Infamous for its viral dance crazes and internet drama, I was first hesitant when uploading TikTok. I was late to the app, uploading it in May 2020, however, it didn’t take long for the app to become one of my most used social media platforms. Around a month ago I opened TikTok to find the Celine A/W 2020 collection being advertised on my ‘for you’ page. This got me thinking, can fashion brands effectively utilise TikTok in order to aid their marketing strategies?
Released in September 2016, TikTok has 800 million users worldwide as of July 2020 (10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2020, 2020). Amongst the viral dance trends, comedy skits and lifestyle advice, TikTok’s fashion community is ever growing. Due to its diverse user base, various TikTok pages explore different sides of fashion. From modest fashion, to alt and cottagecore styles. Tik Tok allows people from all walks of life to share their interest in fashion. From informative videos to short vlog style posts, TikTok fashion content creators share their love of fashion with millions daily.
Image 1: TikTok Fashion Users
Similar to YouTube, content creators also share brands' latest collections through hauls. However, the main difference being these videos can only be up to a minute long, making them easier for users to watch. Studies suggest that the average attention span in 2020 is around 8 seconds (How declining attention spans impact your social media, 2020). By creating short, interesting content, easily consumed by the user, TikTok has revolutionised how individual users and brands alike can influence the consumer. It is evident that this format is working for TikTok too, with apps like Instagram beginning to mimic TikToks style of video, with the emergence of its ‘reels’ feature.
With TikTok celebrities like Charli D’Amelio working with Hollister and Addison Rae promoting Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims, the app has opened a new way for brands to target the consumer. With “41% of users being aged between 16 to 24” (10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2020, 2020), TikTok is the new way for brands to target their teen and young adolescent audience.
Image 2: Addison Rae for Skims
I had the opportunity to speak to Jess Lochan-Jenkinson, a Fashion Marketing student at LCF who uses Tik Tok to express her interest in fashion. With over 2450 followers and 52,000 likes across her posts (as of the October 2020), Jess creates mostly fashion related content, exploring her style, current trends and life in London.
Find Jess on TikTok @yourmumjess
Q1. Why did you start uploading videos to TikTok?
Jess: “I started uploading videos on TikTok for fun at first. I thought it was really cool to be able to make video montages very easily and so I suppose I used TikTok more as an editing software to make short videos with my friends that I could look back on in the future. It took a few months before I started to create more fashion related content, as I got inspired by TikTok fashion accounts who made the whole process look so easy.
It’s actually a lot more difficult than you would expect and even though it’s easy to go viral on TikTok compared to other platforms, I was disheartened that I wasn’t reaching many people with my content, and so I took a break from it for a bit. During lockdown I started creating again out of boredom and this time I managed to reach a larger audience and since then I have been creating content casually ever since.”
Q2. What kind of content do you create for TikTok?
Jess: “I mainly create fashion content now, where I’ll film outfits that I’m particularly happy with, however I sort of just make whatever I want at the moment. I’ve learnt not to take TikTok seriously because for small creators like myself, engagement and views fluctuate a lot and it depends solely on the TikTok algorithm and whether you reach the fyp (the ‘For You Page’) or not.”
Q3. Do you think TikTok could be effectively utilised by fashion brands to aid in their marketing? If so, how?
Jess: “I do think so, I’ve seen a lot of fashion brands using the platform for marketing, and they have ranged from fast fashion brands to luxury brands as well. Because TikTok has so many users now, it’s not just a younger audience that these fashion brands can target anymore, it’s pretty much anyone in their target audience who are social media users. As a testament to this, even my mum and her friends who are all in their 50s use TikTok and are aware of TikTok trends and share them amongst their friendship groups. I feel like TikTok is also a great platform for brands to switch up their content and make it more engaging, due to the short video format.”
Q4. Do you think that TikTok will be able to stay relevant in the future?
Jess: “I thought the hype about TikTok would’ve died down after lockdown, but it’s only gotten more popular. It’s hard to predict whether it will be relevant in the future as a lot of apps like Musically have flopped after a few years of major success. However, since TikTok is created by the founders of Musically, I would assume that they have learnt from their mistakes, and would use their former social media knowledge to sustain the hype around TikTok. Who knows, TikTok could have the same longevity as Instagram. But with talks of TikTok being banned in the USA, the future of TikTok remains uncertain.”
Overall, my advice to young marketers would be to keep an open mind when it comes to emerging technology. Embrace all aspects and find innovative ways to spread your message.
References:
Mohsin, M. (2020) 10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2020. [Online] (viewed 29/09/2020) available at: https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/tiktok-statistics
Stefanski, R. (2020) How declining attention spans impact your social media. [Online] (viewed 30/09/2020) available at: https://muckrack.com/blog/2020/07/14/how-declining-attention-spans-impact-your-social-media
Picture 1: Business Of Fashion (2020) TikTok Fashion Users. [Online] (viewed 02/10/2020) available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/bof-exclusive-tiktok-new-york-fashion-week
Picture 2: Vanessa Beecroft (2020) Addison Rae for Skims. [Online] (viewed 02/10/2020) available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpnlUeHfJT/
Editor: Lacey Wint
Comments