Chris:
Is TikTok Advertising Effective? We Now Have the Campaign to Prove It
How does Hollister, a brand very far past its prime, get three billion (yes, with a B) views in a single week? They did it by understanding their audience and delivering upon the primary trends of 2020. Add TikTok, the D’Amelio Sisters, Bill Nye, and a viral dance with a song that’s actually catchy and you get the most highly viewed brand campaign in the history of TikTok. The question is, will it move the product?
Abercrombie and Fitch (parent company of Hollister) has seen their stock down ~67% in the past ~14 months, and broadly clothing sales are down by 66.6% during Covid, but can the first major TikTok advertising campaign be the solution? The attribution will be clear on this. The campaign is a proven success given the volume of views, and given that ANF is publicly traded we’ll finally have clear insights into the effectiveness of TikTok influencer advertising effectiveness on September 3rd when ANF announces earnings.
Liz:
2020’s Spin on Alternative Culture: The TikTok Alt Girl
It’s time to add another archetypal “girl” to the list of gender-specific styles and aesthetics born out of TikTok. In addition to the eGirl, the VSCO Girl, and the Softgirl, there’s now the Alt Girl, a type of alternative or goth girl who thrives on TikTok where there are over 300 million views on videos under the hashtag #AltGirl.
This subculture is recognizable for its unique style and for members’ rejection of the mainstream. Alt Girls distinguish themselves from the VSCO girls of Straight Tiktok as they’re active on Alt TikTok, sharing eccentric content that doesn’t match what shows up on a generic For You Page. Alt Girl aesthetics resemble goth, emo, punk, scene (scene kids are still here btw), skater, indie, and edgy styles. Look out for dramatic winged eyeliner, chunky boots, elaborate eyeshadow, dyed hair, and layered chain jewelry.
While labels like Alt Girl pose the risk of boxing young women into a single category, they also allow girls to find community around shared interests and traits while expressing themselves through how they dress, do makeup, and use social media. The Alt Girls of TikTok are not a monolith, but a diverse collective of people who are interested in particular styles, music, and video trends that deviate from the status quo. A single person can fall under multiple TikTok identifiers and engage with many communities. For example, someone could be a cottagecore softgirl, an alt egirl, or a dark academia baby witch, engaging with all of those subjects via TikTok.
Sade:
TikTok Pop Smoke “Foreigner” Memes Inspired By A Cover
Memes take many forms and grow organically once a group of individuals are in on the shared joke. Pop Smoke “Foreigner” memes became a popular trend on TikTok after a video went viral of user Evan Papier (@Evpap) singing Pop Smoke’s “Foreigner.” Viewers were entertained by his version which recreated the track’s sound effects. His followers were also amused by his somewhat indistinguishable pronunciation of foreigner. Many thought he might’ve said, “For a nut,” “4 runner,” or “4 and up.”
Having amassed over 20.5 million views and 3.2 million likes since June 24, Papier’s video was undeniably a TikTok hit. From it, spurred countless memes projecting Papier singing in the sky, being worshipped and praised as an idol, God, and even Pop Smoke.
While memes have been known to platform hop, it’s interesting to take note how a meme can be born and spread on one singular platform. This caused various takes of “Foreigner” memes to appear on TikTok’s “For You Page” over and over again. While virality across multiple platforms is often desired on social media, sometimes it only takes a single video and viral meme to make a social media star. Evan Papier now has over 500,000 followers and counting.
@aababyjKing pop smoke🤩 ##fyp ##foryou ##popsmoke ##funny ##greenscreensky ##viral ##4thOfJuly♬ Foreigner cover – evpap
@evpapForeigner as requested by a lot of people ##SummerLooks ##fyp ##foryoupage ##foryoupagethis ##tiktokartists ##indoorlooks ##singer♬ Foreigner cover – evpap