The cornerstone of TikTok for Business is the key to effectively marketing to Gen Z as identified by the motto, “Don’t Make Ads, Make TikToks.” It’s not just about self-promotion for the platform that has had explosive growth over the past year but about meeting the expectations of a generation that is responsive to marketing that moves it. Not to what feels like an ad.
Draw in Gen Z with creative content
Marketers “should create ads that don’t feel like ads,” according to Gen Z in 2020: How to Advertise to the New Digital Natives. That’s the conclusion it draws from research into what draws positive attention from Gen Z.
Drawing on a 2017 study by Time Inc., Media Post says Gen Zers “want to see brands do something new, unique, or creative to get their attention.” Also 88% agree that it’s “a good way for new brands it hasn’t heard of to reach them.”
The numbers are equally impressive for the responses on engagement: “the study found that 90% of those polled like the idea of custom content as a way for brands to engage them, 89% believe that custom content is a great way for brands to break through the clutter.”
How can brands create this kind of custom content that engages Gen Z? Performance art appears to be a pretty effective approach, as it taps into this generation’s passions.
These were the findings of market research company, Millward Brown: “Gen Z are dramatically more passionate about music and movies. Ads placed in these contexts are far more powerful with this group, with 39% of Gen Z saying music makes them more positive to advertising and 38% reporting that movies have the same effect.”
Likely that is due to the emotional pull that music and movies have on audiences. When we listen to or watch something that really resonates with us, it makes a very deep impression, which is why it can prove so effective for marketing.
Music and marketing, a natural pairing
This is the background of that approach Movers+Shakers takes in creating custom content for marketing, particularly aimed at Gen Z and millennials. The company’s CEO, Evan Horowitz, shared the secret sauce of its campaigns’ success: joyful marketing.
What underlies their approach is the understanding that “consumers want to be entertained,” he said. “Anything that feels like an ad is a turnoff.” That’s why at Movers + Shakers, the content produced for brands is entertaining with music selected to resonate with the style of the brand and its audience.
Read more in Don’t Make Ads: Make Engaging Entertainment
