TikTok for Luxury Brands – Opportunities & Examples
By: Frank DePino | April 5, 2024
Since its founding in 2016, the TikTok platform has grown exponentially. Statista notes that the average number of users on the platform in 2021 was 78.7 million. The social media channel can be a valuable opportunity for luxury brands to find and appeal to their respective target audiences. How so?
TikTok affords many luxury brand opportunities, including influencer collaborations, paid campaigns, and content creation that runs the gamut from backstage videos to LIVE events. Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Fenty Beauty, among others, have already paved the way for luxury branding on TikTok.
This guide will detail opportunities and showcase examples of TikTok for luxury brands. Your own luxury brand will be able to use the information in this article to determine how you’ll promote yourself using TikTok.
TikTok Opportunities
To begin, let’s examine the opportunities that exist for luxury brands to differentiate themselves and connect with a surprising target audience on TikTok.
Millennials
According to different data from Statista, in 2021, the largest age group of users on TikTok was 10 to 19 years old at 25 percent. That’s followed up with 20-to-29-year-olds at 22.4 percent and 30-to-39-year-olds at 21.7 percent.
In other words, as the average age of a person increases, their TikTok usership decreases. TikTok has long since been a millennial’s social media platform (millennials are those who are 19 to 39 years old, by the way).
This isn’t bad for luxury brands, not at all.
More so lately than ever, millennials are becoming more receptive to luxury branding. By using TikTok for luxury brands, you can connect with an audience that’s already on the preferred social media platform for those in their age range.
Generation Z
Another target audience you can approach with TikTok for luxury brands is Generation Z. Defined as people between 10 and 25 years old, the users skewing towards their late teens to early and mid-20s are perfect for luxury brands to target.
At this age range, your target audience has graduated from college (usually) and has already started their respective careers. For the first time perhaps in their entire lives, they have disposable income.
The pressure to stay hip and look cool also weighs more heavily on people in their early 20s, mostly because these users are still searching for their own identities. Some people never stop caring about being cool, but it’s heightened in this still-transitional phase.
Wearing or using luxury products is something that Gen Zers would probably have a great interest in. Plus, this is one of the most dominant user segments on TikTok!
Influencer Collaborations
Now that you’ve identified your target audience, how exactly do you use TikTok for luxury brands? Well, one such option you have is influencer collaborations.
Of all the forms of promotion on this social media platform, influencer collabs may be the most successful. The reason? People listen to influencers.
A 2021 report of Computers in Human Behavior examined the motivations behind the average young person’s influencer-related decisions. The study involved 415 people ages 16 to 25.
According to the report, one of the reasons that young people follow influencers is to find “cool and new trends.” Other reasons include “information seeking,” “companionship,” and “information sharing.”
You’ll have to research your target audience to select an influencer they’d respect and listen to. Make sure you have several backups in mind just in case you don’t hear back from your primary influencer.
With the ability to use influencer-connecting SaaS technology such as ProductWind, your brand can easily connect and collaborate with influencers that can reach your target audience.
Paid Campaigns
If influencer marketing isn’t in the cards at the moment, paid campaigns are another way of using TikTok for luxury brands.
As is with any other social media platform, you select the type of ad you want and pay for it. The available TikTok ads are hashtag challenges, in-feed native video, brand takeovers, and 2D, 3D, or augmented reality (AR).
Unlike those other social media platforms, paid campaigns on TikTok are a relatively new feature.
If you’re debating which TikTok paid campaign to start with, hashtag challenges that are unique and interesting are sure to gain a lot of traction. You ask your user base to do something and tag it with the hashtag. The challenge might catch on.
In-feed native videos are another good option. These videos used to be capped at 15 seconds but are now up to a minute long. That said, it’s still recommended you keep your video around 15 seconds to hold onto a user’s attention.
Content Creation
Content is still king, especially in the age of social media. Creating organic and unique content on TikTok could propel your luxury brand to new heights. Here’s what we recommend:
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LIVE Events
TikTok has a feature called LIVE Events that’s akin to Instagram Live. TikTok users can register for an event (this is free) and share events with their TikTok friends. You can promote your LIVE before it goes well, live, including by using the above promotional tactics.
Backstage Videos
Here’s another way to use TikTok for luxury brands: make backstage videos. People love to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the way companies operate. You increase your trust and transparency among your audience. Plus, you show them that your company has everyday people like them.
A backstage video for a luxury brand is going to be more exciting than the same video in a different niche.
Viral Trends
If it seems like every week, there’s a new TikTok viral trend, that’s because there is. TikTok is made for viral fame, so if you can harness it, your luxury content could be the next trend that catches on and spreads like wildfire.
While it’s fine to jump on a viral trend to catch a little bit of the star power, do make sure you’re choosing the trends you engage with responsibly. Just because a trend is popular doesn’t always mean it’s safe or smart for people to emulate.
The Top Luxury Brands on TikTok
If you want to see examples of TikTok for luxury brands, we’re here to deliver. This section will share campaigns on the platform from all the top names in luxury goods.
1. Burberry
In 2019, when fashion house Burberry joined TikTok, they made a splash immediately. The brand launched its #TBChallenge, with TB standing for company namesake Thomas Burberry.
As TikTok reveals on its site, the #TBChallenge entailed users making the Burberry monogram using just their hands. By successfully doing so, they were awarded a special Burberry lens.
2. Gucci
TikTok is a fun, lighthearted social media platform, and it’s okay to embrace that. One of our favorite examples of TikTok for luxury brands comes courtesy of Gucci. In 2020, Gucci spearheaded the #GucciModelChallenge.
As W Magazine details, the crux of the challenge was to dress like a Gucci model…but using items already in your closet. Yes, that includes non-Gucci clothes.
The outfit required pink lipstick, clear socks and heels, sunglasses, a headscarf, a miniskirt and/or vinyl pants, a colorful jacket, a vest, and a turtleneck.
Gucci got in on the challenge, sharing their favorite looks on their TikTok page.
3. Prada
Late in 2021, the #PradaBucketChallenge caught on in a big way. The goal was, according to Prada, to “show your Prada side.” All you needed was a bucket hat from the major fashion brand.
What added fuel to this fire was that all the major TikTok influencers partook in the challenge.
Now, we should note that this wasn’t Prada’s most popular campaign, and it can serve as a learning opportunity for your own luxury brand. The detractors of the campaign were those who didn’t own Prada clothing, hats or otherwise, so they felt excluded.
That’s why a TikTok campaign like the Burberry one was such a great idea, as it was free to do.
4. Lexus
Switching from fashion to cars for a moment, Lexus has been heavily involved in TikTok as well. This AdAge article mentions that Lexus frequently connects with micro-influencers on the platform to make ads for them.
This interesting collaborative approach has worked, as Lexus has gotten a team of influencers together to write an original song for them that’s promotional of Lexus and its products such as the driver-assistance platform called Lexus TeamMate.
Taking it one step further, Lexus even put the song on streaming audio services so it can be enjoyed anytime.
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5. Fenty Beauty
When it comes to embracing TikTok for luxury brands, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty was one of the first to do so. The brand was on the platform in 2017. In 2020, Fenty Beauty’s TikTok started its content creation channel #fentybeautyhouse.
A group of influencers participates using the hashtag, showcasing tutorials and viral challenges.
6. Moncler
The Italian and French luxury ski wear brand Moncler has gotten in on TikTok as well. The brand created a challenge with TikTok influencer Charli D’Amelio called #monclerbubbleup that generated a whopping 2.3 billion views!
The challenge, according to NSS Magazine, entailed putting yourself in something bubbly, such as a mattress or a sleeping bag, or even Moncler’s bubble jackets.
7. Dior
Dior decided to take its presentation at Paris Fashion Week in spring 2021 and showcase it to a broader audience.
UK marketing resource Fanbytes says that Dior launched a virtual catwalk that was streamed on TikTok. This wasn’t a decision exclusive to Dior, as Louis Vuitton, JW Anderson, and Saint Laurent were inspired to do the same.
Since then, live TikTok streams at big fashion events have become the standard for luxury brands!
8. Louis Vuitton
How do you get a million followers on TikTok? Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton know. The fashion brand started a TikTok channel that amassed that staggering number of followers in less than a year! That’s quite the milestone.
Could it be that LV has teamed up with huge K-pop stars BTS? That’s undoubtedly part of it. Or perhaps that Louis Vuitton knows the right TikTok influencers to go after, such as Charli D’Amelio.
It’s no wonder Louis Vuitton has risen in the ranks on TikTok.
9. Valentino
What’s better than one mega-brand? Two mega-brands! In 2021, fashion house Valentino teamed up with global music and acting superstar Lady Gaga for a TikTok campaign.
The challenge required TikTok users to sing and dance to a Lady Gaga song to win tickets to a concert. How does that involve Valentino, you ask?
First, you had to watch Valentino’s TikTok page, as Lady Gaga planned on uploading a video there. Then you had to comment on the video using a hashtag for your entry to count. Further, you had to tag Valentino in your entry.
How a Digital Agency Can Help with TikTok for Luxury Brands
With the assistance of a digital ad agency, you can ensure your brand takes the correct steps to build your social media presence on TikTok, enhance your digital strategy, and engage with your audience.
Set up a free, 30 minute consultation with Mediaboom’s team of digital marketing professionals to see how we can help promote your luxury brand.
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Schedule Your Free Consultation
Seeking to elevate your luxury business? Let Mediaboom guide you. Secure your exclusive, free consultation with our luxury marketing experts today.
Conclusion
TikTok serves as a vital chance for luxury brands to connect with younger audiences. Between influencer campaigns, live content, and paid advertising on TikTok, your luxury brand can capitalize on this opportunity while enhancing your video strategy with other digital marketing efforts.
Contact now Mediaboom to promote your luxury brand!
By: Frank DePino
Frank DePino is Principal and Founder of Mediaboom. Since 2002, Frank has led Mediaboom’s award-winning staff of creative and technical professionals, building the most effective marketing and advertising solutions for its clients.
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