Let’s get started with brand wins. The big one is ASOS teaming up with cult account Sylvanian Drama for Black Friday. The comments are full of praise for the retailer – because Sylvanian Drama is one of those accounts that is uniquely TikTok but also doesn’t play by the rules. It’s TikTok perfection. The channel did an advert with Burberry earlier this year too. Also notable is Superkraft agency going viral with its “the person in the office who is always cold” video – relatable office tropes are still strong drivers.
At a FanBytes event Lubna Mohsin – social media and content manager for Estee Lauder – told an audience: “Last year Estée Lauder’s presence on TikTok was tiered, while this year we’re mandating its use because recruitment is our number one goal on social media.” While Lauder does not have an owned brand channel in EMEA, paid partnerships through a squad of creators is a cornerstone to its strategy.
Onto viral moments…
It’s impossible to have missed the story of Scouse Jon and the Sheikhs – the clip has gone viral across all platforms with its tale of British fans hunting for beer in Qatar and getting shown hospitality (and lions) by their Qatari hosts. The story is just one of a plethora of conflicting themes on TikTok about the World Cup: the fans, football, the Middle East, the LGBTQ+ allyship, the interviews, the matches, the wild stories. As usual, all life is here and Qatar 2022 is no different.
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Elsewhere, Charli D’Amelio won this season of Dancing With The Stars – in a world where transitioning from influencer to mainstream star is hard to achieve, D’Amelio has arguably done it. Granted, she is a dancer, but she achieved the highest ever score on the show and has succeeded to a kind of legitimacy that many influencers struggle to secure.
Where dreams come true
Celebrating this week is Max Baledge who posted he had been approached by Disney and was filming an ad for them. Regular readers will know Max recently had several Disney meltdowns when visiting Disneyland in August and recorded the delights. The creator revealed he had spent hundreds of pounds on pins – and other memorabilia – after getting drunk in the Park. The video, here, has been viewed nearly 30 million times. Wisely Disney got in touch and now a partnership is planned. Baledge is absolutely not Disney safe – throughout his post he swears and apologises – so it will be fascinating to see the chaos he produces. But it could be genius if he is allowed to preserve the authenticity of his relationship with Mickey Mouse.
Elsewhere on PlanetTok…
Is Julia Fox saying she dated Ye in order to give Kim a break the maddest thing on the app this week? B&Q is not having a good week – a creator called Rohan, who works for the retailer made this “I would check myself into a mental hospital today” video and the comments were flooded with thoughts about how bad it is to work there.
Are you thinking of Friendmas?
Because this appears to be bubbling up as a marketing opportunity – see a collaboration with Typo here for reference. For one Aussie friend group, Friendmas is smallfry – they organise an annual Davos for themselves, featuring powerpoint presentations and merch. Oxford University has some viral comedy action on campus with a creator called Ollie. Highlights include “analyse this sentence” and also a constant satirising of the posh perception of Oxford students. Ollie also went viral for Oxfording up the US campus vox pops that were on everyone’s FYPs last month.
Other content that has gone viral this week: Property manager Grant James’s house tour entitled, “This is what 2 million gets you in London”. Katie Hopkins’ brand of awfulness has been an unlikely hit on the platform. Everyone is relating to this post about charging your phone on one side of the bed. There’s a lot of talk about childlessness by choice. Here and here also.
Last but not least…
Lydia Millen vlogged about checking into The Savoy for its “wonderful hot water” after her heating had broken down and the whole platform imploded in horror. It turns out this was actually part of a paid partnership and if the Savoy wanted attention, well they’ve certainly got it. Clearly Millen failed to check the temperature of the room.
Audio trends
- I am ready to give up: Creator Jacky has made the perfect cheerleader sound for when you need to just stop.
- I can’t see I’m blind: SZA sound for when you are purposefully overlooking something or showing how powerful their lenses are.
- It’s time: Something you’re excited about is finally happening and Mariah on double speed is there for you…
- I am now licensed: If you’ve passed something or achieved something this is the sound for you.
- January me: Creators are comparing their January and November selves.
- Night Garden theme: People are using the Night Garden theme tune and boat effect to show what they are on their way to doing.
Foodie corner
The supreme croissant is over from New York and London TikTok is here for it.
Fashion and beauty
Mikayla is back. The beauty influencer – who fell foul of an old audio in which she described working too hard – has been off platform since the end of September. She made no reference to her absence but instead flooded her videos with her relationship, her wedding plans, her puppy and an eyebrow tutorial. Also, she says grey eyeshadow is “that bitch” this winter.
Tesco is the latest supermarket fashion brand in the spotlight – Aaliyah Allwood’s post about a white fleece went viral this month. Lara Adkins is working with Ebay for its preloved Black Friday campaign. Just a little bit of praise for The People Gallery which is an amazing streetstyle account. Prepare to be obsessed.
Business corner
TikTok Shop UK is championing small and medium businesses (SMBs) by spotlighting them and their products in a special Black Friday event, running this week. According to their release and research, “TikTok is fast becoming the go-to platform for discovering new small businesses and buying their products. Around three quarters (73%) of SMB marketers believe the platform has helped them reach new customers and a third (34%) of SMBs on the platform say that they have increased sales of their products or services as a direct result of advertising on TikTok.”
Hot accounts
- Money for Millennials: Anna is a money educator with a growing following.
- Olivia Rose Smith: Lifestyle vlogger who is 30 weeks pregnant.
- The Caffeinated Reader: Holly is a BookTok proponent and LGBTQ+ advocate.
- Talia W: Photographer, filmmaker, environmentalist, protester, activist.
- Mollie Scott: Home and shopping vlogger with a small but burgeoning following.
- Freya Tidy: Beauty blogger.
- Kit Price: Model hopping on all the TikTok trends as well as vlogging about his model life.
- Stephanie Yeboah: style blogger and journalist growing her TikTok.
- Yemi Thompson: Micro-influencer covering beauty, sneakers and lifestyle.
- Cheza Blonde: 21-year-old transwoman unapologetically sharing her story.
- Savannah Mukeshi: Indian girl based in London who blogs about running and her breast reduction.
Hot tracks
- It’s beginning to look a lot… by Michael Buble: The Buble has been defrosted.
- Lift Me Up by Rihanna: The Wakanda Forever theme is a mover on the platform.
- Three Lions by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds: It’s coming home…
By Emilie McMeekan, features director of CORQ. Picture credit: Sylvanian Drama.
