TikTok has gained a lot of popularity since its launch in 2017 and is now one of the biggest social media platforms, especially among Gen Z. If you’re unfamiliar with the TikTok platform, you might want to check out our explainer blog post, “Ok, I’ll Budge: What’s TikTok and Why Should I Care?”.

Many well-known brands have entered the TikTok market, participating in fun trends that appeal to their audiences. These TikToks end up getting hundreds and thousands of views, likes, and shares - even sometimes going viral.

As TikTok continues to grow as an effective marketing tool among businesses across the world, it's important you learn how other businesses have found success using the platform. That's why we've compiled a list of brands that are killing it on TikTok.

Take a look.

Gymshark

Gymshark is an athletic wear brand that started their company in 2012. Since athletic wear is a crowded market, Gymshark needed a way to break through the noise and they used TikTok to do just that. With the help of micro-influencers, they began to see higher engagement, and attraction to their apparel and accessories. In January 2019, they launched a campaign on their TikTok account. The “Change Your Life” campaign showcased many participants who posted videos to show the results of their personal fitness progress after 66 days. Gymshark’s TikTok now has 3.8 million followers. They continue to interact with their audience by posting regularly, and participating in trends.

The National Football League

The National Football League (NFL) is well known among Americans, bringing people together over a common love for football and their favorite team. The NFL joined TikTok in 2019 and is now the fastest growing sports league on the app. With a following of 9.2 million, the NFL has clearly done a great job at integrating TikTok into their marketing strategy. The NFL page runs hashtag challenges regularly and posts authentic content. Two of their hashtags that went viral are "WeReady", a hashtag for fans to share what teams they are cheering for, and "TouchdownCelebration", where fans show their favorite touchdowns leading up to the Superbowl. The NFL has 29 of their 32 teams with their own accounts, and professional football players such as Josh Allen and Joe Burrow even star in TikTok content for them.

Dunkin

America runs on Dunkin, and apparently so does TikTok. Dunkin was founded in 1950 and became an established hub for purchasing coffee and donuts in a variety of flavors. Recently, Dunkin became popular on TikTok, gaining 3.1 million followers. Their TikTok videos show a variety of content, from demonstrating how their food and coffee is made to influencers posting videos that align with the latest trends. One of the biggest Influencers for Dunkin is Charli D’Amelio. With a huge number of followers on TikTok, Dunkin played into her love of the brand by creating a drink in her honor known as “The Charli Drink”. Charli is famous among Gen Zers, so that content led to a boost in sales for Dunkin. In fact, Dunkin’s cold brew sales went up by 20% the day the drink was introduced. (Rouge Rocket)

Duolingo

Duolingo is a prominent language-learning and translation app that was launched in 2011. Last February, Duolingo took place in the "learnonTikTok" campaign in which real-world skill creators and non-profits come together to promote education in an entertaining way. Since that campaign, Duolingo has been listening more to what their audience wants and creating the videos their followers and fans want to see. They gained 4.9 million followers. The videos on TikTok have been described as being sitcom-like. They have their own often-humorous way of participating in trends while also making fun of how hard language learning is; it’s comedic relief to fans. They also have their mascot - Duo, a big green owl - who is mischievous and fun in many of their videos. Duolingo is also known for their witty commentary on other viral videos.

Chipotle

Chipotle has been around since 1993; it is a popular Mexican Grill food chain. They joined TikTok in 2018 and have a large following of 2 million. Chipotle has a more casual vibe to their videos, with a ton of fan-made content. In these videos, Chipotle fans show lots of different hacks and recipes from the menu. Chipotle also jumps on many of the viral trends and uses hashtags for challenges like the "GuacDance" and "ChipotleLidFlip". They also partner with admired influencers like Justin Beiber and Loren Gray. Chipotle’s brand keeps their TikTok content approachable and simple with minimal editing to avoid their videos coming across as a well-refined ad production.

TikTok has been a great tool for marketing to Gen Z and increasing brand awareness. These brands all take risks by joining in on the trends and engaging with their audiences. And for many, that risk is paying off.

Want to learn more about TikTok? Discover how you can market yourself on TikTok.