Top 5 Brands That Went Viral on TikTok

Now with 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has quickly grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms of 2022. So naturally, brands of all types are now getting involved, trying to engage TikTok's user base.

Why advertise on TikTok?

Are you wondering why more and more companies, are investing in advertising on TikTok? Then, you are in the right place!

First of all, on the TikTok app, the ads are much more effective than on other platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube. Here, the advertisements are not immediately recognizable as they take on the appearance of organic content, thus capturing the attention of users for those seconds necessary to choose to stay on the ad itself or scroll to the next content.

Another fundamental reason why we advise you to advertise on TikTok is that you have the opportunity to address your offer to a huge and constantly growing audience and, consequently, you can make your product or service known to a large number of new customers.

Advertising on TikTok also means being able to communicate with an international audience: this social network is, in fact, used in over 150 countries around the world, so it is the best choice if you want to expand your business to international markets.

At the same time, advertising on TikTok implies an improvement in one's brand awareness thanks to the use of hashtags that highlight the published contents, making them easier to discover. In fact, the more people view your content, the more your opportunities to make yourself known and optimize your business increase.

Another interesting fact that you must take into consideration if you are thinking of advertising on TikTok is that today there are so many users who claim that they have been pushed towards the purchase of a product right after having seen a video on TikTok and that thanks to this platform have managed to establish a stronger relationship with brands. Additionally, many digital marketing services in London and across the globe have started to utilise TikTok to grow client brands and businesses.

Finally, the importance of sounds, which in TikTok videos, is one of the most important elements: it increases viewing times, making brands more and more recognizable and therefore unique.

Brand Marketing on TikTok: 5 Effective Examples

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Here are five of the best brand marketing examples we've seen on TikTok so far.

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1.   Elf Cosmetics

With four billion views and three million user-generated videos, Elf Cosmetics' 'Eyes Lips Face' challenge has been described as the 'most influential campaign on TikTok' to date. The campaign involved creating an original song (called 'eyes, lips, face') to accompany the brand's hashtag challenge.

Several influencers promoted the song in their own videos, which spurred other celebrities and users to do the same. As a result, the song eventually went viral – not just on TikTok but on other platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. In response, Elf Cosmetics created their own music video to coincide with the full song's release.

The campaign's success largely stems from the fact that it was deliberately designed to look native to TikTok (rather than cut and paste from other platforms). As a result, Elf Cosmetics was one of the first brands to prove the platform's potential as an advertiser, also encouraging Elf and many other brands to create similar campaigns with original branded audio.

2.  NBA

The NBA was an early adopter of TikTok, but the coronavirus pandemic (and the suspension of the basketball season) has caused it to increase its focus on the platform. One of the reasons NBA content is so successful on TikTok is the variety it produces – ranging from sporting challenges to behind-the-scenes pranks – as well as the number of videos, with the brand typically posting five to six times a day. 

With 15.4 million followers, the NBA has gained a huge following on the platform. While sport is obviously its main attraction, humour remains the most important – one of its most popular videos involves NBA mascots throwing cakes in the faces of fans.

3.  Fenty Beauty

'Collaboration houses' are where social media influencers live together to expand their social media careers further. Fenty Beauty was one of the first brands to create its own collaboration house, forming the 'Fenty Beauty House' with five TikTok creators of the year. While the coronavirus pandemic has forced creators to continue working remotely rather than together, the group continues to post fun, branded content subtly.

The emphasis here is on the subtle as, according to Vogue Business, the brand has not run any paid media to promote Fenty Beauty House. Instead, it simply depends on the popularity of influencers as well as the audience's investment in the brand and its products.

4.  Gymshark

Gymshark is another brand that treats TikTok independently of other social media platforms, creating unique content that appeals to TikTok's user base and that matches the style of content that TikTok's algorithm tends to favour (such as awesome fitness challenges and feats).

For their 66-day challenge in 2019, Gymshark partnered with six fitness and dance influencers who have more followers on TikTok than they do on Instagram. This ensured that the brand could reach a large audience on the platform, capitalizing on the existing audiences of the chosen influencers. Overall, the campaign hashtag, #gymshark66, had 45.5 million views.

Gymshark continued its TikTok strategy in 2020, most notably creating the 'standing challenge' with the popular TikToker, Demi Bagby. According to Talking Influence, the hashtag has had over 280 million views, which largely stems from users recreating the brand's original video.

5.  Seeker

Seeker is a US-based digital media network specializing in science, math, engineering, and technology content. You may not have heard of it yet, but Seeker is slowly growing a mass of following on TikTok, where the brand has generated over four million engagements on the platform since joining in July 2019.

One of the main reasons for his growing success on the platform is his focus on environmentalism, which is also a growing priority among Gen Z. Its videos integrate humour with a mix of scientific facts and myth-busters, often accompanied by captivating and interesting visuals and Immersive soundtracks.

Seeker won "Best Overall TikTok Presence" at the 12th annual Shorty Awards, which is a testament to the channel's success in such a short amount of time.

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Other Brands That Went Viral on TikTok

1.  Duolingo 

Duolingo has 12.8 Million TikTok followers with over 297.8 Million likes. A testament to the effectiveness of their TikTok strategy, which at first glance seems to be “create unhinged content, hope for the best”. But is actually the result of leveraging viral meme worthy content in a timely fashion. With the use of a memorable character (the Duolingo bird, Duo). An engagement first approach that focuses on audience interaction and the knack for leveraging trends. Duolingo has found the perfect balance between promotion and relatability. Showcasing the power behind authentic, audience focused content. 

Duolingo continues to be one of the fastest growing TikTok brands. Gaining recognition and awards throughout the industry. Most recently, they were awarded the Brand of the Year award at Ad Age’s industry trade publication’s eighth annual Creativity Awards 2024. 

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^{Discover the top 10 TikTok Influencers in 2024}

Final Thoughts

Have you ever thought about the potential that the new social network has for your business? TikTok for businesses is already a reality, and many brands have already understood that they need to create a presence on this channel!

In 2022, the Chinese app surpassed Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp and became the most downloaded social network in the world in terms of the number of downloads.

The app allows the creation and broadcasting of short videos (15 to 60 seconds), with various effects and editing resources, and the main differential: Humour. There are spaces for all niches in this network. And what do companies need to do? It certainly means being present in it, because it is extremely necessary to be in the same place as the customers. 

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Love our content? We have a variety of blogs that’ll give you important insights into social media marketing and management. We also have a range of tips and tricks you can use to improve your social media presence as well as advice on how to make money as a nano-influencer, increase word-of-mouth marketing and so much more!

And if you're looking to grow your socials, increase engagement and drive brand awareness our free webb app- ttagz is a great way to do it!

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