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11 TikTok Influencer Marketing Examples To Inspire Your Next Campaign

January 9, 2023
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12 min
Author
Momina Asif
Content Writer, Modash
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The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt currently has 35.4 billion views, and for a good reason — 56% of users feel more connected to brands on TikTok.

And with 68% of marketers relying on TikTok for influencer marketing, it's the perfect platform to show off your product and reach your target audience.

If you are looking for inspiration for your next TikTok influencer marketing campaign, we've compiled some of the best examples below. Let's dive in!

1. Chipotle

With 2.1 million followers and 48.2 million likes, Chipotle, an American fast-food chain, is one of the most popular brands on TikTok.

Starting well before the app's growth began to skyrocket in 2018, Chipotle's first viral success was the #LidFlipChallenge. Chipotle collaborated with influencer and self-confessed Chipotle lover David Dobrik to promote the challenge.

The goal was to spread the word about free delivery for online orders for Cinco de Mayo. All anyone needed to participate in the challenge was a phone and a Chipotle burrito bowl.

For their second challenge, Chipotle created the hashtag #GuacDance and partnered with influencers Brent Rivera and Loren Gray. The challenge encouraged participants to upload videos of themselves dancing to an internet-famous song about guacamole by Dr. Jean in the days leading up to National Avacado Day on July 31.

Brent Rivera posted the following video to promote the challenge — the TikTok has 856.5K likes and 15.7K shares.

Campaign statistics

The Lid Flip Challenge campaign generated 111,000 video submissions in just six days and resulted in record-breaking digital sales and app downloads. The hashtag #ChipotleLidFlip has 336.6 million views on TikTok. As a result of the #LidFlipChallenge, Chipotle became one of the most followed brands on TikTok, resulting in over one billion impressions.

The #GuacDance campaign drove over 250,000 video submissions during its six-day run on TikTok. The campaign also resulted in huge orders, with Chipotle serving more than 802,000 sides of free guacamole on the day. To date, #GuacDance has 1.1 billion views.

With the TikTok challenges, Chipotle increased its digital sales by 99% compared to last year — with online orders representing about 18% of its overall sales.

Key takeaway

Chipotle's TikTok campaigns are successful as they are relevant to its target audience. The brand has a dedicated in-house team of "culture hunters" who keep the brand informed about the conversations on TikTok and Chipotle.  

Instead of focusing on flashy advertisements or complex campaigns, Chipotle focuses on topics encouraging the audience to participate and get involved.

When deciding which influencers to collaborate with, the company looks for creators vocal about their love for the brand to ensure the content they post looks organic and not forced.

2. Too Faced Cosmetics

Too Faced Cosmetics has 1 million followers and 9.1 million likes on TikTok. The brand found success on the platform before they were active on it.

Six years after they launched it, the Lip Injection Extreme plumping lip gloss suddenly sold out. The reason? Well, the product inspired a viral challenge on TikTok where users showed the product results.

So, for their next product launch, Damn Girl mascara, the brand partnered with influencer Kristen Hancher and launched the hashtag #TFDamnGirl.

With 23.4 million followers, Kristen's videos were viewed more than 150,000 times on average, making her the perfect influencer to introduce the mascara to the world.

Kristen posted the following video of her lip-syncing without any makeup. The video then transitions to her wearing the Damn Girl mascara and lip-syncing as she flashes the mascara in front of the camera. The video has 146.1K likes and 420 shares.

Campaign statistics

The campaign generated 821 million views of #TFDamnGirl videos.

Too Faced Cosmetics also became one of the first beauty brands to host a TikTok Live Shopping Event, tying native content and eCommerce together seamlessly.

Key takeaway

Too Faced Cosmetics collaborated with a well-known influencer with the same target audience. The #TFDamnGirl campaign worked well because it ensured the content posted by the influencers felt native to their channel — resonating more deeply with their audience.

The campaign also prompted people to try the mascara and other products themselves, increasing the brand's sales.

3. Gymshark

Gymshark, a fitness apparel brand, focuses heavily on influencer marketing, resulting in 4.3 million followers and 66.6 million likes on TikTok alone.

The brand heavily invested in influencer marketing on Instagram before deciding to target its customer base on TikTok in 2019.

At the beginning of 2019, they launched their campaign — 66 Days: Change Your Life. The challenge asked users to set a personal goal they wanted to achieve by March 8, two months after the campaign started.

Antonie Lokhorst shared the following video for the #Gymshark66 challenge — it has 60.3K likes and 270 shares.

To encourage participants, Gymshark announced that the winner of the competition would receive a year's supply of brand merch.

For the campaign, Gymshark partnered with six sports and athlete influencers with a strong presence on TikTok to raise awareness around the challenge and created the hashtag #Gymshark66. The influencers had a combined following of 19.8 million resulting in the campaign being a huge success.

Laurie Elle shared the following video in Gymshark attire — the video has 37.5K likes and 407 shares.

Campaign statistics

The campaign brought nearly 2 million likes and an engagement rate of 11.1%. The hashtag, #Gymshark66, got over 45.5 million views and currently has 258.8 million views.

Key takeaway

Gymshark is the perfect example of niche influencer marketing. Instead of just collaborating with mega influencers or celebrities, Gymshark worked with fitness influencers.  

The introduction of a reward also helped — with people posting videos with #Gymshark66 in hopes of getting a whole year's merchandise.

4. Converse

Converse is a footwear brand with 502.5K followers and 4.2 million likes on TikTok. The brand has become successful on TikTok by encouraging its audience to participate in various challenges.

For the launch of the "Creative All-Star Series" in London, Converse collaborated with four top UK TikTok creators — with a combined following of ~12 million — to kick-start the campaign, driving high user engagement and generating massive reach.

To win tickets to the event, TikTok users were invited to customize their shoes and post a video using the #ConverseAllStar hashtag.

Jake Sweet, one of the influencers Converse collaborated with, shared the following video for the challenge. The video has 37.4K likes and 123 shares.

Campaign statistics

The "Creative All-Star Series" campaign resulted in over 24 million video views and 29.7 million impressions. The campaign also brought 2900 Converse artists and creators together, delivering a total of 16.86 million impressions and 1.8 million clicks to the challenge page over the course of the six-day campaign.

The campaign also drove a 9.22% engagement rate and a 75% uplift in brand recall.  

Key takeaway

By providing people with a platform to showcase their work, Converse showed an excellent example of community building. The brand put the audience at the heart of the campaign through the hashtag challenge and brilliant customizations.

It was also a great example of how a digital activation can be done through an offline event. Businesses can use TikTok to promote offline events by partnering with local influencers to spread the word.  

5. Walmart

Walmart, a multinational retail corporation, is nailing the TikTok influencer marketing game and currently has 1.3 million followers and 9.4 million likes.

The brand introduced its first branded hashtag challenge on TikTok and immediately went viral. The hashtag #SavingsShuffle was created for the challenge, and Walmart collaborated with six influencers to promote the challenge.

The challenge asked participants to post videos showing how Walmart's savings make them feel. One of the influencers Walmart collaborated with, Adam Waheed, shared the following video with his then 1.7 million fans. The video has 158.6K likes and 2847 shares.

Campaign statistics

This influencer marketing campaign was Walmart's first branded hashtag on TikTok and got over 450 million views in its first month. The hashtag #SavingsShuffle currently has 1.9 billion views on TikTok.

Key takeaway

This was Walmart's first challenge, and it went viral because the team took its time with the research and execution of the campaign.

Before launching the #SavingsShuffle challenge, Walmart posted a few videos showcasing their employees and seeing what works on the platform.

As a business, you need to take some time to do proper research, figure out what your target audience is interested in and would respond to, and then come up with an engaging campaign.  

6. Elf Cosmetics

Elf Cosmetics has 649.5 thousand followers and 12.7 million likes on TikTok, and their campaign, Eyes Lips Face, was described by Adweek as "the most influential campaign on TikTok."

In 2019, the brand was testing out the platform to see what worked on TikTok. On October 4, 2019, Elf launched a six-day hashtag challenge with a 15-second original song called "Eyes.Lips.Face."

The song was created by Grammy Award-winning songwriter iLL Wayno and featured up-and-coming artist Holla FyeSixWun.

The challenge asked participants to dance to the music to win $250 worth of elf cosmetics, makeup, and skincare products. Look at this video by the influencer BeastEater, which has 613K likes and 4768 shares.  

It was the first time a brand used original music for a TikTok campaign. By October 11, more than 400,000 videos had been created for the challenge, and Elf decided to release a full-length track for the song.

A number of celebrities joined the challenge, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, Terry Crews, and James Charles. The video posted by Jessica Alba has 1.2 million likes and 9500+ shares.

Campaign statistics

The campaign resulted in 5 million videos using the hashtag #EyesLipsFace. The hashtag has 9.8 million views. The song resulted in 8 million streams across Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube and was listed in more than 200,000 playlists on Spotify.

Key takeaway

The campaign worked particularly well as it focused on engaging the community in a fun way. Although Elf decided to stand out with the original song, the brand didn't do it itself and worked with an agency (Movers+Shakers) to come up with a catchy tune.

For businesses, it's important to remember to be original and unique while also making sure the content you create is relevant and exciting for your audience.

7. Aerie

Aerie, an intimate apparel and lifestyle retailer, grew profoundly through TikTok influencer marketing and currently has 195.9 thousand followers and 1.7 million likes.

Aerie launched the #AerieREALPositivity challenge on TikTok in collaboration with Charli D'Amelio and created an original song called 100% Real Love by PopUpGirl for the campaign. The challenge asked TikTok users to create a video sharing three things they are grateful for during quarantine.

Charli posted a video lip-syncing to the song and encouraged her followers to share what they were grateful for during the pandemic. The video has 4.2 million likes and 16.3K shares.

The campaign was further promoted by Aerie's spokespeople, also known as Role Models, including sustainability activist Manuela Barón, paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, and wellness advocate Tiff McFierce who submitted their own videos to the challenge.  

Campaign statistics

By the end of the first week, the #AerieREALPositivity campaign had over 1.3 billion views, and Aerie's TikTok account got 15,000 new followers.

The brand's reach beyond TikTok grew as well, with Aerie gaining over 16,000 followers on Instagram in one weekend. The brand's site saw an increase of 855% in site traffic, with the #AerieReal homepage seeing 138,000 views in one day.

Aerie also increased digital sales by 75% in a single quarter through the TikTok campaign.

Key takeaway

Aerie's campaign worked particularly well as it capitalized on empathy and kindness while remaining relevant. During the pandemic, people felt hopeless and lonely while quarantining, and the campaign brought people together on TikTok.

The campaign encouraged customers to share their own stories and how they were trying to be positive and grateful during a global crisis.

By focusing on body positivity, self-love, community, and empowerment, the brand struck the right note at the right time and got the attention of billions of people around the world.

8. Crocs

Crocs, a footwear company, is stamping across TikTok with 811.2 thousand followers and 5.5 million likes. One of the reasons the brand is super popular on the platform is its ability to make self-deprecating humor engaging.

The brand knows it has some die-hard haters, and to capture the attention of everyone, the team created the #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge. The challenge asked participants to share their version of the shoes if they cost a thousand dollars.

Crocs kicked off the campaign with a collaboration video with influencer Adam Waheed. The video has 44.7K likes and 348 shares.

Crocs collaborated with singer Post Malone, who designed his own version of Crocs, which sold out in 10 minutes.

Campaign statistics

The hashtag #ThousandDollarCrocs had 95 million views with more than 45,000 videos on TikTok in less than 36 hours.

Currently, the hashtag has 3.1 billion views. Within the first 24 hours, Crocs saw an 18% increase in follower count on TikTok.

Key takeaway

The Crocs brand doesn't try to be something it's not. The company knows its shoes aren't everyone's cup of tea but have stood by its designs and creativity. This adds authenticity to the brand — building trust and loyalty with customers.

A huge part of crocs TikTok discourse is the journey from a die-hard hater to becoming an obsessive fan, making the brand more relatable.

9. Fenty Beauty

Fenty Beauty, a makeup and skincare brand by the singer Rihanna, has 1.5 million followers and 25.2 million likes on TikTok. The brand is heavily invested in influencer marketing on the platform and invested in a collab house in 2020.

A collab house is a concept in which a group of influencers live together in a place and use it as a base for content creation and collaboration.

Fenty Beauty was one of the first brands to open​​ its own collab house. It collaborated with five TikTok mega-influencers, including professional makeup artists Emmy Combs, Makayla, Savannah Palacio, Challan, and Dawn.

The group posted humorous and music-driven videos, organically featuring Fenty products, but didn't label their content as paid or sponsored.

Emmy Combs shared the following video in the house. The video has 217K likes and 1163 shares.

Campaign statistics

Within three weeks, the #FentyBeautyHouse hashtag had over 10 million views, and #FentyBeauty had over 44 million views on TikTok. Fenty Beauty's TikTok audience grew by 1180% in a week.

The collab house also drove a press frenzy resulting in media coverage in Vogue, Time, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, People, Billboard, and W Magazine.

Key takeaway

Instead of just focusing on content around makeup, Fenty Beauty focuses on topics like diversity and inclusion. While there are many videos showcasing Fenty's products, a lot of the content is focused on keeping its audience entertained.

Fenty Beauty's influencers also post content about beauty and makeup hacks which are some of the most popular topics on TikTok.  

10. Beats by Dre

Beats by Dre, an audio products company, ran one of the most successful brand campaigns run on TikTok to date. With 571.1K followers and 4.1 million likes, Beats by Dre is quickly gaining momentum on the platform with highly creative campaigns and strategic collaborations.

To launch the new Powerbeats Pro summer colors, the brand collaborated with singer and rapper Ashnikko. The campaign invited the TikTok community to show off their artistic and creative talents through color.

Ashnikko posted the following video to kick-start the campaign with the official hashtag #BeatsDaisyChallenge.

Ashnikko encouraged her fans to be a part of her new music video for the track 'Daisy' — written especially for the #BeatsDaisyChallenge. The track centers around self-expression through four new Powerbeats Pro colors: Glacier Blue, Spring Yellow, Cloud Pink, and Lava Red.

Campaign statistics

The #BeatsDaisyChallenge had 7.2 billion views during the four-week campaign. The campaign also resulted in a global engagement rate of 14.66% on branded content in terms of interaction, with 460 million engagements.

The hashtag currently has 11 billion views on TikTok.

Key takeaway

The Beats by Dre x Ashnikko campaign went particularly well because it focused on engaging the community. The campaign was also creative with its challenges and kept the audience guessing about new challenges each week — a total of four challenges over the four weeks.

With the promise of getting featured in Ashnikko's music video, #BeatsDaisyChallenge inspired real creativity while encouraging users to show their best work.  

11. Kroger

Kroger, an American retail company, became the first brand globally to activate a shoppable hashtag challenge on TikTok in 2019. The brand currently has 551.5 thousand followers and 9.5 million likes.

The brand quickly gained the attention of Gen Z — the most popular demographic on TikTok with its #TransformUrDorm challenge. Kroger partnered with four Gen Z influencers with a considerable following to kick off the campaign.

TikTok influencer, Joey Klaasen, shared the following TikTok with his followers — the video has 104.6K likes and 553 shares.

These influencers posted videos showing the amazing transformations of their living spaces with products — storage bins, desk supplies, kitchen essentials — all available at Kroger.

The challenge page on TikTok included a shoppable functionality for users to shop for featured items in the videos, all within the app.

Campaign statistics

The campaign generated 806 million views and 304 thousand video submissions and saw a 16.7% engagement rate on TikTok.

Posts and content by four influencers Kroger collaborated with resulted in a total of 2.8 million actual impressions and 248 thousand engagements, with an average engagement rate of 12.5%.

Key takeaway

With the first-of-its-kind shoppable campaign targeted explicitly to Gen Z, Kroger was able to shift the perception among its young audience that it's more than just a grocery store.

According to an internal brand study, the association of Kroger with just a grocery store declined by 9% — successfully shifting brand perception to Korger being a more versatile shopping destination among Gen Z.

Kroger also collaborated with younger influencers with Gen Z as their target audience to ensure a natural connection to the messaging, with them being college-aged or college students themselves.

The next step? Finding the perfect TikTok influencers

With ample research, perfectly executed campaigns, and the right influencers, TikTok influencer marketing can increase your brand reach, grow your sales, and help you build a dedicated audience.

Your secret weapon for finding TikTok influencers? Modash. It has a TikTok influencer database containing every creator with 1k+ followers (over 100M profiles & counting), and it lets you apply filters to find the perfect people.

It also lets you analyze their profiles, engagement rates, audience demographics, and more.

Sign up today and get a 14-day free trial!

 
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