Ever heard somebody say, “It starts on TikTok”?
Turns out, there’s a reason for that – a really good one, actually!
Trends are what make the world go round in the TikTok universe. It has made stars out of aspiring musicians, created memes out of audios and filters, empowered subcultures, brought about bigs wins for brands and so much more.
According to TikTok, “The TikTok community is a reflection of our communities at large – diverse ecosystems of creators, people, culture drivers, and everything in between. Trends happen naturally and regularly because of the way our community participates in and engages with content on the platform.”
The video-sharing platform is self-aware of what makes it a crowd-favourite social media app, but TikTok wanted to know what exactly drives trends on the platform and the extent of their impact on culture.
So TikTok collaborated with two independent research and analytics groups, MRC Data and Flamingo, to explore the app’s main defining influences: Sound and Culture.
Here are some important facts and figures from their studies that may help you take your brand’s TikTok game to the next level.
The Power of Sound
From “Sound On” to “Heard it on TikTok”, there is no doubt that the platform has become the home of music and audio trends.
The research study by MRC Data reveals the power of music on TikTok, emphasizing that it has made an impact for brands and creators alike, playing an important role in the community’s creativity, liveliness, and cultural impact.
A research survey was also conducted asking users how they feel when brands feature songs that TikTokers like in their videos:
- 68% of users say they remember the brand better
- 58% say they feel a stronger connection to the brand
- 58% of users also say they’re more likely to talk about the brand or share the ad
- 62% say they’re curious to learn about the brand
The Cultural Breakthrough
Did you know? 7 in 10 users believe TikTok communities have the power to create change in culture!
That’s according to Flamingo’s research as they were able to quantify just how much TikTok drives culture through trends:
- 43% of users try something or go somewhere new after seeing it at least once on the platform
- 61% of TikTokers like brands better when they create or participate in a trend on TikTok, and 21% of TikTokers feel more connected to brands when they comment on people’s posts
- 56% of users and 67% of creators feel closer to brands they see on TikTok – particularly when they publish human, unpolished content
- 45% of users feel more connected to brands that teach them something new or give them information about themselves on TikTok
- 63% of users like it when brands show TikTok creators in their videos
- 66% of users enjoying when brands sponsor creators to show off their products
A self-proclaimed cultural powerhouse, TikTok has the ability to to shape culture like no other. They’re like the influencers of the Social Media platforms and everyone wants to be them.