TikTok-First Campaigns: What Happens When TV Isn’t the Priority Anymore

By Anika Mahansaria

As a child, I remember the annoyance of turning on the TV to watch my favorite show and being interrupted by frequent ad-breaks. I was always irritated by the long TV commercials , but that was nothing compared to the advertising lands

cape of today. Scrolling on TikTok, almost every other video is an advertisement or campaign for a new product. This made me wonder:  what has changed since TV campaigns and what we see now on TikTok? And why have many companies moved away from marketing on TV?  

Why the move from TV to TikTok? 

The shift began due to declining viewership, high production costs, and an untrackable return on investment relative to digital alternatives. Even before TikTok was the popular platform we know today, companies were moving away from TV campaigns to social media campaigns, with a large focus on Instagram. Since the rise of TikTok, this has been taken to a whole new level. The simple reason for this is that TikTok has almost 2 billion monthly active users, and content on TikTok has greater potential to go viral.

Though TikTok campaigns have a number of attractive benefits, they also come with a number of disadvantages that are important for PR professionals and communicators to keep in mind. 

The Bad Side of TikTok Campaigns: 

1. Virality Over Functionality – Companies are often criticised for creating products that are designed to be viral rather than functional. Virality can be a good thing, especially when the brand is new. However, when the brand revolves around launching products that rage-bait the audience or look attractive on social media, it can weaken the brand’s image.

2. Declining Customer Trust – As brands focus on casting bigger and bigger influencers, there is always the risk that an influencer has done something wrong that could lower general customer trust in the brand. A famous instance of this occurred during influencer Mikayla Nogueira’s L'Oréal campaign for their Telescopic Lift Mascara. In this campaign, Nogueira applied mascara to one eye before cutting the video. She then proceeded to put on fake eyelashes, which increased the number of lashes. She then applied the mascara to the other eye, and the difference was drastic. Nogueira concluded the video by claiming that the mascara lived up to its claim of an “instant lift, volume, and length.” Potential consumers were upset by the fact that she had to lie and wondered how well the product would actually work. This led to customers no longer choosing L’Oréal as their first-choice mascara, harming overall brand perception. 

The Good Side of TikTok Campaigns: 

1. Reaches a Global & Younger Audience – Since TikTok is a widely used app across the world, the products and campaigns featured on its algorithm are able to reach a global customer base. This is beneficial because it expands the company's customer base, which in turn leads to higher revenue, profit, and brand recognition. With TikTok shop, companies can promote their products and have them reach an increased number of people. In addition, TikTok has more Gen Z users than Instagram, so companies targeting a younger demographic often prioritize focusing on TikTok. 

2. Affordable Campaigns – TikTok campaign costs can start as low as $0.17 on a cost per click basis. Companies are able to work with smaller budgets because TikTok campaigns are shorter than traditional TV campaigns and because TikTok campaigns tend to be shot in one style (vertical with a narrower frame than traditional TV campaigns). These factors all make TikTok campaigns a more affordable option compared to TV campaigns.

What’s Next? 

The future of marketing and PR relies on social media. However, it is imperative that companies are mindful of how they use social media. Using dishonest influencers, regardless of how large their audience is, has the potential to harm companies over time. TikTok campaigns often include the audience – either directly, by asking followers for opinions, or indirectly, through behind-the-scenes videos. In addition, many viral campaigns include some form of dance or movement, inviting the audience to recreate the dance (Gap’s Milkshake Ad being a very famous example). PR and marketing will excel if companies utilize social media, especially TikTok, in ways that invite the audience to engage with the brand rather than watching from the “outside."

About the Author: Anika Mahansaria

Anika Mahansaria is a sophomore from India, majoring in PR and minoring in Events & PR and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She is an Account Supervisor for theARTBOX team. Outside of PR Lab, Anika is involved in Ad Club and the BU Buzz, and is a marketing intern for BU Dining Services. She is passionate about PR in the fashion and cosmetics industry. In her free time, she is either reading a book or at the gym.