Successful creator campaigns on TikTok rely on partnering with creators who align well with the brand and consistently show love for its products. In 2024, US influencer marketing spend on TikTok is projected to reach $1.403 billion, per EMARKETER’s forecast. Brands that take a genuine approach to collaborating with creators ensure credibility, are more likely to connect with followers, and inspire purchases.
Here are five brands that have seen success on TikTok, according to CreatorIQ’s “The Power of Authenticity: 100 Brands Winning Big with TikTok Creators,” and what marketers can learn from their creator strategies.
Amazon
Of the 100 brands CreatorIQ examined, Amazon worked with the largest number of creators, partnering with 24,360 creators for over 170,000 posts between March 2023 and February 2024.
TikTok creators share their favorite products available on Amazon. Followers can either buy the items featured in the post, or explore the creator’s Amazon Storefront.
Amazon is a direct competitor of TikTok Shop. In fact, Amazon and TikTok Shop shoppers overlap—almost all (97%) of US TikTok shoppers have also shopped on Amazon in the past five months, according to February 2024 data from Earnest Analytics.
The lesson: Although Amazon is competing for the same attention and dollars as TikTok Shop, its TikTok creator strategy ensures that the goods Amazon sells are discoverable and easily purchased.
Influencers play an important part in product discovery and purchase. Nearly all (94%) of US social media users have bought a product on Amazon after seeing it used by an influencer, according to March 2024 IZEA research.
NBA
The NBA worked with 1,950 creators between March 2023 and February 2024, per CreatorIQ.
While it may seem small—the NFL worked with 3,510 creators—the amount of posts per creator is notable. Each of the NBA’s creators posted an average of 16.5 times.
The NBA’s collaboration with fewer creators but with higher post frequency highlights the impact of consistent and authentic content and signals a genuine brand-creator relationship, per CreatorIQ.
The lesson: Over half (53%) of marketers worldwide said the most common challenge when targeting sports fans is finding the right audience, according to January 2024 Genius Sports research. Leveraging a sports influencer who provides knowledge and personal experiences can effectively capture and retain interest among fans.
Sephora
Beauty performs particularly well on TikTok, with 60.6% of US online beauty buyers discovering new brands and products on the platform, according to a November 2023 EMARKETER survey.
Sephora leverages 14,000 TikTok creators, per CreatorIQ. Using the hashtag #SephoraPartner, TikTok creators post about new products, share beauty tutorials, and promote Sephora itself. For the latter, creators post shopping hauls, suggest what products to buy during Sephora sales, and review “Sephora Favorites,” bundles of must-have products curated by the retailer.
Although Sephora works with a large stable of creators, the retailer has a 43% retention rate, per CreatorIQ.
The lesson: Creator retention is crucial for building credibility and trust. Sephora’s high retention rate shows the importance of long-term partnerships with influencers who genuinely support the brand.
Consistent and repeated promotion by creators fosters a trusted voice, making their endorsement more credible and effective than one-off partnerships. Marketers should maintain ongoing relationships with TikTok creators to ensure their brand is seen as authentic and reliable.
Barbie (Mattel)
Barbie saw 8.42 billion impressions and a 960% increase in earned media value YoY, per CreatorIQ.
This growth is tied to the massive success of the “Barbie” movie. On TikTok, Barbie’s content primarily focuses on its dolls. However, at the height of the movie’s popularity, Barbie benefited from its sought-after IP, the virality of the movie, and the many brand collaborations.
TikTok creators posted Barbie-inspired fashion and beauty looks, attended the movie’s premiere, tried out a branded filter to become a Barbie avatar, used trending sounds from the film in their TikToks, and more.
The lesson: Barbie’s increase in impressions and engagement illustrates the power of aligning with major cultural moments. Barbie created a viral marketing phenomenon by tapping into the movie’s success, collaborating with other brands, and leveraging creators.
When appropriate, marketers should harness the momentum of significant cultural events to boost visibility and engagement through creative collaborations and relevant content.
Bloom Nutrition
Bloom Nutrition integrates itself on TikTok by encouraging its creator partners to include its green juice into their usual storytelling content, and with very little outward endorsement. For example, a creator’s “get ready with me” posts may consistently and frequently show Bloom Nutrition, but it’s not the video’s main focus.
The brand’s creator strategy focuses on visibility and authenticity by having its products included in popular TikTok videos, instead of following the traditional user-generated model.
The lesson: Marketers can target younger audiences on TikTok with authentic content. Gen Z and millennials purchase more wellness products and services than older generations, according to a McKinsey survey. Wellness brands, in particular, can effectively reach younger audiences on TikTok. Some 71.2% of Gen Z and 48.6% of millennials are active on TikTok, according to our US forecast.
Bloom Nutrition’s success highlights the importance of integrating products naturally into creators’ typical content to ensure the brand is visible in users’ feeds, but the promotion doesn’t come across as pushy.
This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.