How viral TikTok videos pose a new opportunity for marketers!

As we all know, the most random things can go viral on TikTok in the matter of days. Before exploring the significance and uses of such a phenomenon, let’s take a look at a prime example.

Kiwi Kids’ Song Gone Viral
The following TikTok features a sound clip from the song “Bad Hair Day” which originated as a children’s song in New Zealand sang in primary school (elementary school in American terms). The song itself is about having a bad hair day at the worst time, and can be found in the “Kiwi Kids Song Book”. It’s very niche, and cannot be found on any streaming platform besides YouTube. See video below for one popular influencer’s use of it.

@k0uvr

Youre telling me ive been seeing this everywhere and it isnt a trend??

♬ WHY ARE PPL USING THIS SOUND – John Phillips

I know readers might be wondering, “why should I care about a silly song?” And true, the lyrics are quite basic (but very catchy). The real importance lies in its reach. This sound bite on its own has been used in over 915.7k videos, with one top video reaching over two million likes and 16.2 million views.

Digital Reach
As one of the fastest growing platforms, TikTok poses huge opportunity for brands or individuals trying to market themselves to users. Originally started as Musical.ly in 2014, with a rebranding to the current TikTok in 2017, the app allows for access to a massive database of young consumers. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, the app has one billion active users worldwide (Battisby, 2021).

So where’s the use for working professionals? Though the app is focused on giving users entertaining content, brands can use this to their advantage to either gain new customers or strengthen the relationships with existing customers. By posting a company’s own TikTok, collaborating with macro or micro influencers, or simply engaging with other user’s content, brands are building their audience through relatively new social techniques.

Social Influence on Brand Perception
One of the leading users of TikTok, Duolingo, a language-learning app, is especially successful at creating a strong presence for itself. Its infamous green mascot, Duo the Owl, is driving users to get involved with the service without a traditional advertising campaign.

Through on-trend video content and engaging with other big name brands and small users, the Duolingo owl has cemented itself as a fun way to learn a new language. The use of current slang and pop culture references has allowed the brand to stay “in” with young consumers and helps to encourage the fun nature of the service. One of the great minds behind the brand’s TikTok strategy, Zaria Parvez, says, “You see businesses on TikTok that are always trying to sell you products, but with Duo, it’s this owl doing outrageous, funny things on a business profile,” (Parvez, 2022).

Key Takeaway
Though there are many entry platforms into the realm of social media marketing, TikTok is a pioneer in providing short, on-trend content to a mass audience. As could be seen with the vitality of a children’s song, the simplest videos and sounds can spread across the globe in only a short matter of time. By staying in-touch with the interests of young consumers, brands can influence customer attitudes in a light yet meaningful way. As we constantly evolve in this digital age, it will be very interesting to see how these strategies grow to meet the needs and wants of users globally.

Sources:
https://digiday.com/marketing/how-duolingo-is-using-its-unhinged-content-with-duo-the-owl-to-make-people-laugh-on-tiktok/

https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/an-in-depth-look-at-marketing-on-tiktok

https://www.mediaalacarte.com/post/how-duolingo-s-tiktok-social-media-manager-redefined-the-meaning-of-brand-voice

https://thetab.com/uk/2023/02/03/kiwi-kids-song-bad-hair-day-tik-tok-293135