through their For You feed to catch the creator to win a pair of ASICS Kayanos.
McDonald’s (@mcdonaldsau)- A focal point of their always-on TikTok content to connect with audiences far and wide, Macca’s celebrated their 50th Birthday milestone by ‘TikTokifying’ their famous “I’m lovin’ it” jingle. Macca’s worked with a diverse mix of popular local creators to put their own spin on the brand’s jingle.
Mecca (@meccabeauty) – Launched an innovative, shoppable livestream campaign with Charlotte Tilbury, where the TikTok community could easily shop from the Mecca website directly from videos. In this campaign, six TikTok creators fashioned looks with Charlotte Tilbury products from MECCA, bringing the brand to life.
@meccabeautySalon style waves at home with ##ghd — just in time for the party season. 💃🏼 Have you added this to your wishlist? ##MECCAmoment♬ kali x ari – Jurk
Telstra (@telstra) – Rolled out an entertaining and creative paid and organic content strategy that speaks the language of an under-indexed millennial audience. Telstra has embraced TikTok as an opportunity to build brand affinity, and translate often tech-focused or complex messaging in an engaging way.
@telstraThis photography hack 💁🏻♂️ Early sunrise shoots 🙅🏻♂️ ##telstra♬ VICTORY – Steven Cooper
Up Bank (@upbanking) – Launched Australia’s first ever gamified effect to drive awareness, brand love and recognition on the platform. Their interactive ad execution drove mass user participation through a fun short-form game that gave users the chance to win a $1000.
Armstrong added: “With over a billion people a month opening TikTok looking for entertainment, it’s vital that brands reflect this in their content. The key to success is creating TikToks that are authentic and creative – not polished and perfect. Whether you’re a big brand or a small business, the potential reach that TikTok has is incomparable. It’s so exciting to see brands of all sizes engaging with our community, and I’m looking forward to the remarkable ways they’ll continue to connect with our community in 2022.”
During the year, TikTok movement #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt had 6 billion+ views and now extends far beyond the platform into bookstores, coffee shops, TV commercials, and elsewhere. Examples of brands leveraging the hashtage include:
Aldi Soup Dumplings – although Woolies dumplings gave them a run for their money, we flocked to Aldi after tuning into mouth watering road tests of budget-friendly dumplings.
Glassons Blue Corset Top – after being rocked by @sophadophaa, we couldn’t get to Glassons fast enough to pick up our new go-to top.
Kmart Finds – we further indulged our love of Kmart, with videos such as this big sister’s lockdown project prompting us to add the latest picks from Kmart to our trolleys.
Officeworks Magic Sticky Notes – sticky notes you can stick almost anywhere won over our organisational hearts
Woolworths Boba Tea Kits – a recommendation to help us make a favourite beverage at home had us racing to Woolies
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Olivia Kruimel is the managing editor at Mumbrella. She has more than 15 years of experience in journalism, communications and marketing. Her journalism career began at Fairfax Media (now part of Nine) and includes various B2B publications such as B&T, Travel Today and ALB. As a marketer Olivia has worked for Standard Chartered and various global law firms.
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