We’ve all woken up to the same mind-blowing news today.
Kim Kardashian has made a TikTok using Millie B’s, M to the B sound! What in the cinematic Marvel Multiverse is going on here?
Kim K using a viral sound bite from Blackpool’s most notorious MCs is just one example of how brands are adapting to connect with their audience. We’ve all seen it, hundreds of brands taking a more down-to-earth or relatable approach online over the last few years. Duolingo, RyanAir, Aldi, and Ikea, to name a few, have all used social media platforms like TikTok to showcase their personality and connect with their audience in a relatable way.
TikTok has changed the way brands market to consumers, the platform’s format, centred around short, creative videos, allows brands to showcase their personalities and share their voices with their audience. And it’s working, with a year-on-year growth rate of over 900%, driven by its ability to connect users with relatable content and drive engagement, has led to a shift away from traditional corporate marketing and towards a more relatable, human approach.
We often remind our clients, especially those with an under-40’s audience, that you’ll stand out from the crowd by just being you, so don’t be afraid to show off your personality. People buy people, so be a person.
One marketing agency that has taken all of this to heart is Offended, a Manchester-based Digital Agency. They describe themselves as “Manchester’s least offensive creative agency”. I’m not sure if we agree with their claim that they are Manchester’s least offensive creative agency, but we can agree that they stand out. Their voices are being heard, and even more importantly, they’re making it work, and for that, you have to give them credit.
Now, I’m not saying everyone should go and change their marketing strategy to include pictures of Hitler in a dress drinking peach Schnaps out of a dog bowl next to the Andrex puppy, but we all should be considering changing our tone of voice to fit in with a world that has moved on and no longer expects to be held in the vice-like grip of a corporate headlock.
Be relatable, be human, be yourself.