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Why Restaurant Brands Are Looking for the Next Viral TikTok Star
As influencer partnerships and hashtag challenges prove to dramatically boost sales, more and more brands are promoting strategic marketing strategies that leverage the reach of both celebrities and the average user.
Over the past year, as social media use rose across the board due to people spending more time at home, video-sharing platform TikTok exploded in popularity and is now currently the most-downloaded free social media app. As a result, brands are increasingly taking notice and coming up with innovative ways to utilize the platform for marketing purposes.
Since day one, a major part of TikTok marketing has been the collaboration with influencers and celebrities, especially since much of the platform’s growth is being driven by Gen Z. Brands looking to build loyalty and authority with this demographic know that influencers have the power to make an ad more relevant and effective. According to a DoubleVerify study, nearly half (44%) of consumers report trying new brands after seeing a “relevant” ad.
How Restaurant Franchisors Have Partnered With Influencers
TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, for example, gave Dunkin’ 294 million free video impressions in under two months simply by expressing her love for the brand. When the brand created a cold-brew tap named after D’Amelio, Dunkin’ saw a 20% sales boost for all cold brews the day the drink debuted and a 45% surge the next day.
McDonald's is another brand that has been utilizing both celebrity partnerships and TikTok as a dual marketing strategy. The burger chain's viral Travis Scott Meal became so popular last year, it inspired a TikTok trend where diners played the rapper's song "Sicko Mode" at the drive-thru to order the meal. In response, McDonald's even sent a memo to franchisees informing them on common catchphrases used for the video trend to ensure they could accommodate customers.
In early 2020, Little Caesars Pizza rolled out the #BestThingSince hashtag on TikTok as a followup to a Super Bowl ad promoting the brand’s home delivery platform. Several TikTok influencers were chosen to film themselves answering their door to a Little Caesars delivery, with a humorous answer to the question “Little Caesars Delivery? That’s the best thing since …” Users quickly adopted the hashtag, filling in the blank with their favorite thing, trend or meme. Since launching, the hashtag has amassed more than seven billion views, according to TikTok.
How Chipotle Could Change the Landscape of TikTok Marketing
Chipotle has been another TikTok pioneer since the platform launched, especially when it comes to social media influencer partnerships. Chipotle has offered pre-built meals by cultural influencers such as social media star David Dobrik and utilized those partnerships to see massive success with viral hashtags challenges like the #ChipotleLidFlip and #GuacDance challenge.
Now, Chipotle is looking to build upon this influencer-led marketing strategy by “redefining the traditionally transactional relationship between creators and brands by taking a true creator-first approach that promotes collaboration and career growth,” according to a statement.
To do this, Chipotle launched its Chipotle Creator Class last week, a program that provides creators with exclusive perks to “help shape the future of the brand.” While the star-studded club includes established digital creators like Newton Nguyen, Zack Fairhurst, Zahra and Moneysigneric, fans also have the opportunity to join the Creator Class by submitting creative videos about the chain.
The user with the highest number of votes from Chipotle and the Creator Class will earn the 15th spot in the group and receive exclusive access to promotional benefits and free meals. Multiple times a year, members of the group will meet with the Chipotle team to share concepts, ideas and strategies about the future of the chain and the “creator economy,” Chipotle said.
Why TikTok’s Marketing Potential Extends Beyond Influencer Partnerships
Chipotle’s more inclusive marketing strategy taps into another unique differentiator of TikTok — any video on the platform, even those created by the most unknown user, can easily go viral thanks to its advanced algorithm. As a result, some franchise brands have found themselves temporarily dominating the platform without even trying.
For example, Chick-fil-A organically went viral on the app last year as users shared their surprise at learning that the restaurant chain actually operates a luau-themed Hawaiian restaurant in Georgia called Truett's Luau. People took videos visiting the location and trying out its food, with videos using the hashtag #truettsluau. Since the trend started, the hashtag has amassed a whopping 28 million views. The restaurant, which is often referred to as "The Hawaiian Chick-fil-A" on the app, even created a TikTok of its own in response.
Looking ahead, brands will likely look for ways to encourage these kinds of “grassroots” viral advertising campaigns, while also teaming up with established influencers to usher in a new era of post-COVID marketing.
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