Tiktok launches first Australian brand campaign, calling it a ‘key element of our strategy’
TikTok has continued its efforts to raise its profile in Australia, launching its first consumer-facing brand campaign.
Created by Aden Hepburn’s agency, Akcelo, the campaign’s message is that Tiktok is for people young and old, celebrating the community and expanse of content generated ‘for the people, by the people’ on the short video platform.
Tiktok first went on the PR offensive in in July, after being the target of public scrutiny about its Chinese ownership and potential links to its government. The social media platform published full-page ads in Australian newspapers, pleading to Australians “Don’t make TikTok a political football”.
Just this week, questions about the company’s future ownership were put to rest when it partnered with Oracle, forgoing a previously-discussed sale to Microsoft.
On the B2B front, Tiktok also launched a online series in the past week, ‘Don’t Make Ads: An Advertising Competition’, to educate advertisers on how they can utilise the platform in their marketing mix.
The social media company’s general manager of global business solutions, Brett Armstrong, said the launch of the campaign was a key step in the brand’s local strategy.
“This campaign represents a major investment in building the TikTok brand with consumers locally and further driving the incredible user growth we’ve seen this year,” Armstrong said.
“Creating more opportunities for brands and advertisers to engage with Australian audiences in unique and creative ways remains our focus.
“Launching a major local brand campaign is a key element of our strategy, as we continue developing the TikTok platform in what is a priority market for us.”
The OOH execution of TikTok’s campaign
The TVC is backed by the track ‘Better Days’ by Australian artists Baker Boy and Dallas Woods, and featuring Sampa the Great.
The local TikTok talent featured in the campaign includes mother and dancer Sarah Magusara, grandmother and grandson duo the Chainz Family, street magician Ash Magic, content creator Jasmine Tatai, makeup artist Brandon, and R&B artist Jaycee.
“Australia is full of talent and every day, thousands of Aussies are enjoying the thrill of seeing their video go viral on TikTok,” added general manager Lee Hunter.
“The amazing local creators we’ve selected for our first-ever Australian brand campaign are as diverse as our country and have found an audience, both at home and abroad, by being their authentic selves.
“These ads are a celebration of the joy and opportunity that TikTok offers people everywhere and by showcasing some of the best local talent and trends on our platform, we’re hoping to see many more Australians jump on board and make it happen.”
The campaign will appear on billboards, digital displays, TV, social media, BVOD and out-of-home.
Tiktok is quickly growing in the local market. Last month, the platform nabbed Triple J’s Ollie Wards to become its first local director of music, appointed a director of communications, and made three senior commercial hires, and last week expanded its content team with the additions of Felicity McVay and Simon Bates.
In the Australian market, the platform has worked with Movember, Optus, Milo, Apple, V Energy, and Mini. Recently, the business also updated its policies to explicitly ban deepfakes and combat misinformation.
Update – Monday 21 September:
On Sunday AEST time, US president Donald Trump told reporters he had given the deal between Oracle and TikTok parent company, ByteDance his “blessing”, providing a reprieve in the app potentially being banned in the US until September 27. The deal will see Oracle and Walmart take sizeable shares of the company ahead of a future IPO.
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Credits
TikTok ANZ
Lee Hunter
Felicity McVay
Lucy Chesterton
Delia Deng
Damir Kasimov
Simon Bates
Ollie Wards
Arjun Narayan Bettadapur Manjunath
Rebecca Waddell
Akcelo
Aden Hepburn
Dave Di Veroli
Louise McQuat
Misha McDonald
Isaac Lai
Mitch McGuire
Sam Bryant
Louella Campbell
Ed Krause
Kirsty Reynolds
Mark Berry
Miles Scott
