How Cheetos, OLIPOP, and Chobani are Mastering the Art of Influencer Marketing on TikTok
New research from CreatorIQ reveals best practices that build awareness, revenue, and affinity for food and beverage brands
Creator-led marketing has opened a new frontier for promotional campaigns, which food and beverage firms are taking advantage of to expand awareness, build revenue, and engage more effectively with customers.
Nowhere is this more evident than on TikTok, where brands like Cheetos, OLIPOP, and Chobani are mastering creator-led campaigns, with sensational results.
In the new report TikTok Marketing Best Practices For Food & Beverage Brands, CreatorIQ examines how these three brands are motivating creators to endorse their products on TikTok, and measures the outcomes of specific campaigns. For each campaign analyzed, creator-led marketing generated a surge of content and online conversation to lift the brand’s earned media value (EMV).
“It’s clear that TikTok can fast-track their growth and drive impressive ROI for savvy food and beverage brands,” says the report.
Best practices include:
- Selecting creators who understand the campaign’s target audience, and who will generate content that is immediately engaging
- Giving creators artistic freedom that yields authentic content
- Setting measurable objectives
- Monitoring KPIs
Cheetos uses fun food challenge to spur creator-led content
Cheetos challenged TikTok stars and everyday consumers to film their reactions while trying the brand’s new super-spicy snack: Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Carolina Reaper. The campaign sparked a surge in TikTok content, and #CheetosReaperReactions quickly became the brand’s leading hashtag. The campaign expanded the brand’s creator community on TikTok, the volume of content published on the site, and mentions across social media. The creator-led content yielded $38.6M EMV during the campaign, attracting consumers among Gen Z and millennial users and helping the brand build and maintain authenticity with this target demographic.
OLIPOP grants creator partners artistic freedom to improve authenticity
Soda brand OLIPOP spent the last year driving up its visibility and sales via TikTok creators, often partnering with prominent food and lifestyle influencers, including Mari and Candice Cooks and others, to promote their favorite OLIPOP products. The company recruited its partners via creator information and custom questionnaires, and matched creators to specific campaign goals. It also gave creators artistic freedom to promote the products in ways that are compatible with their other content and online conversations. The authenticity of the resulting content resonated with viewers and increased watch time for the brand. Posts tagged with #OLIPOPPartner dramatically outperformed those tagged with the secondary campaign term, #OLIPOP. Overall, the TikTok campaign generated $25.4M EMV, a figure that represented 62% of the brand’s total EMV, as well as a staggering 1.8k% increase over the prior year’s figure.
Chobani mobilizes creators via competitive cross-platform campaign
Chobani created an immersive Roblox gaming experience to attract new customers and build a following among the large segment of younger consumers who prefer non-dairy products. Participants in the game—called the “Chobani Oatmilk Cosmic Race”—raced across the virtual galaxy delivering Chobani Oatmilk to various planets. Competitive and interactive features motivated players to post race-related content and videos on TikTok with the hashtag #CatchChobaniOatmilk. The campaign was a viral success. The game began trending in TikTok’s “For You” feed, fueling continued engagement and momentum. As a result of the campaign, Chobani accrued $33.2M EMV, a 278% YoY improvement. The company doubled its creator community, which contributed to a 75% YoY increase in post volume.
The best practices emerging from these case studies can be used by brands across the industry to improve their own marketing strategies and run more impactful TikTok campaigns. CreatorIQ recommends that more food and beverage brands follow the examples set by these companies to bolster their own TikTok marketing programs, sales, and ROI.
