How TikTok is helping brands creatively connect with consumers
This year has seen seismic shifts in consumer behaviour, especially when it comes to the way people connect with one another and the brands they love. During her session at Mumbrella360: Reconnected, TikTok ANZ’s head of partnerships Elisa Kelsall detailed the part creativity has had to play in this connection.
COVID-19 is undoubtedly one of the biggest crises that most people alive today will have faced in their lifetimes. “What connected us was the fact that this change was going on all around the world at the same time,” said TikTok’s Elisa Kelsall during her presentation at Mumbrella360: Reconnected. “That change caused many shifts to consumer behaviour and the motivations that drive it.”
Some of those drivers include the need to seek information that makes us feel safe, the desire to seek out information regarding our emotional health, mental health, and more recently, financial health.
“We’ve also been driven to escape and entertain ourselves,” said Kelsall. “We’ve been forced to occupy our time and spend more time finding joy in life. Digital has really been at the heart of this.”
Reimagining relationships
What were previously digital ‘options’ are now a necessity for connection in all aspects of our lives. “During this time, a unique and wonderful world opened up, one filled with creativity, positivity, joy and connection, one that rewards authenticity and empowers everyone to take part,” said Kelsall. That world was TikTok.
TikTok is the destination for watching and creating fun, catchy, short-form videos. “It’s full-screen sound on a massive, authentic entertainment platform,” she said. “And the opportunity for businesses and brands of all shapes and sizes is here.”
There are two sides to the platform, the first of which is creation. As Kelsall explained: “The tools we provide in the app make it easier than ever for everyone to be a creator.” Then there’s discovery, through the app’s ‘For You’ feed, described as “an endless scroll of curated content, especially for you.”
Users have been jumping on TikTok in an attempt to find the connection that’s been lacking in other parts of their lives, especially during times of strict lockdown and social distancing measures. “We know that the world is creative, but the fact that we’ve made those creative tools so accessible has opened up a world of creativity.”
Take Nathan Apodaca, the TikTok creator who shot to viral superstardom back in September with a video of himself skateboarding, drinking Ocean Spray Cran-raspberry Juice, and lip-syncing to the tune of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams.
The short clip has amassed over 12.5 million likes on TikTok, and has inspired countless re-enactments, including from Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, and Jimmy Kimmel. Ocean Spray capitalised on the viral moment, sending Apodaca a new truck after seeing the video.
Connecting to culture
After launching its commercial office towards the start of 2020, TikTok ANZ has already worked with major brands including McDonald’s, Nissan, NIVEA, PepsiCo, and Optus. Optus, for example, wanted to connect with audiences and stay close to its customers in a way that was fun and lighthearted while remaining sensitive to the national mood. The brand launched a #NewInterns Branded Hashtag Campaign – where a new intern could be a pet, partner or child – encouraging TikTok users to poke fun at the new work-from-home arrangements they had found themselves in. This was followed by a #YeahWeBack reunion dance challenge to celebrate lockdown restrictions being lifted.
TikTok has also worked with Tourism New Zealand, which needed to think outside the box to stay front of mind for neighbouring Australians to visit once borders opened. Creative agency TBWA\Sydney developed Play NZ, an online gameplay walkthrough of the country for would-be travellers to experience the best of New Zealand in the style of a video game.
Turning to TikTok to attract gaming fans to come and play, Tourism New Zealand partnered with local creator William Waiirua (@w_cribb) to create a tongue-in-cheek in-feed ad mimicking the character selection screen in a video game. The ad garnered 2.7 million impressions among the target audience, while the playful and fun TikTok-style ad creative drove a 3.73% engagement rate and 2.64% view-through rate.
“These brands are activating on TikTok because they recognise that their audience is already here,” explained Kelsall. “Not only is their audience watching, they’re listening, they’re engaging, and they’re creating in ways we’ve never seen before.
“The world may never go back to normal, but there is one thing we know to be true: creativity always wins. Whether it can solve the unsolvable, it helps to connect the unfamiliar or the uncommon. And it really breaks through and brings the best ideas to the surface for the world to see.”
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