5 Brands Telling Stories on TikTok

Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, Brand Storytelling

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In the years that TikTok has been taken seriously by brands as a platform on which to reach the nearly 40% of consumers represented by Gen Z, several approaches to using the app have emerged. Some approaches are a natural fit for a brand. Brands that already generate content or feature user generated content on other platforms can simply carry that content over to TikTok. Brands with a designated employee or team running their TikTok account often give the team carte blanche, letting them feature behind the scenes, in-office content that humanizes the brand. Infotainment and how-to videos are another popular approach to TikTok for brands with things to share like recipes or fashion tips.

But what if your brand doesn’t fit into any one of these well-performing boxes? Is there a more universal approach that can be implemented to find success on TikTok? A recent study published by TikTok for Business took a closer look at what makes brand presence and TikTok ads more memorable for its users. The answer – storytelling. According to the study, information density, meaning TikToks that employ several of what they call ‘event triggers’, perform better and are more memorable than their competitors. This means layering in memorable moments like text overlays, music, brand exposure, and more shots make for a more memorable video. In short – telling brand stories, which naturally integrate several event triggers, makes for better performing, more memorable content.

There are plenty of brands that successfully implement brand storytelling styles on TikTok, reaching high levels of followers, views, likes, and most importantly creating brand affinity and lift with their social media presence. Check out these five examples of brand storytelling being successfully implemented by a variety of brand types:

Fortnite

Fun Fact: the popular video game has built-in content capture capabilities, allowing in-house creators to generate original story-driven content using the characters and environments present in the video game.

Gucci

Appropriating select clips from art films and shorts, combined with artistic edits of runway and event content, the Gucci TikTok serves as a pillar of the brand’s creative expression.

Oreo

Funny skits acted out by Oreo cookies, creative interpretations of ongoing TikTok trends and more drive the playful nature of this TikTok account.

The Washington Post

The Washington Post was an early adopter of a narrative skit style used successfully to communicate current events to a younger generation. Several other publications have followed suit.

Zara

Cleverly curated video pieces and beautifully shot and cut vertical video set to music create a cohesive vibe for the fashion brand.

Each of these brands and their success on TikTok demonstrate that capturing a brand’s essence with storytelling is not only possible, but a viable and clear path to success on the app.

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About Jordan P. Kelley

Jordan P. Kelley is the Content Director at BrandStorytelling. He is the author of BrandStorytelling's twice weekly newsletter and editor of the Brand Storytelling Forbes Brand Voice Page. He is an avid brand film and advertising trendwatcher and considers himself a "Professional Audience Member".