[023] Monday Scroll starter PLUS: can brands ever really figure out TikTok?
Leadership needs to get out of the damn way
Happy Monday fellow Victims!
I’m thinking a lot about TikTok this week. Specifically: can brands ever really succeed on the platform? For most social media teams, TikTok is the hardest nut to crack, and I believe the issue lies not in their lack of skill but in wider organisational issues.
In today’s newsletter:
Musings on Brand Tok’s
Brand content that tickled me last week
Social media news you may have missed
What I’ve been watching (and loving)
Let’s get into it.
Can brands ever really figure out TikTok?
(I’m bringing back the long-ish form content…LMK what you think!)
I spend a lot of time thinking about social media platforms, because it’s literally my job. But the one that manages to take up the largest share of my brain space (whether I want it to or not) is TikTok.
It’s the platform that continues to confound social media teams when it comes to making content that actually works (read: is fun, engaging or entertaining enough that people actually care, and don’t actively hate your presence on the platform).
32% of social media managers surveyed in the Link In Bio State of Social Media survey (a fantastic read, btw) say they have trouble cracking TikTok.
I believe the biggest issue facing social teams attempting to crack TikTok isn’t a lack of skills or knowledge: it’s oversight from leadership.
There, I said it. Most social media managers know what it takes to create effective content on TikTok.
By effective, I mean:
Entertaining enough that people outside of marketing talk about it
Successful in building a devoted fandom, which in turn drives brand love
Some brands have succeeded - the most obvious and noteworthy being Duolingo, Beis and Crocs, to name a few.
But what stands in most teams’ way is leadership that is still devoted to upholding a brand’s identity, and adhering to strict marketing guidelines around “tone of voice”.
The most successful TikTok Brand has already told us what works: freedom to do anything
Zaria Parvez, the extremely skilled (and now former) head of social media at Duolingo, was interviewed by Rachel Karten of Link In Bio to announce her departure from the brand.
She made two key points that stood out to me:
Trying to “be like Duolingo” is pointless, and the opposite of risk-taking and bravery - the essential ingredients that she used to grow Duolingo
Leadership got out of the damn way and allowed her to try everything
Duolingo was able to redefine how brands exist on TikTok because Zaria was given the freedom to do absolutely anything, and fail repeatedly, before figuring it out.
When push comes to shove, most marketing leaders don’t have the guts to give their social team free reign and fail for months (or even a year) on end.
Let’s be real: the way brands show up on TikTok is often in direct conflict with the tone and legacy they’ve built through traditional advertising. That’s why audiences love it.
However, this disregard for “safe” messaging and tone can be downright terrifying for leaders who consider themselves custodians of a brand.
No, not every brand should be “unhinged” in order to succeed on socials. But in order to be innovative and make content that stands out, you have to be permitted to take risks in a way that won’t always feel comfy for a brand.
Until this kind of permission is given, you’ll see brands doing more of the same: jumping on fleeting trends and dabbling in half-hearted “unhinged” content.
I, for one, am ready to see something a bit more interesting. How about you?
WINNER OF THE WEEK: Xbox! I’m always interested in gaming related marketing, because gamers are a fascinating audience - highly passionate, enthusiastic and often very engaged with a brand. Xbox does a great job of balancing game related content with original, often meme-ish content, that speaks to the sheer love their audience have for their product.
Sult, the influencer founded electrolyte brand, with a highly entertaining piece on their email marketing. The creators behind Sult have proven that they have the strategic thinking and chops to truly build a brand through effective social media marketing, which is not the case with every influencer founded brand.
Ssense with a masterclass on how to jump on trends: by doing it in a format your audience already expects from you, and loves!
Xbox with a second appearance totally unserious meme that nonetheless is bound to get engagement (1k comments? You love to see it)
Craighill reminding us that there’s literally nothing as satisfying as that “whoosh” as a pair of scissors cleans through wrapping paper
Mac taking their die-hard fans on a trip down memory lane. This is a case of “if you know, you know” style content. Only the real fans will get it, but that’s what makes it effective: it’s special enough that you want to engage and weigh in with your thoughts.
The best (unbranded) content I saw over the past week.
This woman who was basically in space after a c-section. For those (morons) who say a c-section isn’t a real birth…watch this! All jokes aside, mothers are heroes.
The TikTok trend final boss - as an insufferable walking pad owner, same :)
This throwback to all of our first car - I think i actually nearly blew the windows out on my tiny tin can of a car on numerous occasions by playing the local rave radio station too loudly (RAW FM, for those wondering).
Also, trends that need to die:
“Our content creator is on leave” - this one has done the rounds and I’m struggling to believe that this many social media managers have gone on leave at the same time.
The social media (and adjacent) news you need to know this week.
Sprout Social says 80% of marketing leaders plan to reallocate funds from other channels to social media
Their new report speaks to how difficult social media teams find it to quantify and report on social ROI to marketing leaders. I’d love to see some of these reallocated funds going into properly compensating social teams (who are often straddling multiple career disciplines), but alas, I fear that’s wishful thinking.
The WSJ is hiring a talent coach to help mould reporters into content creators
This one comes from the Feed Me IG round up, and is worth noting. As legacy media outlets like the NY Times aggressively ramp up video content, the expectation is that reporters will be able to speak to their work on camera. I find this depressing for the journalists whose whole goal is to let their words speak for themselves.
UltraViolette pulls Lean Screen from production after testing is unable to provide consistent SPF ratings
I consider this social news because the whole controversy (CHOICE, the consumer watchdog, calling out top sunscreen brands for failing to meet the SPF rating stated on their label) really started on Instagram. UltraViolette has chosen the path of ultimate transparency with their audience on their socials, which I applaud. But I do wonder if the brand will be able to recover from this - although they continue to stand by their other formulations, a look at the comments shows consumers just aren’t convinced.
Zaria Parvez, the powerhouse behind Duolingo, moves to DoorDash as Director of Social
Good for her! I particularly appreciated Zaria’s transparency about focusing on the next chapter of her career: empowering a team of content creators (she’ll be leading a team of seven).
China won’t sell TikTok algorithm to US
Honestly, at this point, does anyone even care anymore? In adjacent news: the White House now has a TikTok account, if that’s any indication of the US Government’s sentiment towards the platform…