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Top Global Brands That Are Killing It on TikTok
< TikTok viral marketing (Source: Digiday) >
Just a few years ago, TikTok was an app only associated with middle and high schoolers, full of cringey videos of people lip synching and dancing to songs with exaggerated facial expressions. But fast forward to now, and TikTok has grown exponentially in terms of popularity and user count. According to a report from Business of Apps, TikTok’s user base reached 1.7 billion people in 2023 and during the third quarter of 2023, amassed approximately 272.7 million global user downloads.
< Number of TikTok downloads from 2018 to 2023 by quarter in millions (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub) >
In addition, TikTok sees the highest average time spent compared to any other social media platform, with users spending an average of 55.8 minutes on the app.
< Average time spent on social media in 2023 by platform (Source: Influencer Marketing Hub) >
How Does TikTok Help Brands?
< TikTok is a hub for viral video content (Source: Tribegroup) >
Some of the most viral videos and trends you find on other platforms can be traced back to TikTok. Though entertainment and dance continue to be popular types of videos, you can also find floods of educational content covering topics from health to beauty to investing.
TikTok is the place to be if you want your content to have the best chance of being viral. Aside from going viral, brands want to work with influencers who can raise awareness of their products and services among their target audience, which can be done through unbiased reviews and firsthand accounts of using the products and services.
< One of TikTok’s newest features, TikTok Shop (Source: TikTok Newsroom) >
TikTok is the most popular social media platform in terms of engagement and is set to only grow more in 2024. There are new features such as a shopping feature called TikTok Shop, where people can sell products directly through videos and live and TikTok Creator Marketplace (TCM), which allows brands and creators to collaborate on product ads. In this way, the future of TikTok influencer marketing holds a lot of promise, as they are constantly adjusting to meet the growing importance of social media for creators, consumers, and brands.
Brands that have made the most out of TikTok
Just because a brand is already well-known does not mean that it will garner lots of followers and engagement. TikTok is the perfect place to test out different types of content to see what resonates with audiences, as the algorithm pushes any video that performs well out to a huge audience, providing the opportunity for massive amounts of engagement, even for those with a small following. Let’s look at some brands that have made the most out of TikTok, both big and small.
1. Phlur – Building the next era of fragrance through successful rebranding
< Fragrances from Phlur (Source: Phlur) >
Out of all the beauty hashtags on TikTok, #PerfumeTok is arguably the most popular with 3.2 billion views. Fragrance brand Phlur was originally launched in 2015 but was bought by fashion stylist and influencer Chriselle Lim in 2021. Upon its relaunch in 2022, the brand’s first fragrance, “Missing Person” was a hit on TikTok, the first batch selling out within five hours and garnering a waitlist of more than 200,000 people. The frenzied demand for the product helped the brand land in stores at Sephora, Selfridges, and Anthropologie.
< Phlur’s first fragrance “Missing Person”, which was a TikTok sensation (Source: Glossy) >
TikTokers have described the scent as “something that feels familiar”. Beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira introduced the fragrance to her 13.6 million followers, saying "I don’t know how to explain this; it smells like a person that you love and miss". TikTok went equally wild when influencer Rachel Rigler said that Missing Person "smells like the feeling of being in love".
Mikayla’s review definitely had the biggest influence on the product going viral, as she is a top beauty influencer with over 15 million TikTok followers. She is constantly sponsored by big brands (Lady Gaga even personally thanked her for using one of her products) and has a hilariously honest personality that makes her fun to watch.
< mikayla and rachel PHLUR review (Source: TikTok mikaylanogueira, rachelrigler) >
"I was going through a very difficult period in my life and navigating a divorce when I started working on Missing Person," founder Chriselle says. As a mega influencer herself, she is openly vulnerable on her social media, and shared the story of how she was going through a divorce while working on the scent. She felt lonely and wanted to bottle something that would feel warm, like skin-to-skin contact or the scent of your lover’s skin on a pillowcase or t-shirt. Chriselle says she wanted the story to be an integral part of the marketing — and it has worked. Instead of having a signature scent, Gen Z prefer to have a perfume wardrobe, a range of scents for every occasion. Since they love being in the know, and feeling a sense of belonging, everyone wants to get the TikTok famous perfume.
2. Stanley- Tumbler becomes a TikTok triumph
Whether you're at the gym, in class, at work, or in the car, it's always a smart move to keep a water bottle nearby. The Stanley tumbler is a viral product on TikTok with the hashtag #stanleyquencher racking up over 10.5 million views. The popular water bottle previously had a 150,000-person waitlist and always sells out every time Amazon restocks it.
< Stanley’s most popular quencher water bottle (Source: Amazon) >
Stanley is already quite popular on TikTok, with many self-proclaimed “Stanley cup girlies” featuring them in their daily routines and even decking them out with accessories like charms, pompoms, and tiny backpacks.
< stanley viral contents (Source: TikTok doesnttiktok, Goodhousekeeping) >
But Stanley really skyrocketed and hit the marketing jackpot recently when a woman’s video of her tumbler withstanding a car fire went viral. In it, she shows the interior of her car which has been scorched in a car fire, but despite the substantial damage to her car, her Stanley is unscathed- and still full of ice. The video has generated over 89 million views and 50,000 comments.
It soon caught the attention of Stanley’s global president, Terence Reilly, who responded to the clip by personally thanking her for sharing the video to demonstrate how the products are truly “built for life”, as per the brand’s motto. He not only promised that he would be sending her some new products, but also that Stanley would also be replacing the car.
< Stanley’s CEO responds to Dani’s’ video (Source: TikTok danimarielettering, stanleybrand) >
In a world where social media can turn a single moment into a global conversation, the power of viral content is undeniable. The video skyrocketed Stanley’s visibility, and the brand recognized the unique opportunity, using a generous and clever gesture of offering to replace her car. This showcased the brand’s commitment to customer satisfaction and its product reliability, as well as the importance of timely and empathetic response in today’s world where brands are expected to engage with their audiences in real time. These gestures can significantly enhance brand loyalty and trust in a way that traditional marketing methods cannot. Their response turned a potentially negative situation into a positive one, mitigating any potential damage and reinforcing brand image.
3. Snoop Slimes- From a simple hobby to running a multi-million-dollar business
< Snoop Slimes founder Jungmin Kang (Source: Yahoo) >
Young entrepreneur Jungmin Kang has found a way to make millions by transforming simple household items like glue, dye and borax into slime — a hot commodity that is flying off the shelves thanks in part to savvy social media skills.
She started making slime in 2017 when she was only 13, with an investment of $200 from her parents and supplies from Walmart. Upon creating accounts on Instagram and TikTok for Snoop Slimes and uploading videos focused on sound and visuals of the slimes she sold, they quickly gained traction, pulling in over 1 million Instagram followers within a year. Fast forward to today, and she has over 9 million followers across her Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channels.
< Snoopslimes TioTok viral contents (Source: TikTok Snoopslimes) >
The secret behind her success is the creativity of her social content. Take a scroll through her feed, and you will find that she collaborates with household brands to recreate food and drinks with slime. As a Gen Z herself, she is also quick to catch onto new trends and incorporate them into her content. An example of this is the Dalgona slime she created when Netflix show Squid Game was trending worldwide in 2021. Her content is also varied, featuring ASMR content playing with new slimes, behind the scenes videos of how she makes slimes, and even a “teen entrepreneur” series where she shows her daily life managing school and her business. Varied content keeps viewers engaged and the fact that she (the CEO) is always in the videos herself is important so that customers can engage with her directly. Her success is huge, with Snoop Slimes now receiving an average of over 4,000 orders a week.
As demonstrated by the insights and examples above, TikTok is undeniably one of the best platforms for viral marketing currently. Because of the popularity of online shopping and the high engagement levels it brings to the platform, it has established itself as the app of choice for brands and influencers. The app has also been around for a few years, so the kinks have been ironed out, and it has a healthy user base, while being in the golden age of its organic reach.
Collaborating with influencers is also a key effective approach, as they can transform brand messages into fun content and creative videos that resonate with audiences. It opens new audiences, enhances brand awareness, and boosts engagement rates.
Avocado Giant are the experts when it comes to influencer marketing. From handpicking the right influencers for your campaign to carrying out all negotiations with them to ensure high quality and entertaining content with high performance, leave it all to us!
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