The social media darling, TikTok is breaking rules and formats on how to present fashion products and brands. Today we share why brands have to be in the most coveted social media app of the year.

The social media app landscape is evolving drastically; tech companies are creating new app features for users to play, have fun, and spend time immersed in all types of social platforms. 

 

TikTok is definitely one of the most ludic and eye-catching apps in the social media marketing strategy. Its whimsical allure is a teen magnet and the place-to-be for fashion brands that want to interact with Gen Z. 

 

Some traditional brands do not know what is the best way to approach TikTok as it has been labeled as the dancing-teens app. That is partially true, although this is an excellent moment to build an innovative communication strategy, as TikTok has more features and an immediate language beyond just dancing videos.  

 

Besides its rapid user growth, TikTok provides the fresh approach that the fashion industry has been looking for in social media to engage with a younger generation.

 

If you have a fashion brand or a lifestyle project, TikTok can help you to create authentic and relatable content; as the user experience in the app is really intuitive, you can engage in watching other brands’ strategies for benchmarking analysis. 

 

High Fashion and beauty brands are betting hard on TikTok to market new products and create seasonal campaigns. 

 

ByteDance, the Chinese parent company for TikTok, revealed last September that the app has been downloaded over 2.6 billion times worldwide and has reached 1 billion active global users. The app is now available in 154 countries, a totally viral sensation thanks to the short-form video format. 

 

According to Statista, in February 2020, TikTok “reached a total lifetime user spending of 300 million US dollars on Google Play and the App Store. The ByteDance app generated about 50.4 million US dollars from user spending during that month”.

 

In terms of demographics, as of March 2021, “users in their teens (10-19 y.o.) accounted for 25 percent of TikTok’s active user accounts in the United States”. 

According to App Ape, “users aged 20 to 29 years accounted for 22.4 percent of the video-sharing app’s user base on the Android platform”.

 

These outstanding numbers are proof of the shift of a generation of heavy smartphone users constantly in touch with trending and viral content. 

 

Fashion Brands on TikTok: Campaign Examples and Viral Videos as a New Form of Communication

 

TikTokers engage in a direct and agile way when using the app. Following, commenting, and liking each other’s posts are the common ground for every social media network. However, TikTok users have encouraged lip-syncing, dancing, copy-cat video making, and taking an active part in viral challenges. 

 

According to the ranking of the most popular TikTok users worldwide 2021, published by Statista Research Department, TikTok’s digital ecosystem has created its own teen internet celebrities such as Charli d’Amelio (123.5 million followers), Khabane Lame (107.54 million followers), Addison Rae (83.5 million followers), and Bella Poarch (75.4 million followers).

 

Marc Jacobs has advertised on TikTok by launching the Branded Hashtag Challenges #PerfectAsIAm, in summer 2020, and #PerfectAsWeAre campaign in June 2021 (a celebration of Pride and encouraging self-love and individuality). They each beat reach records at 10.4B views, and 13.7B views respectively. The TikTok Duet Feature was the magic key into the brand’s success as well as featuring key Tik-influencers, such as Rickey Thompson, Jojo Siwa, and Bretman Rock.

 

When Fendi arrived at TikTok, the roman-based luxury company ran five In-Feed Ads, all driving users to its new brand profile. The purpose was to generate widespread awareness and brand engagement. In-Feed Ads are recommended for mass exposure, and organic appeal, as they run natively on the “For You Feed” leading to a more personal experience. 

 

Fendi’s campaign “F is for…,” in which the fashion house collaborated with world-famous US singer Sabrina Carpenter, the campaign earned 4 million views and drove a 5.8% engagement rate. The ads also achieved an average click-through rate that outperformed its benchmark by over 158%, and the strategy led to 15,000 new brand followers.

 

Shein’s social media marketing strategy is based on user-generated content. Inside TikTok the brand is best known for its “Fashion Clothing Hauls” and “Shein vs Reality” using hashtag #SHEINgals. The brand works with paid partnerships with super-influencers and less-known creators (from 2K to 50K follower number range).  

 

TikTok encourages brands to use the platform more playfully and excitingly to engage with a broader audience that looks for an authentic and community-driven approach.