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- Why alcohol brands thrive on TikTok without investing there
Why alcohol brands thrive on TikTok without investing there
The growing role of "the community" on social means branded engagement correlates with time spent, not brand spend
Rethink x Insights
May 22, 2024
As shown in earlier newsletters, a rise in influencer distrust has lowered receptivity to paid endorsements. In parallel, owned content (i.e., posts from brand accounts) also faces tough crowds since it is seen as biased.
At the other end of the trust spectrum, social comments and organic earned posts rule because they satisfy a growing appetite for “independent information.”
Though banned from investing on TikTok, some alcohol brands get more impact from Organic Earned activity on TikTok than from all other source of earned combined on other platforms
Because it is organic, this type of activity can appear anywhere, including on platforms where some brands are not allowed to post or spend on. For example, many alcohol drinks brands (not allowed to invest on TikTok) end up with a larger footprint on TikTok than on platforms they are allowed to invest in.
How does this even happen, and what does it say more broadly about social dynamics in 2024?
K. Jenner’s 818 tequila brand orchestrates shareable offline activities that fuel massive organic earned footprint on TikTok
Part of this rise in organic earned comes down to platform size, user age mix, and dynamics: TikTok users are young(er), younger users tend to post more, their content is more engaging, and the platform allows even smaller accounts to go viral. So, even a tiny fraction of a long-tail of UGC posts adds up to a lot of engagement.
Source eMarketer, Feb 2024
Creator activity by age group on TikTok: younger creators post more, more frequently go viral (views per follower) and post more engaging content (Rethink x Social data)