One of the top priorities for any property is finding ways to lure the fans of tomorrow, regardless of age,
Fishermen go where the fish are. And for sports marketers fishing for kids? Well, that audience is glued to their phones…peering at screens increasingly showing content from TikTok and Snapchat.
This weekend’s New York Times featured a piece on brands now casting wide nets for TikTok interns (seems pretty self-eveident no?), while another recent piece talked about how old school watch dealers were becoming part of the influencer draw.
One the key deal was when the UFC announced a multiyear partnership with TikTok, in which the mixed martial arts promotion will produce and stream live content, including live looks at weigh-ins and press conferences, athlete interviews, arena tours and fighter training segments, on the social media platform that claims 500 million global users. It’s been reported that videos on TikTok with the #UFC hashtag have been viewed more than 8 billion times since 2019.
While TikTok may be the hot platform du jour and it has started adding more vertically dedicated channels for areas like sports, it’s important to note that being versed in many platforms, and listening to where your fanbase is consuming content is also key. For example Snapchat, claims to reach 90% of all 13-24 year olds globally and another recent story pointed to the growth of engagement in YouTube Shorts, while another piece explained Hyundai’s push into multilingual content.
It comes down to know who you want to influnce. An example, last year World’s Strongest Man launched World’s Strongest Man: Home Edition on Snapchat. Strongmen competed in challenges from the comfort of their own homes, using everyday household items like couches, grills, and even family members. The series drew 7 million unique viewers and 141 million video views. That led to a Snap series called Shredded, highlighting super-human strongmen pushing their bodies to the limit to set world records. That show garnered 7.3 million unique viewers, and 143 million video views. World Strongest Man’s demo is aged 25-34, so Snapchat was a great way to connect with an even younger audience.
While yes brands seem to suddenly be waking to a TikTok strategy, it is not one size, or one platform fits all. Those who will advance forward will know by listening and watching engagement, engagement which has to be authentic to sustain, and then marrying the subject to the platform while knowing what success down the road…sales, engaged users, product demos, share of voice…looks, feels and sounds like.
TikTok is hot for sure, is it lighting the fire beyond the numbers for the engaged user? It all depends on the audience.
