TikTok Wants Aussies to Have Fun with Edutainment
When it comes to Gen Z, the search engine of choice is TikTok. Finding answers for everyday problems is just much more fun when accessing a platform that is known for entertainment. But as its latest Now You Know campaign by We Are Social aims to show, TikTok is not all fun and frills.
“With this campaign, we really wanted to tell our audience that TikTok is really not what you think it is. It’s a platform that really can drive a lot of instructional content and awareness about things that can actually make your day better,” says Serena Leith, marketing director for Australia and New Zealand.
She adds, “Through data, we know that people organically use a search engine when they are trying to solve an everyday problem like “how do I clean my oven? Or what’s the best way to get stains out of the cup. About 40% of Gen Z use TikTok as their primary search engine, so we thought it's really important to harness that existing synergy and delve into this idea of how we can help you with some of the little tiny life hacks that make your day better.”
Serena and We Are Social’s ECD Ben Clare share insights on how TikTok’s creative leap in this campaign aims to bring the Australian community together.
LBB> What was the brief from TikTok and the key messages they wanted to be conveyed in the Now You Know integrated campaign?
Ben> Ultimately, it’s about building awareness and brand love. But in order to do that, consumers first need to understand what TikTok is. And so the brief was to help change the perception that TikTok is exclusively for ‘lip-syncing and dancing videos’, and show that it’s an entertainment platform with interesting and useful content worth everyone’s time.
LBB> The vibe and energy of the TVC and campaign were light-hearted and humorous. Was the intent to lean into how TikTok is an entertainment platform that gains addictive views?
Ben> Much of TikTok's appeal lies in the fact that it is unapologetically unfiltered. It’s also a never-ending stream of snack-able, succinct content. So right from the outset, we agreed that whatever we created needed to embody all of these hallmarks and deliver useful tips in a fun way.
LBB> TikTok is better known for its entertainment value than learning. What is TikTok’s positioning in the Australian market and how will the campaign strategy re-balance audience perception?
Serena> With this campaign, we wanted to feature the product and not just the brand, so this was really a product marketing campaign. We wanted to show off features of the product that perhaps weren't known to a lot of folks. A lot of people don't look at TikTok and think about it as a source of learning about plants, hair care, or how to barbecue, for example.
They just think about entertainment, but we look at it as edutainment.
We were really passionate about it being very Australian from the get-go. We wanted Australian cultural trends and history, Australian creatives, Australian production, Australian music – every element of this is Australian. It was really important because we wanted to show that it's really relevant for Australian users and audiences, and we featured all Australian creators as well.
The humour is very important as well in being relevant to the audience, because, culturally, Australians respond extremely well to humour, but it has to be really nuanced. We hope that a side benefit of our light-hearted approach to life hacks is to have people question and challenge it and then go onto TikTok to find out for themselves.
Ben> TikTok is an entertainment platform, there’s no denying that. But what’s surprising is that it’s also become one of the most popular learning destinations in the world. The hashtag #LearnOnTikTok has over 380 billion views; home to everything from cleaning hacks to astrophysics, to how to put sunscreen on a toddler without the drama. Hopefully, the campaign serves as a reminder that the app is for every Aussie, and that just because it is entertaining, doesn’t mean it can’t also offer utility.
LBB> The top tips offered by the TikTok creators were certainly fun and quirky. How were these emerging Australian creators selected?
Serena> We have an internal team that looks after the creators on our platform, so when we came up with this idea, we went to them and asked who would be great for this campaign. Then, together with our creative agency, we came up with a shortlist of creators who reflect the kind of audience TikTok has. We wanted to be as inclusive as possible, making sure we were gender diverse and had people from different age groups and cultural backgrounds to show the breadth of creators who are on TikTok.
Ben> The platform is home to so much unexpected and compelling content, there was so much we wanted to include but couldn’t squeeze in. In the end, we worked hard to ensure there was a diverse range of cultural moments that would resonate with Aussies, like the BBQ cleaning hack for instance. Equally, we wanted to show that the edutaining content spans from something as trivial as DIY advice to the complexities of astrophysics, delivered by a creator like Astrophysicist and Wiradjuri woman Dr Kirsten Banks, who started a TikTok channel as a way to talk about space during lockdown.
LBB> As its first Australian-made TVC, and catering for such a diverse audience, how did you frame your conceptualisation and what were the highlights of the shoot?
Ben> In the end it came down to a pretty simple goal; to not waste 30 precious seconds telling Australian audiences they can learn on TikTok when we could show them instead. From there, our job was to make sure the education was fun.
Serena>The filming for the TVC was great; we were flexing and learning as we went along.
We were taking a bit of a creative leap. So, when we started with the spider scene, we were holding our breaths the entire time, and when we got that cleared, we were so relieved. We nailed the tone, and it felt really natural.
LBB> What did you like about Short Term Girlfriend’s work that made you select them as your production company?
Ben> Production is about all collaboration, and from concept to completion, the team at STGF were very personalised, hands-on and brief-driven. On top of that, Toby Morris’ body of work brought a lot of charming, believable performances to the screen, alongside some strong production design; something we were keen to implement.
LBB> What were the highlights of the shooting and studio production?
Ben> We always wanted the spot to have this constant feeling of movement and energy, grabbing audiences from the opening frame and never letting go. At the same time, making sure there was enough room for a nuanced performance was key. To help, we used a state of the art motion control robotic arm created by D2 Motion, to choreograph the scenes with precision.
LBB> The campaign covered TV, Cinema, BVOD, Social and OOH platforms. How did each optimise exposure to the key target demographics and who were they?
Ben> The underlying goal for each channel was to figure out how we could add value to it. The OOH for instance was designed to pique viewers’ curiosity with headlines posed as questions around unexpected and compelling hacks, tips and tricks. Add to this some contextual placements - like the BBQ Cleaning hack appearing in shopper DOOH environments - and you’ve got even greater relevance.
LBB> Can you give us an idea of the before and after results of the campaign? How effective was its performance in the numbers?
Ben> It’s too early to talk about overall results, but the Australian creator content featured in the campaign has amassed over 12.4 million views, with hugely positive sentiment from audiences.
LBB> What were the significant takeaways and learning points from this campaign?
Ben> Firstly, it’s that creativity knows no limit. TikTok’s community welcomes people from all walks of life, and there’s an increasing number of older creators on the platform redefining age and the experience it brings. Secondly, and most importantly I think the work serves as a valuable lesson: learning should be fun.
Serena> We went into this whole process thinking about scalability first and foremost. The question was how do we create something that can be iterated and scaled where a story becomes a bigger story. What we're really trying to do at TikTok is to create more of a drumbeat of storytelling. It’s more about this idea of one thing that can gain momentum and become bigger and bigger, rather than reinventing the wheel every campaign period.
LBB> As TikTok’s appointed agency, how do you see the brand gaining traction over the next couple years and what will be important to them?
Ben> It’s hard to drive brand affinity when the brand’s value isn’t fully understood, so the continued ambition will be to remind audiences that TikTok is a trusted entertainment platform with an inclusive and diverse community of people redefining culture as we know it.
