How to follow young people through TikTok? Look at how these brands are doing!

In this era where everyone is surfing with 5G, brand youthfulness is no longer about those “surface tricks.”

Young people are sharp. If you say your brand content is trendy and “youthful,” they’ll just reply, “Are you serious?”

If you really want to make your brand youthful on TikTok, the key is one sentence: “Don’t treat young people like cash cows, you must exchange sincerity for sincerity!”

Here comes the practical stuff—step-by-step guidance on how to make your brand youthful on TikTok!

Image source: Internet

1. Speak the language of young people, don’t preach!

Young people browse TikTok for fun, not to listen to brands preaching. If you want to get closer to them, first learn to “speak human”: use their memes, their BGM, their ways of expression.

Don’t act superior, self-deprecate:Young people love authenticity. Don’t make your brand account look like a news broadcast. Occasionally self-deprecate, make fun of yourself, and play with memes—it’s easier to win their affection.

Pick the right BGM, half the battle is won:TikTok is a “music-driven” platform, and trending BGMs are the traffic code. For example, use the brainwashing hit “Oh No” for plot twists, use “Cupid” for sweet interactions—once the music starts, young people get hooked.

Keep it short and snappy, don’t ramble:The first 3 seconds decide everything! Start with a hook—whether it’s a twist, humor, or hitting a pain point. Don’t spend ages setting up before getting to the point.

Case Study: Ben & Jerry’s “Ice Cream Sociology”

This old ice cream brand does exactly that. They attract young consumers by posting humorous content with a sense of social responsibility. For example, Ben & Jerry’s launched the #SaveOurSwirled challenge, encouraging users to discuss environmental protection and climate change—issues young people care deeply about. Through humorous expression and creative content, Ben & Jerry’s successfully resonated emotionally with young consumers.

Image source: TikTok

2. Play with memes that hit young people’s hearts, don’t just amuse yourself!

Eight million new memes are born on TikTok every day, but 99% of brands just follow the crowd with “challenge videos,” ending up like “middle-aged uncles awkwardly dancing girl group routines”—cringe-worthy. Brands that truly know how to play, know to “create memes, not chase memes.”

Find inspiration in user comments:Check your account’s comment section—young people have already prepared memes for you.

Reverse operation stands out more:When others go for sophistication, you go for silly; when others aim for high-end, you keep it down-to-earth.

Leave space for memes, let users pick them up:Perfect Diary once launched #100WaysEyeshadowPaletteCanDie, and users went wild with secondary creations like “smashing eyeshadow palettes and piecing together famous paintings”—the brand easily won millions of UGC content.

Case Study: Chipotle’s Guacamole Mysticism

Chipotle’s success on TikTok is a classic example. The brand collaborated with several well-known TikTok creators to launch the #GuacDance challenge, encouraging young people to showcase their creative dance moves with Chipotle brand elements. The challenge quickly went viral, surpassing 200 million views, successfully attracting a large number of young consumers and further boosting brand interaction with the youth.

Image source: TikTok

3. Play together with users, don’t act like the client!

The biggest misconception about brand youthfulness is thinking “finding influencers to post ads = youthfulness.” Wake up! Young people have long seen through this trick. The real killer move is: let users become your brand’s “organic promoters.”

Turn products into social currency:Design experiences that users want to “show off.” For example, buy shoes and get DIY shoelace stickers, eat chips and get “crazy literature” stickers—users will naturally make videos to show off.

Highlight ordinary people’s shining moments:Instead of spending money on celebrities, let users be the stars. Users recommending while complaining is more convincing than professional reviews.

Bring offline events online:Music festivals and pop-up stores aren’t the focus—the key is letting users capture content to post on TikTok. For example, set up a “social death confession wall” or “crazy stress relief room”—after filming, young people naturally tag your brand.

Case Study: Nike’s “Rookie Counterattack Plan”

Nike collaborated with several TikTok sports influencers to launch the #JustDoIt challenge, encouraging users to upload their workout videos and showcase personal breakthroughs. Nike also used short video content to display young people challenging limits and breaking through themselves, cleverly conveying its core brand values to viewers.

Image source: TikTok

Summary: The essence of youthfulness is “mutual pursuit”

If brands want to be youthful on TikTok, don’t make “parental statements”!

Keep these two points in mind:

1. Don’t educate users, go crazy with them

2. Don’t sell anxiety, give them confidence

Remember, the highest praise young people give a brand isn’t “high-end,” but “this brand is relatable!”