“Hey, have you seen that TikTok?”
2020 has been a year of short, viral soundbites - something to keep our spirits up as we weather through the storm. In large part, it has been TikTok driving short-form media forward. TikTok creators have stepped up to the plate to “inspire creativity and bring joy,” digging in deeper to the absurdist humor that fits perfectly with this year. With an algorithm that has made it one of the world’s strongest video competitors, we are sure that it comes as no surprise that TikTok was the most downloaded apps of the year.
Users on TikTok spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, making it a great platform to tap into for marketers. TikTok serves as a true space of entertainment and creativity, and this year it has proven again that it is an excellent space for artists to engage with fans. TikTok is not only reshaping how content is marketed to fans, it is also shaping the way we consume media online.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top TikTok trends of 2020, and the impact they’ve had on the fan marketing industry.
Uncovering Artists
The beloved audio meme is the fuel in TikTok’s engine - and artists have continued to make this fuel high octane in 2020. In a year where the absence of live music has left a void, TikTok and the many creative artists using this platform have helped fill the void. The focus on the platform has nurtured TikTok as a place for music discovery, fueling hit after hit. This year 176 different songs surpassed the billion video view mark, showcasing the incredible global reach that TikTok has. From emerging talent to global superstars, artists are finding authentic and creative ways to engage with their fans through TikTok.
The Independents go Viral
A distinct part of the TikTok culture this year has been the virality of lesser known artists - cementing TikTok’s position as a go-to platform for content discovery. Many artists have turned to TikTok as a way to build momentum for their careers, and those achieving success on TikTok have transitioned their success to streaming spikes, podcast deals or record deals. With the ubiquity of their soundbites across the web, the following artists were masterful in their use of TikTok:
24KGoldn
American Rapper 24KGoldn has used his time in isolation to rocket his career to the next level - using TikTok as a main platform to engage with his fans. From April to today, his audience on TikTok has grown from an already stunning 1.6M to 3.2 M followers. He was an early adopter of TikTok, with his first major hit ‘City of Angels,’ then following it up with a viral success ‘Valentino’. In 2020, 24KGoldn hit a Billboard #1 song with ‘Mood’ a collab with iann dior. His success on TikTok is due, in part, to his collaboration with other TikTokers - he’s been steadily reaching out to other great content creators since he started on the app. He’s also used TikTok as a way to express who he is, and his authenticity makes it enjoyable to keep up with him.
Sam Ryder
Sam Ryder isn’t new to music - he’s already built up a successful career as a musician and writer beginning in 2009. But, he has launched his fame to the next level, creating a TikTok channel to showcase his incredible pipes on famous covers. He has 6.3M followers on TikTok, and has amassed a loyal following and celebrity fans (including Alicia Keys). He self-released a solo EP this year in March, and has continued to use TikTok as a way to showcase his vocal talents. Marked as TikTok UK’s most viewed artist account of the year - his fame is only growing.
Lyn Lapid
At the beginning of the year, Lyn Lapid was an aspiring artist with incredible raw talent. She developed a following on both YouTube and TikTok through her soulful covers and duets with other talented artists on TikTok (3.3 M followers). Fast forward to April, where Lapid posted an original song to TikTok, following a disappointing meeting with a producer. ‘Producer Man’ took off. From this viral video, Lapid was signed to Republic Records where they produced ‘Producer Man’ as her debut single.
While raw talent is something that sets these artists apart, their TikTok strategies also boosted them to stardom. They used strategic collaborations, duets, and authentic videos showcasing their personality to reach the right viewers. From sneak peeks at music releases to fan shout-outs, their use of TikTok has resonated with a global audience.
UGC - Stars Engaging with Community
TikTok isn’t only a place for aspiring artists, it’s also a fantastic platform for global superstars to engage their fans. From Drake’s Tootsie Slide to Doja Cat’s recurring virality, the TikTok dance culture lends itself to exploding already popular songs. More than giving artists more publicity, TikTok also allows artists to create community with their fans, and get creative with the unique content created by fans.
Dua Lipa tapped into this when creating her music video for ‘Levitating’ featuring DaBaby. Lipa launched a global competition, where fans on TikTok were invited to share glam makeup looks, animation skills, and choreography for the chance to be featured in the finished video. The competition generated 150,000 TikTok video creations and 300 Million views. 16 creators were chosen to be featured in the music video. Following the music video launch, Dua Lipa took to TikTok with the #LevitatingChallenge inviting fans to showcase their levitating skills with TikTok’s slow-mo feature. Dua Lipa is a queen of TikTok, and there’s no question that she’s a master of inviting fans into her world.
Digital Activitsm
Although there continue to be some issues on TikTok (including allegations last year that the TikTok algorithms suppressed non-white, disabled, and poor creators), this year it became a platform for a younger generation to speak out and rally around. TikTok had a prominent role this year in Black Lives Matter, promoting the cause on its Discover page and reaching 23.7 Billion views on the hashtag. Scenes of protests to the tune of Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” swept the platform, and creators came together to push the cause further.
TikTok also became a prominent platform for anti-Trump protests that led to real-life results. According to the New York Times, TikTokers in collaboration with K-pop fans played a role in the poor turnout at Trump’s Tulsa re-election rally in June. TikTok played an important role this year for social activists to mobilize during lock-down. As we move into 2021, TikTok is likely to remain a place for social activists to generate awareness and support - especially around the causes that have struck a chord with millennials and GenZ.
Creating Creators
TikTok’s injecting life back into the maturing world of social media. Its algorithm feeds users curated content on their “for you” pages - however, unlike Instagram and Facebook, the platform lends itself to more content diversification. TikTok’s algorithm shows new content to a small set of users who are more likely to be interested based on their previous behaviour. If this new content resonates with the small set of users (they watch the full video or share it) TikTok then shares the video to more people with similar interests. If this positive feedback loop happens enough times, the video can go viral. This means that a new user with few followers can end up on a For You or Discover page, and your funny video has a shot at going viral whether you have 100,000 followers or 0.
TikTok has also leveled the playing field for ordinary people to jump into the video world without worrying about production value. If you have something you want to share, you simply whip out your phone, film, edit in-app and upload. This freedom and chaos have turned ordinary people into content creators. This also means that if you’re tuned in to the community, you can reach a lot of people by making content you know will resonate.
What does this mean for fan marketing? It means that TikTok’s barrier to virality is lower than more mature social media platforms if you’re willing to put the time into understanding trending content. Manchester United's TikTok page is a great example of this, reaching 1 million followers in 50 days after launching their account. Sports teams and leagues can really leverage TikTok to create hype around celebrity-players or the spirit of their team by recycling content with TikTok viewers in mind. Not only that, but they can tap into the creative content their fans are putting out on the platform. Many sports fans have taken to the platform to express their fandom in lieu of live events, so teams would do well to tap into this energy!
The TikTok above shows TikTok's obsession with Trace McSorley and #throwitonadime
TikTok has made a splash in 2020. It’s a strong platform for engaging with fans across industries, and it’s also proven itself to be promising in making video more meritocratic. We’ve seen TikTokkers with powerful messages take on the algorithm regardless of budget and eminence. Right now it’s the ‘it’ app, and deservedly so. There are powerful content creation and advertising opportunities for brands who know how to read the community.
Interested in seeing where TikTok fits into your fan marketing strategy? Contact us for an ideation session with our digital advertising experts.