Everything Brands Need to Know About TikTok in 2020
What is TikTok in three words? Real short videos. The app is taking the digital world by storm, and marketers are taking note.
What is TikTok in three words? Real short videos. The app is taking the digital world by storm, and marketers are taking note.
It’s been a minute since TikTok crashed the global social media party in 2018. And a lot has happened.
For example, the Washington Post hired a TikTok app expert. Buzzfeed is recruiting teens to cover the election on TikTok. According to The Verge, Justin Bieber is desperate for his single “Yummy” to go viral on TikTok. A who’s-who of celebrities, including everyone from Snoop Dogg to Reese Witherspoon, have opened accounts. And ads finally made their way onto the platform, along with a shoppable component.
Teenagers are gaga for TikTok. And with the advertising floodgates wide open, brands are too. Chipotle, Nike, Skittles, Fenty Beauty, Pepsi, and Universal Pictures are among the many companies that have already been lured by TikTok’s warpspeed success.
So, is it time for your company to start TikTok marketing? Learn about TikTok stats, demographics, and ad options to see if it’s a fit for your business.
Download the full Social Trends report to get an in-depth analysis of the data you need to inform your social strategy in 2021.
If you, like Millie Bobby Brown or Kendall Jenner for 24 hours, are only just signing up for TikTok, here’s a rundown of the app.
Accurate pic.twitter.com/MdPeXse7nd
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) February 3, 2020
TikTok calls itself the “destination for short-form mobile videos.” In some ways it’s a bite-size version of YouTube, with videos ranging between five and 60 seconds in length. Creators have access to an assortment of filters and effects, as well as a massive music library.
— Cowbelly (@CowbellyTV) January 26, 2020
Tracks on TikTok have high meme potential, and it’s turned the app into something of a hitmaker. Lil Nas X’s country tap jam Old Town Road is the best example of this. While lassoing some near 67 million plays on TikTok, the single trotted to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for a record-setting 17 weeks.
Like any other social network, TikTok has a gamut of influencers and meme machines who cash in on views, likes, comments, shares—and virtual coin. There are more than 35 TikTok stars who count their followers in the tens of millions—most of whom are not mainstream celebrities.
Today I used the @NFL TikTok to ask @charlidamelio to take some @Chiefs dance moves and make them into a real TikTok dance. I never thought she'd see it.
BUT SHE DID IT. And it turned out super cool. And it has 1.4M views in an hour.
So basically, I will never top this moment. pic.twitter.com/vm9rJmbbdY
— AJ Curry (@AJ_Curry) January 13, 2020
But the machine most central to TikTok’s instant success is its algorithm, which uses artificial intelligence to make personalized recommendations for viewers. The video feed plays the minute the app opens, instantly sucking viewers in. Users can follow their favourite creators, but they don’t have to for the feed to be filled automatically with curated clips.
As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg put it in leaked audio: “I kind of think about TikTok as if it were Explore for stories, and that were the whole app.”
TikTok makes content discovery central to its experience—which is what allows videos to blow up so fast.
In China, TikTok is known as Douyin. The forerunner to the TikTok app, Douyin was launched by ByteDance, the world’s most valuable startup, in 2016. TikTok officially made its overseas debut in 2018 when it merged with Musical.ly.
TikTok’s success has not come without controversy. The app was briefly banned by lawmakers in India last year who cited cultural degradation and explicit content as reasons. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission levied $5.7 million fine for violating children’s privacy law. Security concerns have led the U.S. government to launch a national security review of the app, while censorship allegations have drawn criticism from lawmakers and competitors.
TikTok has fresh competition in 2020. Byte, a new TikTok rival from a Vine cofounder, danced to the top of Apple’s app store on Jan 24. And Google just jumped into the short-form video game with Tangi. In Asia, Tencent-backed Kuaishou is gaining popularity, while its sister app, Kwai, is popular in Brazil. And of course, Facebook and Instagram will also look to close in on TikTok this year.
Teens figured TikTok out long ago. But it still manages to befuddle many a millennial and Baby Boomer. Here’s the lowdown on how the TikTok app works.
For all you Olds downloading TikTok after that ad pic.twitter.com/BVEiCfhvkE
— Dave Jorgenson 🦊🗞 (@davejorgenson) February 3, 2020
Watch and create videos: Videos are central to the TikTok experience. They can be uploaded or created in-app with stop and start recording, timers, and other tools. Live streaming is also an option. Users can add visual filters, time effects, split screens, green screens, transitions, stickers, GIFs, emoji, and much more.
Here’s the most popular effect, face zoom, in action:
@eliottbrownMy Grandpa’s smile at the end ????????????##tiktok♬ Ymca – Party City
Add Music: TikTok’s extensive music library and integration with Apple Music is where the app edges out all other social platforms. Creators can add, remix, save, and discover songs and sounds via playlists, videos, and more.
Interact: TikTok users can follow accounts they like, and give hearts, gifts, comments or shares on videos they enjoy. Videos, hashtags, sounds, and effects can be added to a user’s Favorites section.
Discover: The Discover feed is all about hashtags, but users can also search for keywords, users, videos, and sound effects. People can add friends by searching their username, or scanning their unique TikCode.
Explore profiles: TikTok profiles show a tally of follows and followers, as well as an overall total of the number of hearts a user has received. As on Twitter and Instagram, official accounts are given blue checkmarks.
Spend virtual coins: Coins can be used to give Virtual Gifts on TikTok. When a user buys them, they can convert them into diamonds or emoji. Diamonds can be exchanged for cash. Prices for coins start at $1.39 for 100, and go up to $139.00 for 10,000.
@calebnataleHow to make money on Tik Tok. Wait till the end ???????? ##backatwork ##fyp ##handgestures♬ Yummy – Justin Bieber
There’s really no typical way to use TikTok. Yes, there’s lip syncing, dancing, comedy sketches, and cats… lots of cats. But there’s no rule book. What you will find are a few formats that we explain here.
TikTok Trends: Also known as TikTok Challenges, these memes typically involve a popular song or hashtag. Trending songs and tags like #ButHaveYouSeen and #HowToAdult act as prompts for users to attempt dance moves or create their own variation on a theme.
@otbIf you had a magic suitcase where would you go!? #stopmotionme #tiktoktravel #foryou #uk♬ Crystal Dolphin – Engelwood
TikTok Duets: Duets are a popular collaborative feature on TikTok that allows users to sample another person’s video and add themselves to it. Duets can range from genuine collabs, remixes, spoofs, and more. Artists like Lizzo, Camila Cabello, and Tove Lo have used the format to promo singles and connect with fans.
@derekhoughHey everybody, How do you use this thing! #duet with itsundos♬ original sound – itsundos
There’s No Way my Smackalicious sauce came in the mail today 😳 #TheresNoWay #TikTok #Seafood #CookingWithCoach pic.twitter.com/aNEyqDPPq8
— The Blueprint (@wesleyacuff) January 6, 2020
Cringe Videos: These videos aim to make audiences cringe with painfully awkward performances and scenarios. Often funny and always embarrassing, they’re the type you can’t look away from. That’s why they often end up in YouTube compilations.
It is February and literally 60 here in Philly from TikTokCringe
React Videos: YouTubers pioneered the reaction genre, but TikTokers have perfected it. Under the share option of someone’s video, users can select React. They can record their reaction while the video plays, and position where they want their overlay video to play alongside the original.
@misha_segal#react to trifinn did they just forget that melody? ???? #SonicSpeedMeUp #buthaveyouseen #fyp #fypシ #workroutine♬ Lalala – Y2K & Bbno$
React videos can also be recorded simultaneously and in large groups, like this collaborative work of digital art:
@just_ethan_yeeet#react to fathoodbitch♬ original sound – fantasytune
Users have the ability to disable Duets and Reacts when they share videos.
Cross-platform sharing: TikTok memes don’t just stay on TikTok. In many cases, users share their content on other social networks like Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Instagram. Integration for sharing on these apps and others is built in. There are more than 32 million posts with the hashtag #TikTok on Instagram. In many cases, captions can add a new layer to an already existing TikTok meme.
me reading back my own writing. pic.twitter.com/cb4zlWjjIG
— sarah fowerbaugh (@sarfow11) August 12, 2019
TikTok’s highest performing videos range from an elephant toothpaste explosion to a caesarean section performed on a banana. In other words, it’s pretty random.
Check out the TikTok Top 100 of 2019 here.
TikTok’s metrics are tricky to track. Here’s what we found.
According to ByteDance’s annual report, in China:
India
China
United States
Britain
Last year TikTok introduced a self-serve ad platform for advertisers.
So far, branded hashtag challenges seem to be the most popular approach for brands on TikTok. Several musicians and companies like the NFL, Sunsilk, and Universal Pictures have run campaigns. Even TurboTax is getting in on the action.
These campaigns encourage users to create videos around a specific hashtag, often using a specific song or set of dance moves. As TikTok points out, the baked-in virality of challenges may be why they’re favoured: 35% of users have participated in one. Some 16% of all videos on the platform are tied to hashtag challenges.
Campaigns like Pepsi’s #SwagStepChallenge have also spilled over Twitter and YouTube.
Dabangg ka swag, dabangg ki Pepsi #swagstepchallenge #swagattohkarohumaraswagse #harghoontmeinswag #Dabanng3 @SKFilmsOfficial pic.twitter.com/lcRiDEBaYE
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) December 21, 2019
In addition to the feed, branded hashtags appear in the Trending section of the Discover tab. When a user clicks on it, they’re brought to a Challenge Page that includes a brief description. Brands can pay extra to secure the upper banner position. Sources tell The Verge that this can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Download the full Social Trends report to get an in-depth analysis of the data you need to inform your social strategy in 2021.
Get the full report now!In August, Kroger was the first brand to try the shoppable Hashtag Challenge Plus option. With this feature the Challenge Page includes a Discover tab where people can shop products. Links opened to Kroger’s website.
K-pop channel hello82 created a contest around a TikTok hashtag challenge.
💌 To enter our TikTok challenge💌
1. Download TikTok
2. Follow @hello82official
3. Use the "nose painting" filter
4. Paint “82” with your nose
5. Hashtag #82challenge #hello82 #SuperJuniorxhello82OR you can do the “duet” with the artist.
Good luck! pic.twitter.com/fRPYkJJUqC
— hello82 (@hello82official) February 4, 2020
A brand takeover ad pops up when someone opens TikTok. It can be a three-five seconds long full-screen video, GIF, or image, and links to an external or internal landing page. TikTok only allows one advertiser for this format per day, and guarantees five million daily impressions.
These 5-15 second-long ads are essentially promoted TikTok videos.
They appear in the “For You” feed and can drive clicks to an internal or external page. Users can share, like, comment, and click-to profiles as they can with organic content. These ads are available through the auction model.
Maybelline’s recent in-feed ad campaign earned the cosmetics retailer 48.7K likes and almost 3,000 comments in one day.
Top-view video ads
TikTok’s top-view ads combine takeover and in-feed video ads. They start with a takeover, and transition to an in-feed video, lasting a total of 15 seconds.
According to TikTok’s leaked dek, this format will be available in the U.S. in May.
Branded lenses
Brands can partner with TikTok to create 2D and 3D lenses for users to “try on” and share. Doing so also lands companies in the Trending section of the Discover tab for 10 days.
According to TikTok, 64% of its users have tried face filters and lenses.
Remember jingles from old-school advertising days? Songs are a big part of TikTok, so having a good branded song can really help a campaign take off.
Home Depot got lucky on this front. Inexplicably, its theme song went viral all on its own.
@creditablechrisMore saving, more doing, Home Depot.♬ original sound – creditablechris
OREO created a tune and teamed up with TikTok influencers like @glitterandlazers to promote its #WhatsYourStuf challenge. So far the hashtag has nearly 2.9 billion views.
@glitterandlazers#ad My favorite way to make decisions… oreo Original is the best! #whatsyourstuf♬ What’s Your Stuf? (Original) – OREO Official
Some brands have teamed up with artists. For this year’s Super Bowl, Chipotle teamed up with Justin Bieber to promote his single “Yummy.”
@avaniWell that chipotle came quick???????? #tiktoktimeout #ad♬ Yummy – Justin Bieber
A lot of brands have teamed up with influencers to promote hashtag challenges, or simply to promote products. TikTok even provides lists of potential creators to brands.
Amazon’s #FoundItOnAmazon partnership with @glitterandlazers included a call to action to shop via the link in her bio.
@glitterandlazers#FoundItOnAmazon. U can find everything there! Shop these looks with the link in my bio! #sponsored♬ original sound – glitterandlazers
What’s coming in 2020? TikTok is reportedly beta testing shoppable ads with select influencers in the United States. Since November, these creators have been able to embed links to product pages in their videos.