With the monthly active users of up to 92 million users, TikTok is becoming a new playground for access target mass audience, especially gen z (63% of users are in age group of 13 – 24 in US market).

However, instead of building an outstanding brand image, lots of brands is working on meaningless marketing camps their main purpose is attracting an audience while losing their brand personality.

Hashtag challgenge with no brand image or awareness

• If you follow big brands on tiktok, you will see a common formula: dancing challenge content. They use paid media by contact with tiktok to buy hashtag placement in discovery page, running ads (similar to other paid ads channels like Facebook, Youtube), and contact KOLs to the challenge.
• It is undeniable that dance challenge from Tiktok is strongly spreading and easly to approach. However, these trends are usually suitable for the entertainment camps, suitable for brands that have this type of messages, like music, entertainment show, movie are some of examples that fit this type. 
• With other brands, this seem to not bring branding effect much. When every brands are doing the same way (in this case, we are talking about dancing challenging), it is making the trend boring. It is less appealing for users to engage and make their own videos. And finally lead to failure of the campaigns, which cause loss in money.
• Some other brands that are more creative, they use role playing as their main approach. You can watch a case study of an investment company on tiktok. They talk more about how is the life of salesmen at this company, but forget to depict more about their main products, experience when using and value when owning a product. It is distracting with this type of content orientation.
• What brands can learn from this: enterntainment dancing singing challenge, humorous drama are 2 of most popular types of video on tiktok. Brands don’t need to bring music, dancing, or arts to their videos, but encourage users to make user generated content which suits brand message, and suits tiktok as well.
• Case study “Fat Bro” for clinic client of Leo Burnett don’t follow two above directions but still very fun to watch. The content focus on the experience of a boy having difficulties losing his weight, and with determination, how he gradually lose its weight and get fitter from time to time. When the channel has good engagement, brand is inserted naturally and make a wow moment for viewers.

Direct product placement

• One of the factor of Tiktok success is that it meets the demand of discovering authentic content of gen Z – generation that take account for 63% of total users. However, many brands accidentally or on pupose ignore this fact.
• Brands when out reach to influencers usually think that they are spending money for the KOLs to place their product directly on the video, or their brand image or brand message. Go straight to the point. If they keep doing this way on tiktok, the only they get back is audience will see and know their brand, no more no less, they may forget really quick after that, it is a short-termed marketing, which will harm the brand in the long-term. Viewers watching these videos will be in defensive position and hard to believe what is delivered in the videos.
• What brands can learn from this: With tiktok, brands need to be real when delivering message. Sometimes, brands don’t need to show their product purely, but rather put it in a situation that viewers feel acquainted and easy to digest the message.
• Don’t rush to put your brand out there, your need a good story to tell, to get people engage and brand will show up later.
• Remember tiktok users is looking for something new, creative, interesting and unique which is not available on other platforms. At Market4gamers, they have tiktok accounts at https://market4gamers.com/tiktok/ that are built to attract viewers attention first, and all ready for you to build your channel right away.

No plan developed for Tiktok channel.

• If your brand join tiktok because your competitors joined, with no careful preparation, your marketing team is easily lost, and use tiktok as a place to repost video from other platforms. However, this is proven not effective, because the user behavior on tiktok is different. They are attracted with vivid, catchy videos with rapid flow. 
• Some marketing teams may be well prepared for tiktok marketing, they invest in ideas, and video production; but lean on paid media too much. They pay for ads to show up to more users but not building quality organic audience. And there is no mutual interaction between brands and followers. In specific, views and likes are much less important than comments and shares on this platform, though it is similar on other networks.
• 12 years ago, when Instagram launched, we did not know how to market effectively on this social network. We need time to experience how users behave and then follow the rule.
• Tiktok huge views doesn’t mean much, if you do not build a loyal audience from tiktok.
• What brands can learn from this: Similar to other platforms, brands need a specific plan for marketing on it. Apply the strategy on other platforms with no adjustment to Tiktok can easily distract your orientation