(Photo credit: @nyc_ferry/TikTok)
TikTok is set to go dark on Jan. 19 if the law that bans the social media app in the U.S. is upheld by the Supreme Court. Today, the nine justices are hearing arguments from lawyers representing TikTok, content creators and the government, and a decision is expected to come in the next few days.
Back in April, Congress passed the law with bipartisan support and gave TikTok nine months to cut ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance or lose access to app stores and web-hosting services in the U.S. It all came about because lawmakers believe TikTok poses national security risks as a Chinese-owned app that could be used to spy on, and collect data on, TikTok’s American users. The social media platform and its 170 million U.S. users have been pushing back, saying that the law violates First Amendment free speech rights.
In its emergency motion for an injunction to stop the TikTok ban, the brand estimated that small businesses on the app would lose more than $1 billion in revenue, and creators would suffer almost $300 million in lost earnings in just one month if the ban is upheld. TikTok also stated that in 2023, the advertising, marketing and organic reach on the app contributed $24.2 billion to the U.S. economy.
Since TikTok’s U.S. launch in 2018, the app has become a hub for authentic content, and has brought together users from around the world as they contribute their own spin on dance trends, offer hot takes in comments and share what’s going on in their hometowns in real time. TikTok got a boost from the pandemic when consumers were at home and online, and is focused on maintaining that connective spirit, as the platform’s content and algorithms have evolved and influencers have grown their followings, and careers.
Brands recognize the power of TikTok and its communities, and they’ve been reworking their marketing strategies to incorporate more social elements, and push out content that isn’t overly produced or polished to garner engagement from young consumers, in particular, and users of all ages. Here, we round up the brands that have leveraged TikTok to draw in consumers, amplify their campaigns and showcase their events to a wider audience—before we potentially see the app go away for good.
Duolingo Leads the Way
We can’t talk about TikTok without Duolingo. The brand has redefined the rules of engagement on social media, putting forward its bright-green bird mascot, Duo, in short-form videos that quickly jump on the latest dance, sound and pop culture trends as they happen in a real, and often surprising, way. The life-size costumed character has been seen in TikToks going on adventures, from dancing as a member of Netflix’s “Squid Game” Pink Guards to running a kitchen inspired by FX’s “The Bear” to marrying couples as Elvis in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day.
At first glance, one might not guess Duolingo is a language learning app, but it has captured the attention of 14.3 million TikTok followers and continually reminds them to keep up their lesson streaks in the app. In September, the social media darling crashed the opening night of Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s co-headlined Sweat Tour in Detroit, with Duo dressed in a “brat” t-shirt outside the venue and 20 Duolingo employees wearing large Duo-shaped heads in front of the concert stage. “Brat Summer” fans took notice, and Charli XCX even shouted them out mid-performance, which was shared on the brand’s TikTok to the tune of 3.2 million views.
Warner Bros. Pictures Brings ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ to Life
In “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 film that introduced audiences to the “ghost with the most,” the Shrinkers are a group of head-shrunken men in yellow suits who work at the Afterlife Call Center. For the 2024 film’s promotional campaign, Warner Bros. Pictures took part in the “showing places never seen before” TikTok trend that had users introducing babies, kids, dogs, partners and even coworkers to new spaces by getting the overworked Shrinkers out of the office and on a tour of hot spots around the country.
The imposingly tall, name-tagged characters appeared in Dallas’ Skyfall Park and the Eyeboretum, Miami’s Calle Ocho, Philly’s LOVE Park, Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and more. Beachgoers were surprised to see five Shrinkers at Belmont Park in San Diego, CA, while on the opposite coast, several Shrinkers took a ride on the NYC Ferry, pointing out all the sights they had waited an “eternity” to see.
Walmart Taps into the BookTok Community and TikTok Fashion Trends
Last summer, Walmart focused its social listening on TikTok’s community of readers and authors who are passionate about discussing books and literature, affectionately known as BookTok. Walmart went all in on the #BookTok trend of highlighting steamy romance novels by launching a “Spicy Summer” campaign to show consumers and BookTok followers that the brand is a go-to destination for the summer’s hottest books.
“Spicy Summer” kicked off with an invite-only poolside event for influential members of the BookTok community in Santa Monica, CA, featuring a menu of Fiery Summer Drinks, beachy furniture and décor from Walmart, a book charm jewelry-making station, a Red Hot Auras photo booth, and, of course, fan-favorite “spicy” books all over shelves.
“We are a customer-obsessed organization, so we look for the places where our customers are spending their time and create genuine moments of connection with them… BookTok is rapidly growing; I think it’s at more than 250 billion views,” says Courtney Killingsworth, director-brand marketing at Walmart. “What this really allowed us to do is tap into a culturally relevant moment, and it helped us work toward the goal of putting Walmart, the brand, into culture, and culture into the brand. It was a step in the direction of shortening the distance from inspiration to purchase, and that’s the goal.”
Then in the fall, the Walmart Style Tour visited more than 40 locations across the country over two months, presenting its new fall fashion collection. A blue Airstream opened up to create an elevated showroom with furniture, racks of clothing and mannequins, where attendees could scan and shop via QR codes. Plus, jumping on the color-analysis trend that has had millions of TikTok users questioning whether they’re a warm spring, deep autumn or cool winter, style specialists and color analysts were on hand to help participants find their complementary season—further fine-tuning the shopping experience. (Partners: Momentum Worldwide; Lime Media)
Stanley Mobilizes its TikTok Fans for IRL Pop-ups
Fans of Stanley’s tumblers and drinkware products are dedicated. They post about their cup collections on TikTok and keep up with new releases, particularly brand collabs and movie tie-ins, like Target’s release of the limited-edition Stanley x “Wicked” collection of Quenchers, which were very popular and swiftly sold out.
Complementing its online presence, Stanley has been ramping up its experiential strategy over the years, having hosted a Summer of Color pop-up in Venice Beach, CA, in 2023 (Agency: This Is Lester) and introducing its new product collections last summer through a New York City-inspired influencer event for the Cross Bottle and a four-city tour tied to the Barbie x Stanley Quenchers in celebration of Barbie’s 65th anniversary (Agencies: Pink Sparrow; MKG; Acceleration Community of Companies). They were all produced with the intention of encouraging authentic user-generated content sharing.
“We’re a brand that’s over 110-years-old, and we’ve been really proud to be part of such a digital and social conversation through the lens of culture,” says Graham Nearn, chief brand officer at Stanley. “What we discovered through engagement with our consumers on social, TikTok and Insta, is that our Stanley community seeks to find out how we’re going to show up and be super relevant in their lives, but also that they really value the originality of our brand.”
HBO Goes Viral with Virtual Takeovers of Global Landmarks
Ahead of the highly anticipated season two premiere of “House of the Dragon” last June, HBO launched a global campaign that had fans, and famous landmarks, choosing a side in the House Targaryen drama. Around New York City, Team Black banners for Queen Rhaenyra hung prominently on the exterior of Rockefeller Center, Citi Field and the New York Stock Exchange, while Grand Central Terminal pledged its loyalty to the “One True King” with Team Green banners. The banners were hanging at the locations for a limited time, but that was just the tip of the iceberg, as HBO extended the viral campaign to landmarks around the world with a bit of CGI.
On TikTok, videos started popping up of digital banners spotted at KIPCO Tower in Kuwait (Team Black), Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (Team Black), Sydney Tower in Australia (Team Green) and the Eiffel Tower (Team Green). Comment sections were set ablaze as fans expressed their excitement or disappointment in the landmarks’ allegiances. As realistic as the banners looked rolling down the sides of the buildings, users questioned their authenticity.
For instance, in New York, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges were both shown with banners raised, and with other locations in the city displaying real banners, fans online were wondering what was really happening on the ground. The Associated Press sent a reporter out to confirm that the banners on the bridges were not present and that they were, in fact, part of a social media stunt. It certainly could have fooled us. (Agency: Giant Spoon)
Featured image credit: Duolingo
