I’m mostly an Instagram native. And while I keep up with the latest internet trends, it’s usually after they’re all over TikTok. From POV-style videos to popular songs to new slang terms, these trends shape online culture after becoming viral on TikTok.
So it goes without saying that marketing campaigns that achieve virality on the platform tend to set themselves up for success. That’s exactly what Krispy Kreme did with their “Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice” campaign in 2023. And in this post, I take a deep dive into how the brand generated product launch hype through TikTok (and how you can replicate this TikTok strategy)..
Why TikTok is Now the Launchpad for Consumer Brands
Before I get into the Krispy Kreme case study, let’s first take a closer look at why TikTok makes so much sense for promoting consumer brands.
It Drives Product Discovery
TikTok’s search capabilities, powerful ad targeting, and algorithmic content recommendations help drive product discovery. In fact, 61% of the platform’s users say they use it to discover new brands and products. That’s 1.5x more users than any other social media platform.
This offers an excellent opportunity for consumer brands to reach new audiences and get their products in front of prospective buyers.
It Influences Action and Purchases
On that note, TikTok isn’t just great for driving awareness; it also influences consumers to take action. In fact, TikTok users are 1.5x more likely than other platform users to immediately go out and buy something they discovered on the platform. Additionally, 91% of users who were inspired to take action because of TikTok search actually followed through with the action.
And with TikTok supporting direct purchases within the app, it’s easier than ever for users to go through with their purchases. TikTok Shop features enable users to quickly go from awareness to conversion in just a few steps.
It’s THE Source of Internet Culture
The best part about TikTok is that it’s more than just a social media platform. Rather, it’s evolved into a cultural engine, having a deep influence on music trends, content styles, humor, fashion, slang, and lifestyle choices. The global success of songs like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and the everyday use of terms like “face card,” “simp,” and “hits different” serve as a testimony because they were all influenced by TikTok.
So brands that gain TikTok popularity are very likely to gain mainstream success (if not at least gain a cult following). But it’s good to note that launches that go viral are usually planned months in advance. That means their success isn’t accidental. So you need the right TikTok strategy to effectively embed your brand into culture and achieve sustainable growth.
Case Study: Krispy Kreme’s Seasonal TikTok Masterclass
Krispy Kreme set an example in driving product launch hype for its fall 2023 seasonal drop with TikTok as the main campaign platform. The drop featured classic fall flavors like pumpkin spice, which in itself is already popular among internet natives. It became a huge hit with customers, resulting in the donuts making a regular comeback in the brand’s seasonal menu.
There are several things that worked with Krispy Kreme’s TikTok strategy.
It started out with early access “surprise drops” where lifestyle creators stirred up curiosity well ahead of pumpkin spice season. Creators shared videos announcing a limited-time experience where customers could enjoy the donuts in April for just two days, which helped to build anticipation for the actual launch.
The brand then followed with an early launch, making the flavors available in August as we headed into actual pumpkin spice season. So there was plenty of time for TikTok influencers to create content that would get their audience hyped for the new flavors.
Creators sharing POV videos from the drive-thru also contributed to the campaign’s success. The candid, POV-style approach to these videos added authenticity and immersed viewers in the experience.
Many food and lifestyle creators shared honest “first bite” reviews that added credibility to the promotion. Seeing these creators sharing their honest first impressions as they tried the new flavors helped to build trust. This further encouraged viewers to try the new donut flavors themselves.
Across many of these videos, influencers used trending audios and transitions to make the product launch native to the feed. Additionally, Krispy Kreme made the most of Spark Ads to boost the best-performing organic posts within 24 hours. This further amplified reach, resulting in the flavors becoming a TikTok sensation.
Krispy Kreme enjoyed 120M+ hashtag views in two weeks for the Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice campaign. There was also a 40% increase in seasonal product sales YOY.
How to Build a Launch Strategy That Delivers
Now that you’ve seen what worked with Krispy Kreme’s seasonal drop, it’s time to figure out how you can replicate their TikTok strategy for success. Let’s break down the essential steps to build a launch strategy that takes over TikTok by storm.
1. Find the Right Creators (Not Just Big Ones)
It all starts with your choice of creators…and we’re not just talking about the ones with millions of TikTok followers. Instead, you need to focus on audience alignment. Which creators have influence over the specific types of audiences you want to reach?
In the case of Krispy Kreme, foodie creators, lifestyle creators, and fall content trendsetters took center stage. This made sense because the launch was all about seasonal donut flavors that would only be available during fall. So they focused on creators who could entice viewers to try out the new flavors while they were available.
Similarly, you need to prioritize creators who are already leading the conversation in topics related to your product. For instance, creators talking about desserts, coffee culture, and seasonal trends made sense for Krispy Kreme’s launch.
2. Pre-Launch Seeding That Sparks Curiosity
Curiosity helps build anticipation, which contributes to a successful launch. By the time of the launch, you’re reaching audiences who are already excited about the product. So it’s easy to drive sales immediately after launch. In the case of Krispy Kreme, the brand sparked curiosity by doing an early surprise launch well before the start of pumpkin spice season.
Similarly, pre-launch seeding is a great way to get influencers to try out the product before the actual drop. This gives them ample time to create social proof content that gives audiences a glimpse into the product and stirs up curiosity.
You could do early access gifting to encourage branded unboxing moments. Creators can share their honest first impressions, immersing viewers in the tasting experience. Similarly, blind taste tests or teaser content with non-branded captions could help to generate curiosity and get audiences excited for the launch.
Before your brand channels make any formal announcement, consider soft-dropping content on the weeks leading up to the launch. This is a great way to get audiences curious about what’s in store and keep them guessing as you build anticipation for the announcement.
3. Creative Briefing the TikTok Way
The TikTok ecosystem is very different from other social media platforms, especially when it comes to the types of content that get engagement. Users on the platform show a preference for good storytelling along with candid-style videos instead of perfectly curated professional productions.
That’s why you need to get strategic with your influencer briefs and adapt them based on what works best on the platform. Prioritize creative freedom and let creators do what they do best. Instead of a product pitch, encourage them to share a good product story that will captivate their audience.
While giving them creative freedom, make sure to also provide creative anchors to tie the campaign together. This may include trending audio to use or visual themes to follow. Or you could even share what format you want them to use (POV, drive-thru experiences, etc.)
Additionally, you could provide them with a prompt to make your campaign more cohesive. The main difference is that you’re not telling them exactly what to say or directing their entire content. For instance, you could include prompts like: “Describe your first bite,” “Pumpkin spice mood check,” or “Fall’s first sip.”
Then encourage them to create content in line with the latest TikTok trends based on those prompts. See how the following creator promotes Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte by showing how the first sip of pumpkin spice gets her in the mood for fall.
4. Go-Live Like a Launch Director
The go-live phase is one of the toughest aspects of running a product launch influencer marketing campaign. It involves strategic coordination with the need to perfect your timing while staying on top of your influencer partners.
For product launch campaigns, coordinate influencer posts to go live within the same 6-12-hour window. This will give the content enough time to gain traction across the platform without overwhelming audiences. At the same time, each influencer still gets the same opportunity to engage the audience without being too far behind. So there’s a greater chance of your launch “taking over” TikTok.
Make sure to sync the influencer content with an organic brand post as well as a paid Spark Ads activation. This will help to maximize reach within the first few hours of campaign launch and reach audiences outside of your influencers’ network.
Additionally, track influencer performance to find the best creator content in terms of engagement and action. Then use it to run in-feed ads targeting users by region, interest, and behavior. This type of paid amplification ensures that you don’t lose the initial traction generated by your influencers.
5. Tracking and Iterating in Real Time
Once your campaign goes live, it’s important to closely monitor performance and make real-time adjustments. There are several aspects of your campaign performance you need to measure.
Start by looking at content-specific performance with a priority on metrics like watch time, saves, and shares.
Views and likes alone don’t tell a complete story of how the content resonates with the audience. But watch time shows you how long the content engages your audience. Saves tell you whether viewers valued the content enough to save it for later. Shares show you if audiences enjoyed it enough to share it with their friends.
Then use these insights to see which influencer content resonates the most with your target audience. This will help you understand what approach to take even for your future campaigns.
Influencer performance tracking tools like Influencity can further help you cross-reference creator content against conversions or store footfall. It will give you an idea of which content is driving action if you use it to track UTM links, QR codes, or regional codes.
Beyond this, comments on your campaign content can also tell you a lot about how the messaging resonates with your audience. Monitoring them will provide you with a live sentiment analysis, gauging how people feel about the content. This can then inform how to tweak the campaign and messaging to better align with your audience’s needs.
TikTok Strategy Tips for Brands and Agencies
Besides the essential steps I outlined above, there are a few additional tips that will help brands and agencies succeed with TikTok influencer campaigns. Let’s take a look.
Start with the Audience, Not the Aesthetic
An influencer’s aesthetic alone isn’t enough to indicate audience alignment. And you want your campaign to resonate with the audience. Make sure to focus on what the audience wants so you can narrow down influencers who meet those requirements.
Remember that TikTok is a Gen Z platform, and Gen Z audiences want real, not rehearsed. Authenticity and honesty are some key traits you should be looking at as you vet influencers for your campaign.
Ride Trends, But Don’t Force It
Trends are a great way to gain popularity on a platform like TikTok. At the same time, jumping into every single trend doesn’t necessarily work for brands. This is especially true for trends that aren’t very relevant to the brand, as the content can come across as forced and even “cringe.”
Instead, focus on the trends that are relevant to your brand. For instance, trending food-related challenges or content styles for food brands. I love how Krispy Kreme effortlessly gets into the “god forbid” content trend in the following video.
Treat TikTok Like a Live Stage, Not a Billboard
Remember that TikTok is a place for video content, with a special focus on authenticity and relatability. So treating it as a billboard to plaster professionally shot product photos won’t have the desired impact. The content has to move instead of being perfectly poised and curated.
Red Flags to Avoid
In addition to the above tips, it’s also important that you avoid certain red flag moves that could threaten your product launch campaign.
Over-Scripting Creator Briefs
Creators, especially those on TikTok, thrive on authenticity. They use their creativity and unique voice to engage their community. So trying to have too much control over how they promote your campaign could result in rigid and inauthentic content. Avoid over-scripting creator briefs and instead provide them with prompts, talking points, and creative anchors.
Launching Before Seeding Soft Content
Springing a hard launch on your audience is a recipe for disaster. While you take them by surprise, it doesn’t give you enough time to build anticipation and drive immediate sales after the launch. Meanwhile, seeding soft launch content helps you spark curiosity and excitement in the weeks leading up to the launch.
Relying Only on Macro Influencers
When it comes to TikTok, micro equals magic. As users look to creators they can relate with, smaller creators tend to deliver a huge impact by building trust with the audience. Relying on macro influencers alone could result in a campaign that feels out of touch and fails to resonate.
Ignoring Paid Amplification
Many brands make the mistake of thinking that working with influencers is the equivalent of paid ads. Yet the reach of influencers is often limited to their existing network, so it’s easy to hit a cap. If you’re looking to achieve product launch success, paid amplification is the key to maximizing your reach, with TikTok Spark Ads serving as the engine.
Toolkit for Execution
As you get ready for a successful product launch strategy on TikTok, here are some tools to help:
- Influencity: To discover creators, manage briefs, and track campaign ROI from one dashboard.
- CapCut: To provide creators with branded templates for TikTok-style editing.
- TikTok Creator Marketplace: For paid collabs or creator outreach.
- Google Sheets or Airtable: To schedule launch post rollouts and monitor links.
Gear Up for Product Launch Success with a Strong TikTok Strategy
Building product launch hype needs strategic planning and coordination. Take inspiration from the Krispy Kreme example, and use the tips I highlighted above to build a strong product launch strategy on TikTok.