This week on TikTok
This past weekend, as someone who spent too much time on TikTok on Mother’s Day, I found myself asking: should we be paying attention to how moms are using the platform?
For me, the answer is yes. So this week, we are diving into uncharted generational waters and examines the key trends (such as top charted music) that marketers need to know.
Sorry, Gen Z, this blog isn’t all about you this time around.
Moms of TikTok 🤱
It’s time we talk about the #MomsOfTikTok. While TikTok’s audiences are still mainly social media savvy tweens and teens, it’s important to note that the creators aren’t just Gen-Zers and Vine-missing millennials. That’s right, I’m talking about a new type of influencer: The TikTok Mom.
While “mommy bloggers” who post about being a parent are common on YouTube, Instagram, and blogging platforms, the TikTok mom is something different. Rather than making videos for TikTok to discuss parenting, many TikTok moms lean into the trends – creating the same meme videos that are being made by their Gen-Z kids.
New research from a Florida-based agency focused on marketing to mothers and their families, BSM Media, suggests TikTok “may be aging up.” 8 in 10 moms from a survey the agency conducted have watched videos on the platform, most commonly dance challenges, DIY and hashtag challenges. 2 in 3 (62%) already have a TikTok account and 61% consider themselves active on the platform.* With that said, here are a few influential TikTok moms you should be aware of:
- @Sulheejessica (1.9m followers)
- @Varlicious (1.5m followers)
- @Chistilukasiak (518.5k followers)
With over 2 billion downloads recorded in April this year, it’s safe to assume all 2 billion aren’t those aged 25 and under, lip-syncing to top hits. The rise of the TikTok Mom is an opportunity for brands to start leveraging the platform to reach older audiences.
It’s a remix 🎶
If there’s any name to know in TikTok music, it’s artist Doja Cat. Doja Cat has harnessed viral moments on YouTube and TikTok to make her way to the top of the Billboard charts – and she’s done it once again with the trend #ItsARemix.
The TikToks are set to the remixed version of Doja Cat’s top hit, “Say So” featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. The format for #ItsARemix is as follows: the video plays up until Nicki’s opening lyrics that state ‘it’s a remix.’ As the track plays, the creator uses on-screen text to tell an unexpected story in one sentence or less. At the end of the clip, she lip-syncs “it’s a remix” and then the clip loops back to the beginning.
The purpose of the video is to show how an unexpected outcome, exaggerated story, or slightly altered scenario is comparable to the ‘remixed’ version of the ideal or typical situation. For example:
- After years of hateful comments, Youtuber JoJo Siwa sees the responses to her videos shift from rude to supportive
- Plagiarism is now considered the remix of someone else’s work
- When the story of tripping over a stick turns into a tale of a near-death experience
As we’ve seen in the past, TikTok trends and music charts tend to relate to one another (for example, Drake’s “Toosie Slide” a song he shamelessly created to be the next big TikTok hit). That being said, as #ItsARemix built immense
popularity, Doja and Nicki’s track climbed all the way to #1 on the Billboard charts this week.
Nicki and Doja’s top hit demonstrates TikTok’s incredible impact on the music industry. Not only is the platform determining current hits, it’s influencing future ones as well. According to an article from Rolling Stone, music labels are attempting to be more proactive and are using the app as an early testing ground for songs prior to the track’s wide release.
Marketers have the opportunity to adopt this tactic and use the platform to test out new brand activations as a way to get an idea of a campaign’s potential impact across social channels.
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This article was written by our Account Executive, Shayna Rogoff.
*The survey queried 735 moms ages 25-52 years old who are all active social media influencers who regularly work with brands and are active on other social media channels. To read more about the report findings, check out the article here.