Brands Should Make Connections With Budding Viral Creators

Picture this: You're the CMO of a major brand at the center of a quickly spreading TikTok trend. Rolling notifications make it clear that this clip is a hit across multiple social platforms and gaining steam. Do you repost their content? Send free products? Is your CEO willing to approve the title of TikTok youth brand ambassador in a pinch? Once that's all decided, what do you owe the budding influencer who helped catapult your product into the spotlight? While brands are not legally obligated to recognize social-savvy fans, doing so could be the key to fresh partnerships and continued relevance. "While brands don’t necessarily have a responsibility to reach out to creators who find virality around their brand or product, it’s certainly a missed opportunity if they don’t," Katy Wellhousen, accounts director at creative agency 160over90, told Adweek. "And if they do reach out, they have a responsibility to work with that creator in a fair and ethical way." A new kind of partnership For a brand that aims to conquer TikTok, it's not enough to flood it with ads. Organic engagement and connecting with the creative community play key roles in turning potentially fleeting moments into content with sustained impact. When teen influencer Carly Joy took her enthusiasm for Eos' Shea Better Shave Cream to TikTok, few could have predicted that her tutorial would lead to a boost in Eos' online sales equal to 25 times its standard record between February and April of this year, and weeks of sold-out stock at Target. CMO Soyoung Kang said the choice to respond was simple. https://www.tiktok.com/@killljoyy/video/6944489582306151686?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adweek.com%2F&referer_video_id=6934419677015837958&refer=embed&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6932596781385631238 "To be honest, it never occurred to us that we wouldn't respond," Kang told Adweek. "When you're showing a passion for our brand, we love nothing more than to respond, react, partner and turn what was a moment into more momentum." Since that TikTok, Joy has become a brand ambassador, and her Eos-related videos are the most popular among her 950,000 followers. "As a brand that's always trying to make connections around education, awareness and destigmatization, the only other way to do it is through push-pay ads, and that's not a particularly effective way to get that message across," Kang explained. For Whalar's global chief marketing officer Karyn Spencer, the value of connecting with creators isn't exclusive to wildly viral moments. Organic content that lives at the top of popular tags can create brand awareness as effectively as paid advertising. https://www.tiktok.com/@hp_makeup.kr/video/6869373545378581762?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowxAmOEMh19yVwgykQpdtWccjDIKvgHjk6Hz4BZEXPHuiraaM2Ciq4cILmUh0UCmsCGgA%3D&checksum=2a1686af767e74963e86d2c175419abc28d40955e0da182489a27c50dfde5ec4&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAABcIMn24Nx06WI8cOEFREqT1DgrEXPlIlRNXY5raf9-JRICpaqa-qXCuiXBL9Y-87&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=6869373545378581762&share_link_id=A2C94904-BC29-4275-9C8F-0A439122C447&source=h5_m&timestamp=1623867481&tt_from=copy&u_code=db0cjh9efe10fa&user_id=6794066278064587782&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&_r=1&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6932596781385631238 She points to Hong Kong-based makeup artist hp_makeup, whose video of her cutting into a MAC Cosmetics blush compact like cake sits as the second most popular video under the brand's tag on TikTok. When the company wouldn't repost the video due to royalty issues concerning the clip's background music, it pivoted to a six-month ambassadorship. "She informed us that she used to work at a MAC store and made this video because she had a passion for the product," Spencer said. "In that sense, it's an even bigger success story because she's gone from working in retail to being an ambassador and influencer for the company." Keeping it ethical For brands eager to enter the indie creator space, the relationship can't just be enthusiastic; it also has to be ethical. It's important for larger companies to view budding influencers—or even the everyday social media user—as collaborators. "There are many instances where creators will organically post a photo of a brand’s product, and the brand then uses that photo across paid media, email and its websites without compensation," Wellhousen said. For digital creators like Corey Brooks, who often partners with brands like Celsius fitness drinks for his 237,000 Instagram followers, content equates to an investment of time, resources and additional access to their followers—all of which deserve substantial recognition. "Content is extremely valuable, and creators should be compensated whether their piece goes viral or not," Brooks told Adweek. "But it’s important to be rewarded fairly if your content goes viral or performs well because it’s not easy to do and it affects [the creator's] own brand." https://www.tiktok.com/@420doggface208/video/6876424179084709126?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adweek.com%2F&referer_video_id=6876424179084709126&refer=embed&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6932596781385631238 The best way for marketers to remain on the right side of these matters, according to Wellhousen, is to instill baseline protocols that deal with these viral moments swiftly and in a principled manner. "Brands should have budgets set aside and a process put in place in preparation that there may be an unexpected viral brand moment they’ll need to react to," she added. Most importantly, marketers should see all digital creators as potential creative partners once their work nets positive returns for the brand. "Brands shouldn’t write off anyone that helps them take their product viral," Brooks said. "Pay them. Give them free product. Share their posts. Because they are also probably surrounded by a community that now supports your brand as well."

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Why Brands Should Consider Making Connections With Budding Viral Creators

With TikTok on the rise, marketers should value the maker, not just their reach

Shannon Miller

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Shannon Miller