By now you all should have at the very least heard of TikTok. I’ll give you a pass if you don’t have your own account just yet, or if you haven’t scrolled through the highly addictive feed of short videos. But you should have certainly heard of it, particularly if you have tweens and teenagers in your life.

If you’re not aware, TikTok is a social media app where users share video content. Launched in 2016, it has since has gained a tremendous following – in particular among the under-30 demographic, and is currently used in over 150 countries.

TikTok allows users to create short videos that play on a repetitive loop. Those that post videos can add filters, special effects, music overlays, as well as words, images and emojis. Content that has proven popular includes lip-synching videos, dance routines, comedy clips and skits. However, there are also loads of content for food, sports, news, and yes, even divisive political content, which should come as no surprise.

If you haven’t seen a TikTok yet, go ahead and ask the teenager in your life to show it to you. And once you make your own account, you can curate the content that suits and appeals to your interests. One way of doing this is by the use of hashtags. For example, if you want to see TikToks of #labels and #packaging, just type it into the search bar and off you go.

Yes, there are quite a few TikToks about labels and packaging.

If you run a business, chances are you have some form of social media presence, whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But I’m here to tell you not to sleep on TikTok.

Although it appeals primarily to younger people, TikTok is not just child’s play. In fact, with over 2.6 billion downloads and more than one billion active monthly users, TikTok is now more popular than the aforementioned social media mainstays.

Steadily, the site has transcended its teen audience, capturing the attention of young adults – nearly 70% of its active users are under 40 (according to Statista) – making it a prime target for any brands seeking the all-important attention of Millennials and Gen Z.

Benefits for business

If used strategically, TikTok can be very beneficial to a brand or business, providing the opportunity to create diverse, engaging content for consumers.

With regard to audience reach, more eyeballs on the app equate to increased potential for those eyes landing on one of your branded videos. More than a billion monthly users is significant, thus making it an attractive marketing platform for those who want to reach a large audience.

TikTok users are actively engaging with the app’s content. According to Statista, the average user spends 858 minutes per month on the app, a figure that each year has been increasing dramatically. This, accompanied by TikTok’s unique delivery algorithms, provides the ability to have strong brand engagement.

Brands on TikTok thrive with content that is whimsical and entertaining. Successful TikTok content is often lighthearted, fun and interesting – it’s a platform where these traits are welcomed. It’s far from buttoned-up, so vastly different from LinkedIn, for example.

Importantly, a recent study conducted by Kantar in partnership with TikTok found that nearly 30% of Gen Z users have purchased a product they saw advertised on TikTok. What’s more, there’s no telling how many purchases were driven not by paid ads, but by the content itself.

Jones Soda Turns AR Labels into Action Videos on TikTok

Jones Soda Co., a brand of craft soda known for its unconventional flavors and user-designed label artwork, has recently released a new collection of augmented reality (AR) labels that turn into short action videos of daredevil athletes, edgy artists and other masters of their preferred crafts with a tap on a phone camera. The animated labels appear on 1.5 million bottles spanning five top-selling soda flavors, marking the brand’s third AR series since launching last July.

Activated with a proprietary Jones Soda app, the new series spotlights influencers ranging from a professional slackliner with 2.1 million TikTok followers riveted by her aerial rope-walking escapades to a freestyle biker, professional scooter rider, jump-roping pro skater, semi-pro skateboarder, and trampoline athlete known for feats such as hitting a golf ball mid-jump. The collection also moves beyond extreme athletes to showcase a graffiti artist, music video director, landscape painter, champion women’s soccer goalkeeper, middle-school martial arts competitor, and others pushing the envelope in their respective fields. 

Jones’ AR initiative builds on the distinctive brand personality the company has established over the last two decades, in part by using black-and-white photographs submitted by consumers to create a constantly changing series of label visuals. Jones added video to the mix last year with an initial 15-label collection focusing primarily on action sports. A second AR series released several months later featured the animatronic fortune teller character Zoltar reading humorous fortunes customized to incorporate Jones Soda messaging.

“Our labels have always been a vital part of the brand, so we’re continually looking for new ways to use them as a canvas to engage and expand our fan base,” says Bohb Blair, chief marketing officer, Jones Soda. “Adding AR video is the right step at a time when people spend hours with creators on platforms like TikTok. It’s fun, it shows more of our consumers’ passions, and by partnering with these incredible individuals we get to bring the Jones experience to their communities by bringing them into the Jones app to view the videos, see our products, check out our photo gallery, and submit photos or videos of their own. It’s the perfect way for us to work with Jones fans to meet their fans.” 

Jones beverages with the new AR labels have arrived on store shelves in the US and Canada.

Measuring Media

IRI, a provider of products and services for consumer, retail and media companies, has partnered with TikTok to deliver custom marketing and media mix effectiveness insights to consumer retailers and manufacturers that advertise on the platform. Through this partnership, IRI will incorporate TikTok’s aggregated, privacy-centric advertising reports into its marketing effectiveness solution,
IRI Marketing Mix.

“The direct connection enables brands to better understand their marketing effectiveness and make the most out of their TikTok advertising spend,” says Jennifer Pelino, executive vice president of Global Media Solutions at IRI.


Steve Katz is the former editor of L&NW and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on twitter @LabelSteve.